Electrostatic precipitator

modeling and simulation

Kejie Fang Longhua Ma
Institute of Industrial Control
Zhejiang University

OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION

Introduction

Research and design in ESP

Simulation results and analysis

Conclusion

 INTRODUCTION
1. Background
Nowadays, the environment protection
has become a crucial problem and the
authorities are requested to set increasingly
more stringent limits , one of which is the
emissions from the industrial plants of solid
particulate and other gaseous pollutants.

 Introduction

2. ABOUT ELECTROSTATIC
PRECIPITATOR
2.1 What is ESP
Electrostatic precipitator (ESP) is a widely
used device in so many different domains to
remove the pollutant particulates, especially
in industrial plants.

 Introduction

2.2 HOW ESP WORKS

2.2.1 Main process of ESP
Generally, the processes of electrostatic
precipitator are known as three main stages:
particle charging, transport and collection.

 Introduction

These are stages interacted that originated

from the complexity of the processes of
precipitator.
To characterize all these stages determines
to take a great number of basic
phenomena into account from a physical
point of view when they occurred.

 Introduction

Schematic of wire-plate ESP

Fig.1 Schematic of wire-plate electrostatic

precipitator

 Introduction

Mechanism of ESP

Fig. 2 Mechanism of electrostatic precipitator

 Introduction

2.2.2 PROCESS OF Particle

charging
Particle charging is the first and foremost
beginning in processes.
As the voltage applied on precipitator reach
threshold value, the space inside divided
into ionization region and drift region.

 Introduction

The electric field magnitude around the

negative electrode is so strong that the
electrons escape from molecule.
Under the influence of electric field, the
positive ions move towards the corona, while
the negative ions and electrons towards the
collecting plates.

 Introduction

2.2.3 Particle transport

In the moving way, under the influence of
electric field, negative ions cohere and charge
the particles, make the particles be forced
towards collecting-plate as well as Fig.2
shows.

 Introduction

2.2.4 Particle collection

As soon as the particles reach the plate,
they will be neutralized and packed by the
succeeded ones subsequently. The
continuous process happens, as a result,
particles are collected on the collecting plate.

 Research and design in ESP

modeling
The numerical model describes in time
and space the relevant processes that are
involved in transport, charging, migration and
collection of fly ash. To represent the
complete processes, the model is therefore
structured into several modules.

The model here is organized into

the following three sections:
1. electric field and discharge processes
2. particle charging
3. particle collection

3.1 electric field and discharge

processes
The particle collection in electrostatic
precipitators is largely dominated by the
distribution of the electric field in the
interelectrodic space.

In the absence of particles, neglecting the

transport gas velocity and by assuming that
the magnetic field due to the corona current
is negligibly small.
Electronical conditions are described by
next three equations :

e
V
0
2

e 0 (V e )

(1)
(2)

E V

(3)

Here V is the electric potential, e is the spacecharge density, 0 is the permittivity of free space
and E is the electric field.

Here, we adopt equations (4) (5) (6) to

describe the electric field distribution with the
initial and boundary conditions.

V ( x, y ) V0

cosh[ ( y 2mS y ) / 2 S x ] cos(x / 2 S x )

ln{cosh[ ( y 2mS

) / 2 S x ] cos(x / 2 S x )

cosh(mS y / S x ) cos(a / 2 S x )
ln{
}

cosh(mS y / S x ) cos(a / 2 S x )
m
y

V( x, y) means the electric potential of

the position (x, y), V0 is the initial potential
on the wire, Sx is distance between
collecting plate and wire, Sy is half length of
the two nearest wires ,a is the radius of
particle, when x, y means the coordinates
direction, shown as Fig.3.

Fig. 3 Sketch of precipitator geometry and

computed grid

V0 0 V0 0
1 3
4 2
0 (

) 0 (E0x
E0 y
)
x x y y
2dx
2d y
2
0

V0

2
y

2
x

2
x

2
y

d (V4 V2 ) d (V1 V3 ) d d 0 / 0
2
x

2
y

2( d d )

(5)

(6)

and V0 mean the charge density and

electric potential at the position as Fig.3 shown.

3.2 particle charging

The field charging refers to the local
distorsion caused near the particle surface by
the difference in dielectric constants.
This process continues until the particle goes
up to the saturation charge, which produces
an electric field on particle surface equal and
opposite to the external field.

Equation (7) is chosen to describe the

model of particle charging :

qs 12 0 R

r
r 2

E0

(7)

Where r is the relative dielectric constant

and E0 is the external field, qs and R are the
particle charge and radius.

3.3 particle collection

This module simulates in detail the boundary
layer near the collecting plates and the
interchange that take place.
Here, we choose equation (8) to describe
particle collection .

a w y
C C 0 exp( (
x))
f
v

(8)

C is the particle density, C0 is the entry density of

particle, a is the unit collecting area in the flow way,
f is area of ESP cross section, when w means
particle velocity towards plate and v is the velocity
moving to outlet.

4 Simulation results and analysis

According the above analysis of the
mechanism and modeling of ESP, we design
a simple ESP simulation platform which is
based on Scilab .

Fig.4 Simulation Platform

Fig.5 Input Interface

Simulation of electric field

Fig.6 Distribution of electric field Ex

we can find that around the wires, Ex get a

largest value, when at the connecting way
of two wires, Ex is no more than zero. The
cause of this distribution is the potential, at
the connecting way of wires, nearly zero.
Ex is decreased regularly from the wire at
the coordinate line x, but larger when close
to the collecting plate.

Simulation of electric field

Fig.7 Distribution of electric field Ey

Simulation of particles density

distribution

Fig.8 Particle density distribution in ESP

From Fig.8, we see the particles density

distribution obviously. The density reaches the
largest value at the entry of the ESP under the
influence of electric wind. The value of density
gets smallest near the wire at the direction to
collecting plate.

Simulation of deposit density

Fig.9 Distribution of deposit density

Fig.9 shows us the deposit density, along the

collecting plate deposit density is decreased
definitely, since as time go on, the particle is
collected by the plate continuously. So at the
later part, the deposit density is lower, and
reasonable.

 CONCLUSION
we construct a numerical model of
electrostatic precipitator and design base on
Scilab. The simulation results of these
processes are according with laboratory
experimental tests to obtain physical
information and useful validations.

The
End
Thanks