Electrostatic separator

An apparatus for cleaning a flow of particulate-laden gas, comprising:

• (a) a housing having a gas inlet for receiving particulate-laden gas and a gas outlet for discharging clean gas in communication with each other to permit a flow of gas therethrough;
• (b) a plurality of tubular members contained in said housing, each of said tubular members having a gas inlet and gas outlet, said tubular members each having an inner wall forming a passageway axially extending from said gas inlet thereof to said gas outlet thereof to permit a flow of gas therethrough, the gas inlet of said tubular members facing said gas inlet of said housing;
• (c) first baffle means positioned within said housing and extending tranversely of said housing with openings therein to accommodate said tubular members and supporting said tubular members in said housing;
• (d) an electrode element suspended axially in each passageway of said tubular members, said electrode element having a charging element adjacent to said gas inlet of said tubular member, said charging element defining with said inner wall of said tubular member a charging chamber, said electrode element further having an electrostatic force element adjacent to said gas outlet of said tubular member, said electrostatic force element defining with said inner wall of said tubular member a collecting chamber;
• (e) means for supporting said electrode elements in said tubular members;
• (f) vortex generating means mounted adjacent said gas inlets in said passageways of each of said tubular members for causing a rotating gas flow, whereby the particulate in said gas is subjected to a centrifugal force and thrown radially outwardly toward said inner walls of said tubular members;
• (g) voltage means for maintaining said electrode elements and said tubular members at a voltage differential sufficient to cause corona discharge at said charging element for charging particulate located in said charging chamber and sufficient to subject particulate located in said collecting chamber to an electrostatic force, whereby the charged particulate is forced outwardly towards said inner walls of said tubular members, said voltage means including an electrical wire extending from a power supply into said housing;
• (h) scavenge means within said housing for separating said particulate from the gas flow, said scavenge means including a frustoconical structure positioned at least partially within said passageway proximate the gas outlet end of each of said tubular members, each of said frustoconical structures having a base portion and an apex portion coaxially directed toward said gas inlet of its respective tubular member, said apex portion having an opening to permit the flow of gas therethrough, said scavenge means further including an outlet extending from said passageway of each of said tubular members proximate said base portion of said frustoconical structure to the outside of said housing, said scavenge means outlet being on the side of said base portion facing said gas inlet and providing a secondary flow of gas out of said housing;
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• (i) said support means comprising an electrically conductive grid structure attached to said electrode elements so as to maintain said electrode elements at operating voltage, said grid structure including dielectric support members extending through apertures in an inner wall of said housing enclosing said tubular members so as to provide an air space surrounding said support members at the boundary of said inner wall of said housing, said electrical wire traveling within one of said dielectric support members to said electrically conductive grid.

A particle separator apparatus for cleaning a flow of particulate-laden gas, comprising:

• (a) a housing having first and second ends, said housing having a gas inlet for receiving particulate-laden gas at said first end and a gas outlet for discharging clean gas at said second end, said housing having an inner wall forming a passageway axially extending from said gas inlet to said gas outlet to permit a flow of gas therethrough;
• (b) charging means suspended in said passageway of said housing for charging particulate in the particulate-laden gas flow, said charging means providing a corona discharge upon the application of a predetermined voltage, said charging means being positioned in said housing so as to define with said inner wall of said housing a charging chamber wherein the particulate is provided with an electrical charge;
• (c) electrostatic force means suspended in said passageway of said housing at a location between said electrostatic charging means and said gas outlet, said electrostatic force means providing an electrostatic force upon application of a predetermined voltage for forcing said charged particulate in said particulate-laden gas outwardly towards said housing, said electrostatic force means defining with said inner wall of said housing a collecting chamber wherein said particulate is collected proximate the periphery of said collecting chamber, said inner wall of said housing being porous proximate said collecting chamber, said housing further including a nonporous outer wall spaced from said inner wall, said inner wall and said outer wall cooperating to form an enclosed cavity surrounding said collecting chamber;
• (d) power means electrically interconnected to said charging means and said electrostatic force means for providing said predetermined voltage;
• (e) vortex generating means mounted in said passageway of said housing between said gas inlet and said electrostatic force means for imparting a rotating flow to said particulate-laden gas flow, whereby particulate is subjected to a centrifugal force and thrown radially outwardly towards said inner wall of said housing;
• (f) means in communication with said enclosed cavity for introducing a surge of gas under pressure into said enclosed cavity defined between said inner porous wall of said housing substantially surrounding said collecting chamber and said nonporous outer wall of said housing surrounding and separated from said porous wall of said housing, whereby a generally radially inwardly flow of pressurized gas through said inner porous wall of said housing into said collecting chamber is caused thereby disloding particulate and agglomerated masses of particulate which might have become attached on said inner porous wall;
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• (g) scavenge means positioned within said passageway of said housing proximate the end of said collecting chamber facing said gas outlet for separating said particulate and agglomerated masses of particulate proximate the perihpery of said housing from the gas flow, said scavenge means comprising a generally frustoconical structure located on the inside of said passageway of said housing in said collecting chamber, said frustoconical structure having a base attached to said housing and having an apex axially directed toward said gas inlet, said frustoconical structure further having an opening at said apex for allowing the flow of gas generally through the center of said frustoconical structure, said scavenge means further comprising an outlet extending from said passageway in said housing to the outside of said housing for removal of said particulate and agglomerated masses of particulate from said housing as a secondary gas flow, said scavenge means outlet being located adjacent to said base of said frustoconical structure on the side of said base facing said gas inlet.

