24.2. the Electric Field of Continuous Charge Distributions ] PHYSICS IN PRACTICE | Recetas §ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS Electrostatic precipitators are widely used to remove pollutants ‘from the smoke produced by power plants, smelters and other industrial installations. Before the installation of such clean~ ing devices, industrial smoke ejected huge amounts of pol- Iutants into the atmosphere, For instance, in just one day, a large copper smelter would eject more than 3000 tons of sulfur ‘compounds, 30 tons of arsenie compounds, and several tons ‘of zine, copper, lead, and antimony. The electrostatic precip itator consists of a metallic cylindrical chamber in which snangs a wire connected toa high-voltage generator (see Fig 1) ‘The high concentration of electric charge on the wire pro- duces a strong electric field—as much as 10° N/C—in the space between the wire and the wall of the chamber. When dirty smoke, loaded with particles of pollutants, enters this strong electric field, it triggers a discharge, called 2 corona poltants precipitate FIGURE 1A schematic diagram of an electrostatic precipitator 7s discharge, from the wire into the smoke. This discharge deposits negative electric charges on the pasteles of pollutants, ‘The eletric field then pushes the charged particles sideways and ives them against the wal, where they adhere. Every so often, ‘4 motorized mechanical hammer strikes and shakes the cham- ber, dislodging the accumulated layers of pollutants, which fll down into hoppers for collection and disposal. Electrostatic precipitators used in industrial installations contain large arrays of many parallel plates and charged wires (see Fig. 2). Automatic control systems connected tothe wires and the generators continually adjust the charges onthe wires and the resulting electric fields to optimize the collection of pollutants, Precipitators can colleet solid particles, such as fly ash, soot, or dust; they can also collect liquid droplets, such as sulfuric acid mist o tar fumes, FIGURE 2 An electrostatic preciptator atray, sheets are inthe same direction (see Fig. 23.10s); they therefore reinforce each other, giving a net field twice as large as the field of one sheet, that is, Bok clectrc Feld between two oppositely 23.13) charged flat shoots In the space above or below the two sheets, the individual electric fields of the two sheets are in opposite directions; thus, these electric fields cancel, and the space above and below has zero electric field, Figure 23.10 shows the net electric field ofthe two sheets