Electrostatic Precipitator and Ash

Handling System

Prepared by Ayad Karem

Team Leader: Mr.Clint Yorkshire
Supervisor: Mr.Kwak
Brief history about me

My name is Ayad Karem ,I graduated from

Salahadin university in 2019 college of
engineering mechanical department ,I was
being here on 20th sep-2021, I started work as
an Esp operator about 2 months
Esp is a new role and big challenge for me to
learn new thing and find out how the system
work.
Content
1. Introduction
2. Electrostatic Precipitator
2.1 Transformer
2.2 Electrode and Collector Plate
2.3 Rapping System
2.4 Hopper
2.5 Seal Air Fan and Heater Bank
3. Ash Handling System
3.1 Flapper Valve and Rotary feeder
3.2 Cyclonic filter
3.3 Vacuum Pump
4. Startup procedure
5. Shut Down procedure
1. Introduction
Many industrial, power generation and chemical
processes produce unwanted
particulate material as a consequence of their
operation. Electrostatic precipitation (ESP) is
a highly efficient method of removing entrained
particulate contaminants from exhaust gases
and is extensively used in these industries to
limit particulate emissions.
Electrostatic precipitation of particulates was
first observed in laboratories in the 19th
century. Practical application in a lead smelter
in England failed in 1885. First successful
industrial application to collect sulfuric acid
fumes by F.G. Cottrell in 1907.
2. Electrostatic Precipitator
An electrostatic precipitator is a particulate
emission control device that uses electrical
forces to move particles out of a flowing gas
stream to a collecting surface. It consists of a
small surface acting as an emitter located
opposite a large surface acting as a collector.
Electrical charging and precipitation of particles
occurs between these two surfaces.
Every particle either can be given a charge
positive or negative. A high voltage
system provides power to the discharge
electrode to generate an electrical field. The
particulate, entrained in the gas, is charged
while passing through the electrical field. The
particulate is then attracted to the grounded
collector plate, and forms a dust layer on the
plate,
2.1 Transformer
The optimum ESP voltage is achieved by an
automatic voltage control (AVC). The automatic
voltage control varies the power to the
transformer-rectifier (T-R) set in response to
signals
received from the precipitator and from the
transformer-rectifier itself
Because of the high electric field applied to the
ESP, in the inter-electrode region, negative
gas ions migrate toward the grounded collection
electrode
2.2 Discharge Electrode and Collector Plate
ESP having thin wires as discharge electrodes,
which are
evenly spaced between large plates called
collection electrodes, which are grounded. An
electrode is something that can conduct or
transmit electricity. A negative, high-voltage,
pulsating, direct current is applied to the
discharge electrode creating a negative electric
field.
2.3 Rapping System
Rapping is a process that dry particles are
dislodged from the collection
plates by sending mechanical impulses, or
vibrations, to the plates. Precipitator plates are
rapped periodically.
2.4 Hopper
When the electrodes are rapped, the dust falls
into hoppers and is stored temporarily before
it is disposed of. Dust should be removed as
soon as possible to avoid packing, which would
make removal very difficult. Typically, hoppers
are rectangular in cross-section and are
usually designed with a 50 to 70° (60° is
common) slope to allow dust to flow freely from
the top of the hopper to the bottom discharge
valve.
2.5 Seal Air Fan and Heater Bank
In order to keep the insulators free of fly ash, if the
precipitator is operating under positive
pressure, the insulator housing / penthouse is
normally pressurized with clean dry air so that
the pressure in the housing is slightly higher than the
operating pressure of precipitator. As
shown in above figure, the air is also heated to
prevent condensation from forming on the
insulator surfaces. If the precipitator is operating
under negative pressure, air is admitted through
vents in the housing by natural circulation. To
prevent moisture from forming on the insulators,
heaters are usually provided as a part of the forced
seal air / ventilation system described above (which
would provide clean, warm air
to all the insulators) or as separate heating elements
for each insulator or each insulator
compartment
3 Ash Handling System
After fly ash is captured and removed from the
flue gases by electrostatic precipitator (ESP)
located at the outlet of the furnace and before
the induced draft. The fly ash is pneumatically
transported from collection hopper of
electrostatic precipitator (ESP) to storage silo
for subsequent transport by trucks.
3.1 Flapper Valve and Rotary Feeder
Ash or dust start to evacuating when the flapper
valve opening and ash coming down on rotary
feeder .after that ash will be leading to the pipe
when rotary feeder rotating.
3.2 Cyclonic Filter

The cyclone filter locate on top of silo

separating the fly ash from the conveying air in
such a way that ash is collected by cyclone
effect and the remaining amount is via bag
filtrating. A filter bags are cleaned with
instrument air as jet cleaning system used by
time controller. The total efficiency of the
cyclone filter separator is over 99,95 %, that
means from the clean gas outlet practically
clean air is sucked by vacuum pumps.
The collected ash is falling into Ash Storage
Silo via pneumatic operated double feeder and
dust hopper valve.

3.3 Vacuum Pump

The conveying air for the vacuum type
pneumatic conveying is generated by two (2)
water ring sealing type stainless steel vacuum
pump
This hot air (120-150 C") is to be cooled down
before entering into vacuum pumps.
The cooling takes place just before the inlet
nozzle of the vacuum pump by adding
additional water via spraying nozzle provided by
vacuum pump supplier.
The cleaned conveying air is leaving the
vacuum pump via air water separator into the
atmosphere while the excess water is leaving
the separator by gravity downwards to ash silo
normal waste water sump.
4 Startup Procedure
Esp Startup
The process of Esp running begins with firing in
boiler with HFO or when the boiler running
feedback will sense on Esp DCS screen
according to the manual and operation 1 hour
before firing with DO and 4 hour before running
boiler with HFO the seal air fan and heater bank
put on service to warm up Esp penthouse.
After that Transformers running when HFO
firing after that rapping system start about
40muint after firing.
Then vibrator motors running after 1h and
40muint from firing.
To prevent hoppers form moisture it’s better to
start heating steam system before starting any
equipment (if one unit in normal operation and
steam is available).
Hopper heating start when steam pressure is
more than 20bar.
Ash handling startup
Vent filter fan starts
Bypass valves before seal air fan are close this
valve is open when solenoid is DE energized
Unit 1 1st field ash segregating valve opens
Double feeder under cyclone filter "A" and the
pressure equalization valves start their
sequential operation.
Vacuum pump "A" starts and at the same time
connected air inlet butterfly and water supply
valve open
After preset delay (pre-warming of conveying
pipe), the rotary feeders under unit 1 first field
(19 ETG11 AF 001, 12 AF 001, 13 AF 001 & 14
AF 001) start
the evacuation of ESP hoppers starts by
opening the pneumatic operated feeder valve
under ESP hopper 1/11 (19 ETG11 AA 001)
5 Shot down procedure
Esp Shot down
The process of Esp shot down begins with
stopping HFO burning in boiler or when the
boiler stopping feedback will sense on Esp DCS
screen
After that Transformers stop when HFO firing
off after that rapping system start about 30
minutes after firing off. The seal air fan and
heater bank turn off after 85 minutes
Then vibrator motors off 50 minutes from firing
off.
Heating system turn off after 55minutes of
firing.
Ash handling shot down
After evacuation of ESP hoppers has been fully
competed the
conveying system comes automatically to full
stop in the following order:
Rotary feeders of last four hopper stops
Vacuum pump 11 or 12 stops
Water supply valve closes
Air valve in suction pipe of vacuum pump
closes Cyclical operation of double feeder valve
and pressure equalization valve
under cyclone/filter stops

Above procedure is considered as normal

stopping.
THANKS