Electrostatic precipitators use electrostatic charges to separate particles from a dirty gas stream.

High
voltage, direct current electrodes are used to establish a strong electric field. This field (known as a
corona) delivers a (usually) negative charge to particles as they pass through the device. This charge
forces the particles onto the walls of collection plates or tubes. These collection surfaces (or collection
electrodes) are then rapped, vibrated, or washed with water to dislodge the particles, which fall into a
hopper to be disposed.

Plate or Tubular

The functional design of an ESP incorporates either plate or tubular collection surfaces.

Plate Precipitators

Plate ESPs primarily collect dry particles and are used more often than tubular precipitators.
They can have wire-plate or flat-plate electrodes.

Plate-Wire Precipitators
In a plate-wire ESP, gas flows between parallel plates of sheet metal and high-voltage long metal
wires. It allows many flow lanes to operate in parallel, making it suitable for handling large
volumes of gas.

Plate-wire precipitators are among the most common types of ESPs. In industry, they are used
in cement kilns, incinerators, boilers, cracking units, sinter plants, furnaces, coke oven batteries,
and a variety of other applications.

Flat Plate Precipitators

Plate ESP - Image Credit: EPA.gov

Smaller precipitators use flat plates instead of wires for high-voltage electrodes. The flat plates
increase the average electric field used to collect particles and provide additional surface area for
particle collection. They are less susceptible to back corona than conventional plate-wire
precipitators but also have higher rapping losses.

Flat plate ESPs can be used in applications with high-resistivity particles with small (1 to 2 m)
diameters. Fly ash can be captured using flat plate ESPs, but typically requires low velocities to
prevent significant rapping losses.

Tubular Precipitators

Tubular ESPs consist of parallel arrangements of tubes with high-voltage electrodes running on
their axis. The tubes may be arranged as a circular, square, or hexagonal honeycomb with gas
flowing upwards or downwards. They are designed as one-stage units in which all the gas passes
through the tube, eliminating sneakage. They are still susceptible to inefficiencies from corona
non-uniformities.

Tubular precipitators are less common than plate types. They are used in applications involving
wet or sticky particulate, and are typically cleaned with water for lower reentrainment losses than
typical ESPs. They also can be tightly sealed to prevent leakage of material, an important
consideration for valuable or hazardous substances.
 Tubular ESP - Image Credit: EPA.gov

Single or Two Stage

ESPs can be designed as either single or two stage configurations.

Single-Stage Precipitators

Most industrial scale ESPs are single stage. They use very high voltages to charge particles and
incorporate charging and collection together in the same stage. Sets of electrodes and collector
surfaces (plates or tubes) operate in parallel to each other.

Two-Stage Precipitators

Two-stage ESPs operate in series rather than parallel configuration. Instead of using a side by
side design, they incorporate separate particle charging and collection stages. This allows more
time for particle charging, less susceptibility to back corona, and economical construction for
smaller sizes.

Two-stage precipitators are separate and distinct from other ESPs, originally designed for air
purification in conjunction with air conditioning systems. They are typically used for smaller,
lower-volume applications. They are usually applied to submicron sources emitting oil mists,
smokes, fumes, or other liquid aerosols. Many are sold as pre-engineered, package systems.