First Installations of Precipitators

1907 Chemical Industry

Advancements in ESP 1910

1911
Copper Lead & Zinc Smelters
Cement Industry
1915 De-tarring of Fuel Gases
1916 Paper Mills
1919 Steel Industry
1923 Electric Power Industry
1926 Carbon Black
Yatindra Nadkarni, CEO
1949 Aluminum Smelters
Ionisation Filtration Industries Pvt Ltd, Since inv enti on, ov er last more tha n 100 years,
Pune, India. lots of i mprov eme nts / a dv anceme nts did take pl ace in
ESP comp one nts & o perati ng practices.
Some of these a dv anceme nts are c ov ered here.

Advancements in ESP
Ø Com pu tati onal Flui d D ynamics (C FD) stud y :
For ensuring uniform gas & dust flow distribution within ESP fields
Ø Pipe-& -Spike e mittin g electr odes : For ensuring effectiv e
corona generation even with dust coating on pipes, Have capability
of operating without snapping Com putationa l Fluid Dynamics
Ø Side-to-To p Ra ppi ng c onv ersion : For increa sing coll. plate
are a by 25 to 33% within the same ESP casing (CFD)
Ø TR C ontr ollers : For handling high resistive dust with better
control over ‘Back corona’
Ø Dust Loa d Dis tribution Tech nol og y (DL D T) : For reduced
ESP outlet emission
Ø Hybrid ESP + Bag filter : For ESPs which are giving too high
a emission due to plant capacity enhancement/ tighter emission
norm/ changes in design paramet er s/ inadequate ESP sizing etc.

Com putational Fluid Dynam ics (CFD)
ESP Performance :
Ma n y a ti me, tho ug h ESP Desi gn C on diti ons are well
ev aluated while sizing ESP, inle t /outle t d uct r outing along
with n ozzle desig n & orie nta tio n m a y pla y a maj or role in
spoili ng perfor manc e of other wise correc tl y sized ESP,
thro ug h u nev en gas & dus t fl ow dis tribu tio n.
Regret tabl y, this performa nce killer,
on m an y occasio ns, is ov erlooked ev en b y
Design er / Co nsul tan t ini tiall y
or
b y Cus to mer d urin g capaci ty e nha nceme nt s tage.
Com putational Fluid Dynam ics (CFD)
ESP Performance :
In short, ev en correc tl y sized ESP or ESP with pla nt
capacity e nh ance men t, has Per for mance depe nde nce on
Uniform distri buti on of gas & dus t thro ug hou t its cross
sectio n.
That is where
“ Comp uta tional F luid D yna mics (CF D) s tu d y ”
pla ys a Vital r ole in i mpr ov ing
Gas dis trib uti on i n Electr osta tic Precipi tator
Com putational Fluid Dynam ics (CFD) Com putational Fluid Dynam ics (CFD)
CFD Adv antages : CFD Adv antages :
Ø Av oids exte nsiv e, repetitiv e Trial -&-Error (T&E ) Ø Mi nimises l oss of time ass ocia ted with repe titiv e
met hod on fiel d erecte d ESP, for e nsuri ng uni form T&E tes ts, site m odificati ons e tc. whic h prov es
gas v elocity inside ESP crucial in a n ESP up grada tio n j ob.

Ø For a ne w ESP, C FD e nsures prop er orientati on of
inlet / ou tlet nozzles, GD screens
Ø For a fie ld erec ted ESP, C FD eli mina tes costlier
site m odi ficati ons / al terati ons of nozzles,
GD scree ns & v anes a fter ev ery T&E tes t.
Ø Facilita tes be tter plan ning o f Plan t Sh ut-do wns
for ESP up grada tio ns with No la st min ute s urprises,
No sh ut-d own ext ensi ons, No a ddition al loss of
prod ucti on
Ø Has lo wer cos t (~ on e-four th of Model s tu d y)
Ø Better s peed of res ults (2 to 3 mo nth s)

