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Sunday, September 28, 2008

Electrostatic Precipitators for Air Cleaning

Title: Electrostatic Precipitators for Air Cleaning

Author: Oleg Tchetchel

Article:
Canadian Air Systems Co. is a designer and manufacturer of
industrial dust collection systems. Dust collecting equipment is
available in numerous designs utilizing a number of principles
and featuring wide variation in effectiveness, initial cost,
operating and maintenance expense, space, arrangements and
material of construction.

Factors influencing dust collection equipment selection include:

* Concentration and particle size of contaminant.

In most dust conveying systems, usual dust range from 0.1 to
100 micron - a rather wide range of particle sizes.

* Degree of collection required.

Evaluation will consider the need for high efficiency high cost
equipment such as electrostatic precipirators; high efficiency
moderate cost equipment such as fabric or wet collector units;
and the lower cost primary units such as the dry centrifugal
group. Degree of dust collection required can depend on plant
location; compariosn of quantities of material released to
atmoshere with different type of dust collectors; nature of
contaminant - its salvage value or its potential as a health
hazard, public nuissance or ability to damage property - and the
requirements of the local or state air pollution regulations.

* Characteristics of air or gas stream.

High temperature gas streams exceeding 180 F will prevent the
use of standard cotton media in fabric collectors; presence of
steam or condensation of water vapor will cause packling and
plugging of air or dust packages in fabric and dry centrifugal
collectors. Chemical composition can attack fabric or metal in
dry collectors and cause extremely corrosive conditions when
mixed with water in wet type collectors.

* Characteristics of contaminant.

Chemical composition can cause attack on dust collector
elements or corrosion in wet type dust collectors. Sticky
materials like metallic buffing dust impregnated with buffing
compounds can adhere to collector elements plugging dust
collector passages. Linty materials such as dust from textile
opener, picker and napper will adhere to certain types of
collector surfaces or elements. Abrasiveness of many materials
in moderate to heavy concentrations such as dust from sand
blasting will cause rapid wear particularly on dry type
centrifugal collectors. Particles size and shape will rule out
certain collector designs. The parashute shape of particles such
as "bees wings" from grain will "float" through centrifugal
collectors due to their velocity of fall being slower than much
smaller spherical particles of the same specific gravity.
Combustible nature of many finely divided materials will
influence selection of explosion proof dust collectors for such
products.

* Methods of disposal.

Methods of removal and disposal of collected materials will
vary with the material, plant process, quantity involved and the
collector design. Dry collectors can be unloaded continuously or
in batches through dump gates, trickle valves and rotary locks
to conveyors or containers. Wet collectors can be arranged for
batch removal or continual ejection of dewatered material by
flight conveyors or draining as a slurry. Material
characteristics can influence other problems, such as packing
and bridging of dry materials in dust hoppers, floating of
slurry forming characteristics in wet collectors, etc.

One of the most efficient type of dust collectors is
Electrostatic Precipitator.

The principle of dust collection relies on the ability to impart
a negative charge to particles in the gas stream causing them to
move and adhere to the grounded or positively charged collector
plates. Most precipitators are made for horizontal air flow with
velocities 100 to 600 fpm. The collecting plates or electrodes
are parallel elements, usually on 9-inch centers, and
constructed in various ways including corrugated or perforated
plates for rod curtains. The electrode rods are centered between
the collector plates. Volatge difference between electrode and
plate is 60,000 to 75,000 volts in most designs. Collector
plates of cylindrical shapes surrounding the electrode tod are
provided where water is used to wash off collected material and
where the gas stream is under high pressure or vacuum.

Removal of the collected material is obtained by rapping or
vibrating the elements either continuously or at predetermined
intervals. Vibration or unloading usually takes place without
stopping air flow through the cleaning cycle.

Pressure drop is low. Collection efficiency is high and nearly
uniform regardless of particle size including sub-micron
particles. Space is relatively large and cost is high where
small gas volumed (below 50,000 CFM) are involved due to the
cost of high voltage electrical equipment. Efficiency is
improved with increased humidity of the air stream as a change
takes palce in the dielectric properties of the dust. Heavy
concentrations, on the other hand, cause a reduction in
collection as the space chatge on numerous particles blankets
the corona effect from the electrode.

Electrostatic precipitators have been extensively used in high
temperature gas cleaning from equipment such as blast furnaces,
open heart furnaces and central station pulverized fuel boilers.
The chemical industry has many applications including sulfuric
acids plants, carbon black, cement kilns and soda sh from paper
mill black liquor furnaces. As voltage setting is close to the
spark-over potential, application is limited to materials that
are not explosive or combustible in nature unless the carrier
gas stream is an inert gas.
For additional information please refer to
http://www.nis-co.com/dustcollection/Index.html.

