Operation Overview and Test Results

Operation Overview

  • Process gas enters the Max-9® Electrostatic Fabric Filter from an inlet duct in the hopper.
  • Dust particles in the gas are charged by the discharge electrodes, and are attracted to the grounded metal cage inside the filter element.
  • The gas flows upward through the filter media and out through the top into a clean gas plenum above the tubesheet, leaving the dust on the filter media surface.
  • The negatively charged particles repel each other on the filter surface, resulting in a highly porous dustcake that provides low-pressure drop, high air-to-cloth ratio.
  • The cleaning sequence is controlled by timers, which trigger solenoids. Compressed air pulses travel through the purge air manifold, down and out through holes in the blowpipes to pulse-clean the filters. The charged particles also clean easier from the filter surface.

The Max-9 Electrostatic Fabric Filter operates at a pressure drop about 25% of a normal fabric filter, and allows it to operate at an air-to-cloth ratio higher than a conventional fabric filter. In short, the modules can treat a significant gas volume with a small footprint at high efficiency.

The Max-9 Electrostatic Fabric Filter can be supplied as shop-assembled modules that can be erected on site, although the units are usually custom-engineered for each plant site and application to make the best use of available space. The high voltage system operates at very low current densities and at a steady state. There is no danger of fire caused by sparking, and the transformer/rectifier requires no voltage control.

Max-9 Electrostatic Fabric Filter test results

Southern Research Institute Combustion Test Facility

The EPA/SRI pilot installation was at a major power plant in the Southern United States. The pilot plant was configured to allow testing with or without discharge electrode energization. With the electrostatic stimulation turned on, collection efficiency increased from 99.99% to 99.999%, a full order of magnitude better. Plus, there was an 80% reduction in pressure drop, 80-90% reduction in sub-micron particle emissions, and a large increase in achievable air-to-cloth ratio.

For More Information

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8800 East 63rd ST
Kansas City, MO USA