An apparatus for cleaning a flow of particulate-laden gas, comprising:

• (a) a housing having a gas inlet for receiving particulate-laden gas and a gas outlet for discharging clean gas, said gas inlet and said gas outlet being in communication so as to permit a flow of gas therethrough;
• (b) a plurality of tubular members contained in said housing and generally aligned longitudinally therewith, each of said tubular members having a gas inlet and a gas outlet, said tubular members each having an inner wall forming a passageway axially extending from said gas inlet to said outlet to permit a flow of gas therethrough;
• (c) first baffle means positioned within and extending transversely of said housing with openings therein to accomodate said tubular members and supporting said tubular members in said housing;
• (d) charging means suspended in each of said passageways of said tubular members for charging particulate in said particulate-laden gas flow, said charging means providing a corona discharge upon the application of a predetermined voltage, said charging means being positioned in said tubular members so as to define with said inner wall of each of said tubular members a charging chamber wherein the particulate is provided with an electrical charge;
• (e) electrostatic force means suspended in each of said passageways of said tubular members at a location between said electrostatic charging means and said gas outlet, said electrostatic force means providing an electrostatic force upon application of a predetermined voltage for forcing said charged particulate in said particulate-laden gas outwardly towards said inner wall of each of said tubular members, said electrostatic force means defining with said inner wall of each of said tubular members a collecting chamber wherein said particulate is generally collected proximate the periphery of said collecting chamber, said inner wall of said tubular members being porous proximate said collecting chamber, said inner wall of said tubular members cooperating with a nonporous inner wall of said housing spaced from said inner walls of said tubular members to form an enclosed cavity surrounding said collecting chambers of said tubular members;
• (f) power means electrically interconnected to said charging means and said electrostatic force means for providing said predetermined voltage;
• (g) vortex generating means mounted in said passageway adjacent said gas inlet of each of said tubular members for causing a rotating gas flow, whereby the particulate in said gas is subjected to centrifugal force and thrown radially outwardly toward said inner wall of each of said tubular members;
• (h) means for introducing a surge of gas under pressure into said enclosed cavity whereby a flow of gas through said porour inner walls and into said collecting chambers is caused by the introduction of gas under pressure into said cavity, thereby dislodging particulate and agglomerated masses of particulate which might have become attached to said inner walls of said tubular members;
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• (i) scavenge means positioned within said housing for separating said particulate and agglomerated masses of particulate from the gas flow so as to form a secondary gas flow, said scavenge means comprising a generally frustoconical structure located proximate the gas outlet of each of said tubular members, said frustoconical structure having a base portion interconnected to said housing and having an apex axially directed into said passageway of each of said tubular members toward the gas inlet of each of said tubular members, said frustoconical structures further having an opening at said apex for allowing the flow of gas generally through the center of said frustoconical structures, said scavenge means further including an outlet extending from said passageway of each of said tubular members to the outside of said housing for removal of said agglomerated masses of particulate from said housing in said secondary gas flow, said scavenge means outlet being located proximate the base portion of said frustoconical structure on the side of the base portion facing said gas inlet of each of said tubular members.