BACK-CORONA AND ITS CONTROL IN ELECTROSTSTIC PRECIPITATOR

Abstract

The Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP) is worldwide the most common dust collector to clean
flue gases after coal fired boilers. A new patented concept to define back-corona has been
introduced which enables the microprocessor controls to energize each ESP bus section
individually, automatically and continuously to optimize the voltage and current to maximize
the overall collection efficiency under varying process conditions.

The new concept selects current and duty cycle in intermittent energization mode, based on
continuos sampling and mathematical analysis of the secondary voltage from each bus
section, referenced to the corona onset voltage. Maximal corona charging with minimized
back-corona is achieved.

This paper presents the philosophy of the optimizing software’s, and reports some recent
emission improvement results from operation of ESP’s, mainly after Pulverised Coal Fired
boilers firing low-sulfur coals.

The modular ESP control system approach

The EPIC II ESP control system utilizes one EPIC II controller per ESP bus section, and needs
one or more Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) as user interface.

The RTU is a portable user interface that allows the operator to read or modify data from any
“node” on the system.

The FläktBus is a twisted wire cable used to interconnect the “nodes”- maximum 120 - in the
control system.

Figure 1 shows a typical EPIC II control system layout with two additional options, ProMo-II -
an IBM PC based software package for operators overview monitoring, logging and control,
and Gateway II - an interface to eg the existing boiler control computer (DCS).

EPIC-II

Figure 1: Typical EPIC II Control system, showing some possible “nodes” in an

ESP with 8 Bus Sections

All new ProMo -II have modem communication possibility. This means that ESP remote control
via standard telephone lines can be made - upon ESP owners demand - including ESP
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process diagnostics, changing and upgrading of ProMo-II software etc. Todays state of the art
is to diagnose normal ESP problems via this “remote” without the necessity (or cost) for a site
visit by an ESP process expert.

Back-corona how it happens and its reduction of the ESP collection efficiency

The corona current from the

Back Corona in Dust Layer on Collecting Plate
discharge electrodes must
penetrate the flyash layer on the
collecting electrodes before
reaching the grounded plate. The
current through this layer generates
a voltage drop proportional to the
current and the resistivity of the fly
ash. When the voltage drop across
the fly ash layer is high enough, an
electrical break-down is initiated in
the fly ash, resulting in generation
of positive and negative ions. The
positive ions will create a corona
current that moves in the direction
towards the discharge electrodes.
This positive charge corona is
called back-corona because it
moves in the wrong, undesired
direction.

Back-corona decreases the ESP collection efficiency in two ways:

 Some collected flyash is reentrained into the gas flow by the explosive nature of
the voltage break-down in the collected fly ash

 Positive ions generated by the voltage break-down in the fly ash layer move to
the discharge electrodes thereby discharging the negatively charged particles in
the gas stream.

Back-corona can be minimized in basically two ways, both with the target to reduce the voltage
drop across the dust layer on the collection plates:

 Either by reducing the resistivity of the dust that causes the ionization on the
collecting plates. This can be made in different ways, eg by conditioning the gas
that enters the ESP with eg SO3 or ammonia

 Or by reducing the average current from the T/R. This can be made with the
use of Semipulse or full pulse technology. Semipulse is an intermittent
charging of a conventional T/R, so made that the average current is kept low
while the peak current is still high, giving a better distributed corona along the
discharge electrodes. 2
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Related options with same target (to reduce the voltage drop across the dust layer on the
collecting plates) can be conditioning with (large) amounts of moisture that will increase the
dielectrical strength of the gases entering the ESP, or exchange the ESP internals to a better
designed ESP electrode geometry that will give a more even current distribution..

Figure 2, shows a Semipulse charging ratio (CR) of 1:3, or one used pulse per three
possible (each pulse is a part of the mains half- wave). The charging ratio can be increased to
cater for even the highest dust resistivities associated with very severe back-corona conditions.
T/R Current

secondary
current

time
Figure 2: Semipulse®, operating the T/R at CR 1:3

The EPOQ algorithm - suppresses Back-Corona to increase the ESP collection

efficiency

A disadvantage, up to now, has been that the optimal CR and current level for maximum
ESP collection efficiency have been difficult to determine, because they change with
changing flue gas conditions. By using optimal CR, sufficient current can be maintained to
achieve a proper current distribution, while at same time keeping the back-corona to a
minimum.

The selection of optimal CR and current level assume that a correct estimation of the
presence and severity of any back-corona in any bus section of an ESP has been made.
With the help of powerful microprocessors that allow fast sampling and analysis of voltage
and current curves, and advanced insight into the detection criteria of back-corona, it is now
possible to determine and implement the best CR and current level, automatically and
continuously. In this way the CR and current level that for each individual bus section give
maximized ESP collection efficiency is always very closely maintained - for any ESP
process change or variation.

The outlined maximizing of the overall ESP collection efficiency is performed by a software
in each individual microprocessor unit, called EPOQ (Electrostatic Precipitator Optimization
of Q [Q = charging]). Typically each subsequent ESP section will have a more difficult flyash
than the previous field (in some unusual cases an easier flyash may be seen in a
subsequent field). The continous optimization of each bus section automatically leads to the
best overall collecting efficiency of the whole ESP.

To further reduce some other problems caused by back-corona, a software PCR (Power
Control Rapping ) has been introduced in every microprocessor controller. Altering the T/R
power during the rapping will alter the electro-mechanical forces that keep the dust adhered
to the collecting plates.

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