EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION

4.1 CASING

The casing constitutes an important part of the electrostatic precipitator

installation. Its design has a big influence on the total price, the erection.Time and
the civil foundation work needed. Casing design is an all welded gas tight
construction consisting of prefabricated wall, roof and gable panels. The casing
is of rigid construction designed for limited deflections. This ensures that the
alignment remains perfect during all specified operating conditions .

The panel construction means that the main part of the manufacturing work
can be carried out in the workshop which results in better tolerance and more
efficient control.

4.1.1 STEEL CASING - IB DESIGN

This type of casing is designed with horizontal self supporting wall

elements and internal bracings.

The roof loads i.e. main loads, are distributed from the roof beams via
the top panel into vertical corner columns directly down to the foundations. By
using this wall design the numbers of supporting points are kept to the minimum.

For larger precipitators, internal central columns are used for sharing
the roof loads alongwith wall columns. Internal bracings are designed to carry the
horizontal loads due to wind orearthquake.

This kind of casing is not be used when extremely sticky dust is

expected.
fig 3.1

Steel Casing

4.1.2 STEEL CASING - LQ DESIGN

This type of casing is designed with vertical wall panels without internal
bracings. Thereare two complete frames per field, consisting of columns, roof
beam and bottom beam to take up theloads. As there are no columns and bracings,
frame members are having longer span resulting into higher sections and design
will therefore be heavier and more limited in size. The roof design is similar to the
design used for IB design. This casing is considered when sticky dust is expected.

4.1.3 CONCRETE CASING

 For applications when sever corrosion can be expected can be
expected as in case of sodarecovery boiler, a concrete casing is considered. The
concrete casing normally is designed with flat bottom and scraper conveyor is
employed to remove the dust. The design is limited both in view of temperature
and size. Conceptually design is almost identical to that of LQ design.

4.2 SUPPORTING BEARING

For the casing to be

independent of any distortion due to
thermal expansion it rests on thesupporting
structure via special roller bearing or slide
bearing. Both designs enable rational and
translational movements and ensure that
the loads are applied vertically on the
bearings.

Roller Bearing Slide Bearing

4.3 DUST DISCHARGE ARRANGEMENT

The collected dust in the precipitator must be discharged in one or the

other way. There are three main arrangements employed.

4.3.1 TROUGH HOPPER - A1

The bottom of the casing is provided with a trough hopper. One hopper
per fields as per width is generally used. In case of wider width two hoppers per
width are resorted to. In order to discharge the dust from the hopper, a screw is
provided at the hopper bottom.

Trough hopper with Flat Bottom

with

Screw Conveyor Scraper

Conveyor
When risk of dust clogging or blockage is minimum, pyramid hopper is used.
Normally one hopper per field is installed. Here also depending on the width one
or two hoppers are used.

Dust discharge employed is normally AAP DEPAC system. Each hopper is

provided with one dust transmitter.

4.3.2 FLAT BOTTOM - A3

For application where extremely sticky dust is expected a flat bottom

with scraper conveyor is used. The scraper conveyor is normally designed to
operate lengthwise. As a secondary conveyor a screw conveyor is provided.

Scrapper conveyor under no circumstance is used when the dust is very

abrasive. The scrapper conveyor is limited in width in design.

4.4 GAS SCREEN

To stop gas by passing the effective electrical field elaborate

cover/baffle plates arearranged on either side of the field with casing wall as well
in the hopper at the bottom of the field.

Hopper being a vast empty area, the possibility of gas sneak age
through the underside ofthe field is maximum. To stop the sneak age double layer
of gas screen plates are provided at the

bottom of each field.

 Pyramid hopper showing heating hopper gas screen
arrangement, Gas Screen & dust
discharge system
 Prevention of gas sneakage

4.5 HOPPER HEATER

For some application it may be necessary to heat the lower part of the
hopper in order toprevent condensation and dust blockage.

The heating arrangement is designed as a double skin wall with the

heating elements located in the air space in between the walls.

The heating power is generally calculated to replace the heating loss

through hopper wall.

4.6 HIGH VOLTAGE SYSTEM

 4.6.1 DISCHARGE ELECTRODE SYSTEM

The high voltage system or discharge electrode system is the most

important part and the

discharge electrode can be considered as the heart of the precipitator.

The purpose of the discharge electrodes is to act as the source for

corona required to

charge the particles in the gas. To fulfill this purpose properly, the electrodes
most remain in the

place symmetrically of the electric field and avoid sparks or short circuits. Ease of
maintenance is

important and insensibility to temperature gradients is a must to reach proper

precipitator operation.

The electrodes are held in a rigid framework where top, bottom and
intermediate frames

are solidly connected to gable frames.