Com putational Fluid Dynam ics (CFD) Case Study : Electrostatic Precipitator
CFD Adv antages : Prior to C FD s tu d y After C FD s tu d y
Ø No Mo del s tud y set -u p
ü Flexi-glass m odel
ü No elab orate floor spac e CFD Res ult Hi ghl ights :
requireme nt for la b set -u p
Flue gas havi ng h igh er
(CF D require s onl y a veloc ity regi on (re d) on
Workstati on & So ftware) left flank of ESP
MODEL STUDY OF AN ESP
Unev en g as flow, thus
Ø No Fiel d GD te st a t site low erin g ESP efficie ncy
ü No ESP sh utd o wn (~ 10-12 da ys ) for GD tes ts
ü No likel y ex tensi on of s hu td own peri od res ulti ng i n
extended l oss o f pr od ucti on & rev enue

Case Study : Electrostatic Precipitator

Prior to C FD s tu d y After C FD s tu d y

Emitting Electrode s

ESP Cross- se ctional view

 Types of Em itting Electrodes Types of Em itting Electrodes

1. Spiral
2. Twisted square
3. Twisted pair
4. Saw-tooth ribbon
5. Twist barbed
6. Smooth round
7. Open hook
8. Loop ring
9. S-hook loop ring

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10. Pipe-&-Pin Emitting Electrodes 11. Pipe-&-Spike Emitting Electrode

Problems associated w ith EE :

Em itting Electrode
Heavy Dust Coating
Corona Glow - Typical
Ø Heavy Dust Coating :
– Badl y a ffec ts emis siv ity

– Suppress es Secondar y
Curren t

– Field opera tes at muc h

lower e fficie nc y

Problems associated w ith EE :

Solution to Dust coating, Snapping of EE
Snapping
Ø That is where Pipe-&-Spike design of
Ø Every spark & arc results in etching of
emitting electrodes offer a solution.
metal from surface of emitting electrodes
ü Anneal ed c op per coa ted nails en sure
Ø Etching results in : sharp c orona poi nts ov er a lon g ti me.

– Reduc tion in ra dius of c urv ature ü Zero pr oba bility of S nap ping
ü Lo wer 'coro na onset v oltage’
– More coro na genera tion
ü Higher e fficie nc y of ESP for same
– Possible next s park/arc at same l ocati on
process parame ter
Ø And the Outcome – ü Simplici ty o f ins tallati on
Snapping of emitting electrode ü Adap tabili ty to all desig ns
ü Lo wer d own ti me for retro fits
Pipe-&-Spike design emitting electrodes Pipe-&-Spike design emitting electrodes
Ø Reduces possibility of ‘back corona’ Ø Simplicity of ESP Retrofit/ Upgradation
ü Lo wer coro na onse t v oltage e nsures ü Can easil y be retr ofi tte d on an y exis ting Emi tti ng
begi nning o f pr ocess of i onizati on electro de fra me/ mas t de sign
well in a dv ance o f back coro na regi on
ü During back c oro na, e mitti ng electro des get
coate d wi th dus t
ü Pipe prov ides s urface for s uch c oati ng
ü Nails still re main free fr om dus t to
genera te cor ona
ü ESP conti nues to receiv e p ower ev en
with d ust -coa ted ele ctro des

Mechanical Upgrade - Side-to-Top Rapping

Ø An innovative way to increase collecting plate

area as well as improve rapper impact.
Ø The space between two consecutive fields can
Mechanical Upgrade be utilised for installing additional collecting
Side-to-Top Rapping plates.
Ø This design modification is applicable only to
certain types of ESPs.
Ø However the increase in collection area that
this modification can fetch is up to 33%

Mechanical Upgrade - Side-to-Top Rapping Mechanical Upgrade - Side-to-Top Rapping

Ø Adv antages
ü No cha nge in foo tpri nt

ü Inlet, outlet duc t work & n ozzles remai n same

ü Fan a nd s tack loc ati on ke pt unc han ged

ü No m ov ing par ts with in pre cipitator c asin g

ü Virtual elim ina tion of mai nte nance

ü Mov ing par ts bei ng ou tside gas stre am,

the y ca n be main tain ed onli ne
Mechanical Upgrade - Side-to-Top Rapping

Ø Adv antages
ü Improv ed relia bility i n rappin g mec hanis ms

ü Rappi ng se qu ence, freq uenc y & intensi ty can

readil y be c han ged thr ou gh micro -co ntroller. TR Controller
This mini mises p ossi bility of pu ffin g.