Oleg Tchetchel, Ph.D Process Engineer Canadian Air Systems
http://www.nis-co.com
http://www.nis-co.com/fumeextractor/Index.html

About the author:
Oleg Tchetchel, Ph.D Process Engineer Canadian Air Systems
http://www.nis-co.com
http://www.nis-co.com/fumeextractor/Index.html

Saturday, June 28, 2008

OPERATIONAL CHECK UP OF ESP

CHECK UP THE OPERATION OF THE PLANT BY MEANS OF INSTRUMENT AND SIGNAL LAMP IN THE RECTIFIER CONTROL PANEL AND AUXILIARY CONTROL PANEL.

AT NORMAL PERATION,VOLTMETERS AND AMMETERS ON RECTIFIER CONTROL PANELS WILL FUNCTION PROPERLY AND FAULT LAMPS WILL NOT GLOW.

CHECK AT LEAST TWICE EVERY SHIFT THAT THE RECTIFIER UNITS ARE FUNCTIONING,THERAPPING MECHANISMS FOR EMITTING AND COLLECTING SYSTEMS ARE FUNCTIONING,ALL THE ASH HANDLING EQUIPMENT ARE WORKING AND DUST IS TRANSPORTED IN A PROPER WAY.

PRECIPITATOR CURRENT,PRECIPITATOR VOLTAGE,BOILER LOADIG,FLUE GAS TEMPERATURE AT THE INLET OF PRECIPITATOR AND CONDITION OF ASH DISPOSAL SYSTEM MUST BE CHECKED PREFERABLY EVERY 30 MINUTES.

OPERATION OF ESP

THE HEATERS FOR SHAFT AND SUPPORTING INSULATORS SHALL BE SWITHED ON PREFERABLY 24 HOURS BEFORE STARTING UP THE BOILER UNIT

AS SOON AS BOILER IS FIRED ,THE RAPPING MECHANISM MUST BE STARTED.IT IS PREFERABLY TO KEEP THE RAPPERS WORKING WHEN THE FLUE GAS IS PASSING THROUGH THE DUCTS SO THAT ELECTRODES ARE KEPT CLEAN.


INCOMING FLUE GASES WARM UP,DRY THE ELECTRODES AND DRIVES AWAY ANY RESIDUAL MOISTURE.THIS PROCESS MAY TAKE 2-3 HOURS FROM THE STARTING OF THE BOILER ,ROUGHLY COINCIDING WITH THE TIME TAKEN FOR STARTING OF THE COAL BURNING IN THE BOILER.

ASH HANDLING SYSTEM SHOULD BE IN OPERATION.NOW THE RECTIFIER CAN BE SWITCHED ON AND PRECIPITATOR ENERGISED.

SET THE SELECTOR SWITCH OF THE RECTIFIER CONTROL CUBICLE ON MANUAL.SET THE MANUAL SETTING ON MINIMUM.

PRESS THE STARTPUSH BUTTON ON THE CONTROL CUBICLES.

INCREASE THE MANUAL SETTING STATING SO THAT A WORKING CURRENT OF ABOUT 230-250/370-400/430-460/mA IS REACHED WITHOUT ABNORMAL FLASH OVERS.THIS COULD BE CHECKED FROM THE SWINGING OF THE MIDDLE-AMMETER NEEDLE.

WHEN THE OPERATION OF THE PRECIPITATOR IS STABLISED REDUCE THE MANUAL SETTING ZERO AND CHANGE THE SELECTOR SWITCH TO AUTO.THE SPARK RATE SHALL BE SET WITHIN 6 TO 10 FLASH PER MINUTE.

ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR

THE MAJOR FUNDAMENTAL PARTS OF THE ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR CONSIST OF CASING,HOPERS,GAS DISTRIBUTOR SCREEN,COLLECTING SYSTEM,EMITTING SYSTEM,RAPPING MECHANISM FOR EMITTING SYSTEM,INSULATOR HOUSING AND HIGH VOLTAGE RECTIFIER AND CONTROLS.


FOR OPTIMUM FUNCTIONAL FUNCTIONAL EFFICIENCY OF THE PRECIPITATOR,THE SUPPLIED VOLTAGE SHOULD BE MAINTAINED NEAR ABOUT THE FLASH LEVEL BETWEEN THE PRECIPITATOR ELECTRODES.THIS CAN BE ACHIEVED BY AN ELECTRONIC SYSTEM WHICH RAISES THE OUTPUT VOLTAGE TO A FLASH OVER.AN ADDITIONAL INCREASE IN CURRENT ACCOMPANIED BY HEAVY SPARKING AND RAPID REDUCTION IN DUST COLLECTION EFFICIENCY.EXPERIENCE HAS SHOWN THAT THE MAXIMUM DUST COLLECTION EFFICIENCY IS RELATED TO THE AMOUNT OF MINOR SPARKING THAT OCCURS ALONG ELECTRODES.