ELECTROSTATIC ENHANCEMENT OF FINE PARTICLE REMOVAL IN AXIAL INLET PARTICLE SEPARATORS (IPS)

THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP AN ELECTROSTATIC PARTICLE SEPARATOR CONCEPT CAPABLE OF ENHANCING THE FINE PARTICLE SEPARATION OF A T800-TYPE INERTIAL IPS. ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATION IS AN EFFICIENT PROCESS FOR THE COLLECTION OF FINE PARTICLES AND REQUIRES LOW ENERGY CONSUMPTION FOR THE OPERATION AND PRESSURE LOSS THROUGH THE DEVICE. DIFFICULTIES ARISE FROM THE COLLECTION OF DRY DUSTS WHICH CONSIST OF PARTICULATE OF VERY LOW OR VERY HIGH RESISTIVITY. A DEVICE CAN BE CONSTRUCTED WHERE THE HIGHLY EFFICIENT ELECTROSTATIC PROCESS MAY BE USED TO AGGLOMERATE FINE PARTICULATES SO THE LESS EFFICIENT INERTIAL DEVICES SUCH AS CYCLONES MAY COLLECT THEM. ELECTROSTATIC PARTICLE SEPARATORS HAVE LONG BEEN CONSIDERED AS A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR FINE PARTICLE SEPARATION BUT ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATORS TEND TO COLLECT THE FINE DUST WHICH REDUCES EFFICIENCY SUBSTANTIALLY. THIS EFFORT WILL CONCENTRATE ON TRYING TO DEVELOP AN ELECTROSTATIC DEVICE WHICH CAN ENHANCE INERTIAL IPS'S WITHOUT COLLECTING FINE DUST (I.E., SELF-CLEANING). THE DEVICE COULD BE BUILT TO MOUNT IN FRONT OF THE IPS BUT IT WOULD BE PREFERABLE TO INCORPORATE THE DEVICE INTO THE DESIGN OF AN IPS WITHOUT AFFECTING THE FLOW PATH OR THE IPS ENVELOPE.