ü Higher treatmen t len gth red uce re-e ntrai nme nt of

dust

ü Supp ort i nsula tors pertai ning to an i ndiv idual field

are hou sed i n separa te comp artme nts.

TR Controller TR Controller

Ø Control System Adaptable for handling Ø Control System Requirements

high resistive dust such as : ü Optimise effective power into ESP field

ü Clinker cooler dust (Cement industry) ü Prevent back corona

ü Prevent/ minimise sparking
ü Indian Coal fired boiler fly-ash (Power Industry)
ü Automatically track process changes
ü Sinter strand dust (Metallurgical industry)
ü Provide meaningful fault diagnostics

ü Prevent ESP damage under severe faults

TR Controller

Dust Loa d Distribution Technology

(DLDT)
 DL DT : Revolutionary Technology
Ø Lowers outlet emission by 25 to 50 % at about
one tenth cost of conventional methods
Ø Saves electrical power by 10 to 15 %
Ø Lowest down time required for implementation
Ø No recurring costs
What is Im portant ?
Gas Distribution
or
Dust Load Distribution ?
Theory Book Shows
80% 16% 4%
What is DLDT ?
Ø Modify gas flow pattern inside ESP -
deflect it from inlet bottom to outlet top -
to achieve uniform dust load from top to
bottom of ESP
– with turnin g v anes
– with bl ockin g o f per forated p lates
– with ad diti onal gas dis tributi on dev ices at
outle t o f ESP
Theory Book Says
Ø Gas distribution has to be as per Institute of
Clean Air Companies (ICAC) standards
Ø First field collects 80% of dust
Ø Second field collects 16% of dust
Ø Third field collects 4% of dust
Ø Current increases from first to last field
Ø Voltage decreases from first to last field
Aspects Overlooked
Ø At low gas velocity dust settles down due to
gravity
Ø Re-entrainment of dust during rapping of plates
Gas Flow Ø Acute gradient in voltage & current levels
affect migration velocity
kV
mAmps
 Effect of Gravity on Dust Re-entrainment of Dust During Rapping

Lo w Co nce ntrati on

Gas Flow

High Co ncen trati on

Acute gradient in Voltage & Current Practical Observations

Ø Upper portion is under-utilized

Lo w Resis tance
Ø Lower portion is over-loaded

Ø High current drain in low resistance area

Gas Flow
Ø Voltage drops due to loading of T/R set

Ø No corona in lower portion

kV
mAmps

Practical Observations Practical Problems

Ø Drop in voltage reduces migration velocity

Ø Increased gas volume increases

re-entrainment of dust
Ø Fine & light dust that is more susceptible,
Gas Flow increases emission

Ø Puffing is more visible & adds to average

kV emission
mAmps
 Underlining Theory DL DT Methodology

Dust Load Distribution Ø Identify ideal angle for gas flow to overcome
gravitational effect
is Ø Create a DEAD POCKET at outlet bottom of
ESP
More Important
Ø Computer flow modeling to arrive at new gas
than distribution devices
Ø Verification of computer modeling in field
Gas Distribution after implementation

Methodology Advantages - Electrical

Ø Entire ESP from top to bottom is uniformly

loaded

Ø Reduction of current drain saves electrical

energy
Gas Flow
Ø Higher kV results in higher migration velocity
Dead Zone
- crucial for collection of fine particles

kV
mAmps

Reduced Em ission Technological Advantages

Ø Dust falls in dead pockets at lower end of Ø All ESPs are sized as per Deutsch Anderson
outlet field during rapping Equation

Ø Reduced re-entrainment of dust during Ø DLDT is based on parameters over & above
ESP operation those in Deutsch Anderson Equation

Ø Puffing is eliminated Ø As a result, with DLDT, Performance

improvement is assured in all ESPs
 Conclusion

Dust Load Distribution

is
Hybrid ESP + Ba g filter
More Important

Than

Gas Distribution !