The framework is thoroughly braced and forms a rigid box_ like

structure. The

prefabricated frames are assembled, adjusted and welded to their final position
inside the casing

which makes it possible to obtain and maintain a highly accurate electrode

spacing. The advantages

of this box structure design are:

No electrodes are passing the top or lower collecting electrode

edges, the spark
 erosion is thereby totally eliminated

no need for ceramic stabilizers at the bottom part for perfect

positioning.

Each is supported by four insulators (in smaller ESP three insulators

are often used)

placed on the outside of the casing roof structure and thus separated from the
process gas.

4.6.2 HIGH VOLTAGE INSULATORS

 The insulators on the outside of the casing roof are located in insulated
compartments. The

compartments are provided with top opening covers to facilitate access for
inspection and service.

Each insulator must be electrically heated separately to keep the

insulator temperature

above the dew point of the process gas. The electrical heaters are thermostatically
controlled.

To avoid dust entering in the insulator, a screen tube is installed

immediately below it.

Two types of insulators are used namely cylindrical and conical.

Super insulator design support

insulator design
cylindrical insulator conical
insulator

All transformer rectifiers are located on the precipitator roof and are
directly connected to

the discharge electrode systems via bushing insulator installed in the insulator
compartment.
4.6.3 DISCHARGE ELECTRODE

The standard electrode offered by AAP is the spiral wire electrode

made out of stainless

steel wire.

This spiral zed wire electrodes are sent to site as closely wound coils
with one hook

mounted at each end. The coils are stretched out between the top, intermediate
and bottom parts of

the framework and connected to the holders on each frame part. Because of the
intermediate frame,

each separate discharge electrode can be kept short and electrode can be kept short
and electrode

swinging is limited.

This type of wire electrode offers many advantages such as:

-The spirals are easy to install with perfect and permanent

alignment and are easy to
maintain.

-They are self tensioned; therefore no weights are needed to keep

them stretched.
 -The wire electrode gives a uniform current distribution on the
collecting plates.

-The wires are subdivided in height. Short wires, well tensioned,

are not prone to swinging.

-The taut wires are susceptible to rapping forces and stay clean.

Other than spiral electrode, ribbon electrodes are also in use.

Ribbon electrode is punched out from 1.6 mm thick M S

strip. As this electrode

is not tensioned between the frames the length of each individual electrode is
limited to 2.0 m.

the electrodes are held between the frames which can either be shop assembled
or site assembled

depending on transport limitations. After final erection of frames a similar box

structures as for

the spiral electrode frame is achieved.

4.6.4 HIGH VOLTAGE SYSTEM RAPPING

During electrostatic precipitation a fraction of the dust will be collected

on the discharge

electrodes and on the framework. The corona will gradually be suppressed if the
dust layer is

allowed to grow. The corona will gradually be suppressed if the dust layer is
allowed to grow. It is

therefore essential to rap the electrodes and the framework to keep them clean
from dust.

Rapping is done by tumbling hammers which are mounted on

horizontal shafts, which in
turn are applied to the framework. The hammers bit the special shock beams, to
which the

intermediate frame parts are connected. Due to the rigid framework the rapping
energy generated by

the hammers is distributed efficiently to all parts of the framework, including all
the discharge

electrodes.

Discharge electrode rapping side drive rapping

tumbling hammer

Each electrical bus section is equipped with one rapping mechanism.

The drive

arrangement for the rapping mechanism is either placed on the precipitator roof
or directly connected

to the rapping shaft through the side wall of the precipitator.

In case of side drive rapping shaft is directly coupled to drive unit via
the shaft insulator

housed in insulated box. Shaft insulator heating arrangement is also provided.

Inside the insulated
box, a screw is provided to push any dust accumulated in the box, into the casing.

In the roof drive design, the drive unit is located on an insulated box in
which shaft

insulator is housed. The vertical rotation is transformed to a horizontal rotation by

a pin wheel set.

These pin wheels are insensitive to clogging dust and can work in any kind of gas
without any need

for adjustment or maintenance. Here also screen tube is used for protecting
insulator from dust.

Heating arrangement is installed for shaft insulator.

Discharge electrode rapping roof drive

 The operation of the rapper mechanism is controlled by a
programmed relay and can be

adjusted to optimum rapping frequency with regard to dust re entrainment.

4.7 COLLECTING ELECTRODE SYSTEM

4.7.1 COLLECTING ELECTRODE

The design of the collecting electrode system is based on the concept

of stability. Each

electrode is suspended from suspension angles connected to roof beams. The

lower end is connected

to a specially designed shock bar which is properly guided sideways.