Hybrid ESP + Bag filter Hybrid ESP + Bag filter

Customer : JRP Cement Plant, Rewa, MP
Problem : Hi gher e missio n fr om Fl y-as h Dr yer ESP
Backgro un d : Fl y-as h Dr yer ESP ins talle d alo ng with
pre-coll ector C yclo ne
Inpu t : Ash fro m N TP C Po wer pla nts of 2 types
Ø Ash with 20-25% w/w mois ture (p on d ash )
Ø Ash with 8-10% w/w mois ture
Customer : JRP Cement Plant, Rewa, MP
Problem : Hi gher e missio n fr om Fl y-as h Dr yer ESP
Viable Solutions :
Op tio n 1 : ESP be ma de bi gger i n size by 60 -65% by
addi ng 2 more fields to presen t 3 fiel ds in op eratio n
Op tio n 2 : Install a ne w ESP in p arallel to existi ng ESP
with a spli t-flo w o f 40% & 60% respectiv ely.

Emissio n fro m ESP for : Op tion 3 : Install H ybri d Bag filter wi thi n existi ng ESP
b y dis man tling last field & ad din g a ne w Fan i f req d
Ø Ash with 20-25% w/w mois ture, ~ 100 m g/ N m3
Ø Ash with 8-10% w/w mois ture, > 1000 m g/ N m3 Customer confirmed Option 3 (H ybrid ESP + Bag filter)

Hybrid ESP + Bag filter ESP in Operation

Prior to Precip Filter
ESP with Precip Filter
in Operation

Customer : JRP Cement Plant, Rewa, MP

Problem : Hi gher e missio n fr om Fl y-as h Dr yer ESP
Installa tio n : H ybrid ESP + Bag filter
ESP last field em ptie d, ins talled “Precip Filter”
Precip Filter Design Parame ters :
Ø Gas Fl o w Rate :250,000 m3/ hr at 120 Deg C
Ø Bag Ma terial : Pol yAcr ylo nitrile wi th P TFE trea tme nt PrecipFilter installed in last ESP field
(field emptied of its internals)
Ø No o f Ba gs : 640
ESP housing 3 Fields (Prior to Retrofit ) ESP now housing 2 Fie lds Plus “ PrecipFilter”
Ø Bag Dia x Len gth (mm x m m) : 150 x 6000 (Hazy environment due to dusty stack) (Clean Environment)

Ø Air-to-Cl oth Ra tio : 2.30 m 3/mi n-m2 Fly-ash Dry er ESP at J RP Ce ment Plant, Rewa, MP
Result : All time Clean St ack running over last 3 yea rs with Zero maintenance
 Ionisation Filtration Ind. Pvt Ltd (IFI), Pune, India
(For merl y kn o wn as Baltec S ys tem s Pv t Ltd )
ØA project engineering company.
ØHandles complete AP C jobs starting from concept to commissioning.
ØThe servic es cov er Application Engg, Design, CFD, Supply, and
Supervision of E&C & Maintenance contra cts for Air Pollution Control
(APC) equipment.
ØConducts Inspection/Comprehensive Audits of old ESP/Baghouses &
proposes Short /Long term Corre ctive m ea sure s with a special focus on
minimum cost, least downtime & least loss of production
ØIFIalso offers quality replacem ent parts of air pollution control
equipment.
ØNow an established name as original eqpt manufacturer (OEM) & project Thanks.
engineering company for ESPs, Bag Filters, Emission monitors, amongst
others.