The connection to the shock bar can be of two kinds, loose connection
or firm connection.

4.7.1.1 LOOSE CONNECTION ELECTRODE GS-2-400

By using an eccentrically mounted suspension hook for the collecting

plate good contact

between the shock bar and the reinforced electrode bottom end is guaranteed. The
shock bars are

supported from the first and rear electrode in each row. Shock bar is guided
through shock bar guides.

In this design the electrodes can independently on each side.

4.7.1.2 FIRM CONNECTION, ELECTRODE GS-2-500 AND GS -3-750

The collecting electrodes are symmetrically suspended from the

suspension angle and at

the bottom firmly connected to the shock bar by using high tensile bolts and nuts.
The shock bars are

guided sideways through properly designed guides.

Fixing arrangement for 400 wide fixing arrangement for

GS-2-500 and
Collecting electrode GS-3-750 wide
collecting electrode

The basis for choice of connection is:

The loose connection provided for application where hygroscopic

or sticky
 dust is present. Heavy corrosion on the internals may be
another reason for

using the loose connection.

The firm connection is preferred in all other cases particularly for

high

precipitators since better distribution on the rapping energy

is achieved.

For precipitator heights above 9 m, the collecting electrodes are

interconnected with

transverse guides in one or two levels, thereby any possibility of swinging is

prevented.

4.7.2 COLLECTING ELECTRODE RAPPING

Each electrode plate is rapped by a separate hammer of the

tumbling type, similar to

that used for the discharge electrode. The rapping energy is efficiently
distributed to each

electrode via the shock bar.

The stiffness and the design of the shock bar guarantee that the
rapping energy

introduced to each electrode row is given the best distribution and without
concentration in one

singular point. Rapping results into acceleration rather than deflection and
therefore the dust cake
is not broken, only dislodged and the dust re entrainment is kept low. The
rapping frequency

should be kept as low as possible in order to minimize the losses from rapping.
The frequency of

the AAP rapping system is adjustable as the drive units are controlled by a
program relay. One set

of rapping mechanism is provided per bus section so that the frequency can be
suited to the

condition in that individual area. Micro processor based rapping controller is

also available as

alternative to the electronic controller as started above.

When judging the effectiveness of the collecting system it is also

essential to keep in

mind the total collecting area being rapped at any time, the greater the re
entrainment of dust into

the gas. With the AAP design of tumbling rapping mechanism, a very small
percentage of the

collecting area for each precipitator is rapped at one time.

All parts of the rapping mechanism are accessible for inspection,

the access being

placed in a wide passage in front and rear ends of each field.

All parts exposed to a rapping and working under extreme

conditions i.e. exposed to
 dynamic loads, high temperatures corrosive environment etc, are considered
as critical parts.

Long range tests converting fatigue, wear, rapping distribution etc are carried
out in the AAP ESP

laboratory before they are released for use.

4.8 GAS DISTRIBUTION

The gas velocity inside the ESP is much less than that in the ducting
before the

precipitator. It is therefore essential that special arrangement be made to give a

uniform velocity

distribution over the entire cross section of ESP.A good distribution cannot be
obtained solely

through the design of the inlet funnel.

A special gas distribution device is therefore located at the inlet of the

precipitator. This

device consists of two rows of perforated modular designed screen plates hung
within a framework

in the casing inlet.

The gas flow pattern within the ESP is checked prior to the
commissioning and additional

deflector added on the screens if required.

 It may be necessary, depending on the type of dust, to install rapping
mechanism for

keeping the gas distribution clean. So rapping mechanism with tumbling

hammers is provided when

needed.

4.9 POWER SUPPLY TO PRECIPITATOR

A reliable power supply to precipitator is a must for the precipitator to

perform at its
highest level. This is accomplished through a device called transformer rectifier
(T/R) unit.

The equipment basically consists of a single phase thyristor ac

regulator which controls

the primary voltage. The primary low tension voltage is fed to a high voltage step
up single phase

transformer. The secondary AC high voltage of the transformer is rectified by a

rectifier to achieve a

high voltage dc output.

T/R unit is sized to get the required current density to create corona
discharge. In order to

reach the specified efficiency, precipitator should be operated at an average

current density close to

the expected average. The rectifier is capable of supplying enough voltage for a
certain range of

operating conditions.

Each T/R set has microprocessor based controller called EPIC

(electrostatic precipitator

integrated controller). EPIC monitors the actual EP current and fires the thyristors
at precisely the

correct phase angle to maintain the set spark rate or to increase the current to the
set current limit if no

sparking occurs. Also voltage is monitored. Set points can be adjusted as required
and display of data

can be seen at the panel.