ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR

Dust extractions from industrial gases become a necessity for environmental reasons. Most of the plants in India use coal as fuel for generating steam. The exhaust gases contain large amount of smoke and dust, which are being emitted into atmosphere. This poses a real threat to the mankind as a health hazards. Hence it has become necessary to free the exhaust gases from smoke and dust.

Need For Installation Of New Electrostatic Precipitator at GNDTP Units: -

The electrostatic precipitators installed at GNDTP units are designed to give an emission level of 789 mg/NM3 for a coal having an ash content of not more than 30%. However on actual testing it has been found that emission level from ESPs was about 3.0 mg/M3. The high level of emission is due to the fact that coals burnt in the boiler have much higher ash content than what boilers are designed for. The pollution control board of Punjab Govt. has specified an emission level of 380 mg/M3 from chimney. In order to achieve this new emission level additional ESPs have been installed at GNDTP Bathinda.

Working Principle: -

The Electrostatic precipitator utilizes electrostatic forces to separate the dust particle form the gas to be cleaned. The gas is conducted to a chamber containing Curtains of vertical steel plates. These curtains divide the chamber into a number of parallel gas passages. The frames are linked to each other to form a rigid framework.

The entire framework is held in place by four supports insulators, which insulates it electrically from all parts, which are grounded. A high voltage DC is applied between the framework and the ground thereby creating a strong electrical field between the wires in the framework and the steel curtains. The electrical field becomes strongest near the surface of the wire, so strong that an electrical discharges. The Corona discharge is developed along the wires. The gas is ionized in the corona discharge and large quantities of positive and negative ions are formed. The positive wires are immediately attracted towards the negative wires by strength of the field induced. The negative ions however have to travel the entire space between the electrodes to reach the positive curtains. On routes towards the steel curtains the ions collide with each other and get charged and also this charge is transferred to the particles in the gas. The particles thereby become electrically charged and also begin to travel in the same direction as the ions towards the steel curtains. The electrical force on each particle becomes much greater than gravitational force. The speed of migration towards the steel curtains is therefore much greater than the speed of sedimentation in free fall.

General Description: There various parts of the precipitators are divided into two groups: a. Mechanical system comprising of casing, hoppers, gas distribution system, collecting and emitting systems, rapping mechanism, stairway and galleries. b. Electrical system comprising of transformer rectifier units with Electronic Controller, Auxiliary Control Panels, Safety Interlocks and Field Equipment Devices.

1) Precipitator Casing: -

The precipitator casing is an all welded pre-fabricated wall and roof panels. The casing is provided with inspection doors for entry into the chamber at each field. The doors are of heavy construction with machined surface to ensure a gas tight seal.

The roof carries the precipitators internals, insulator housings, transformers etc. The casing rests on roller supports which allows for free thermal expansion of the casing during operating conditions. Galleries and stairway are provided on the sides of the casing in easy access to rapping motors, inspection doors, transformers etc. walkways are provided inside EP between fields for inspection and maintenance. The dust is collected in large quantities on the curtains, the collected electrodes. Due to periodic rapping, the dust falls into the hopper.

2) Hoppers: -

The hoppers are sized to hold the ash for 8 hrs. collection. Buffer plates provided in each hopper to avoid gas leakage. Inspection door is provided on the one side of hoper wall. Thermostatically controlled heating elements are arranged at the bottom portion of the hopper to ensure free flow of ash.

3) Gas Distribution System: -

The good performance of the precipitators depends on the event distribution of gas over the entire cross-section of the field. As the gas expands ten-fold while entering the precipitator, guide vanes, splitters and screens are provided in the inlet funnel to distribute the flue gas evenly over the entire cross section of the EP.

4) Collecting Electrode system: -

The collecting plates are made of 1.6 mm cold rolled mild steel plate and shaped in piece by roll forming. The collecting plates and shaped in one piece by roll forming. The collecting electrode has unique profile with a special configuration on its longitudinal edges. This profile is designed to give rigidity and to contain the dust in quiescent zone free from reentertainment; collecting plates are provided with hooks at their top edge for suspension. The hooks engage in slot of the supporting angle. All the collecting plates in arrow are held in position by a shock bar at the bottom. The shock bars are spaced by guides.

5) Emitting Electrode system: -

The most essential part of precipitators is emitting electrode system. Four insulators support this, the frames for holding the emitting electrodes are located centrally between collecting electrodes curtains. The entire discharge frames are welded to form a rigid box like structure. The emitting electrodes are kept between the frames.

6) Rapping System: -

Rapping mechanism is provided for collecting and emitting electrodes. Geared motors drive the rapping mechanism. The rapping system employs tumbling hammers, which are mounted on a horizontal shaft. As the shaft rotates slowly the hammers which are mounted on a horizontal shaft. As the shaft rotates slowly the hammers tumble on the shock bar/shock, which transmits blow to the electrodes. One complete revolution of the rapping shaft will clean the entire field. The rapper programmer decided the frequency of rapping. The tumbling hammers disposition and the periodicity of the rapping are selected in such a way that less than 2% of the collecting area is rapped et one time. This avoids re-entertainment of dust and puffing at the stock outlet.

The rapping shaft of emitting electrodes system is electrical isolated from the geared motor driven by a shaft insulator. The space around the shaft insulator is continuously heated to avoid condensation.

Following Are The Modules For The Outgoing Feeders: -

Hopper heater for each field Support insulator heaters. Shaft insulator heaters. Collecting electrode-rapping motor for each field. Emitting electrode rapping motor for each filed.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1. High Voltage Transformer Rectifier (HVR) with Electronic Controlled (EC): -

The rectifier supplies the power for as particle charging and collection. The basic function of the EC is to feed the precipitator with maximum power input under constant current regulation should there be any flash between collecting and emitting electrodes, the EC will sense the flash and quickly react by bringing the input period voltage to zero and blocking it for a specific period. After the ionized gases are cleaned and the dielectric strength restored, the control will quickly bring back the power to a present value and raise it to the original non-sparking level. Thus the EC ensure the electrical disturbance within precipitator. Regulated AC power from EC is fed to the primary of the transformer, which is stepped up and rectified to give a full wave power output. The transformer is mounted on roof of the precipitator while the EC is located in an air conditional room.

2. Auxiliary Control Panel (ACP): -

The ACP houses the power and circuits required for energizing rapping motor and heating elements of the precipitator. ACP controls each gas path. The complete ACP is of modular type with individual module for each feeder. Each module houses the power and control circuit with meters. Push buttons, witches and indicating lamps are mounted on the door of the compartments.

Flue Gas Velocity (Flow): -

If the flue gas velocity is more than desired, the treatment time in the fields will reduce. It will cause poor performance of EPs. Percentage oxygen on higher side is an indication of excess flow of the flue gases. Efforts should be made to bring percentage oxygen near to 6% at boiler outlet. Proper flue gas flow can be achieved by plugging air leakages into the boiler. The ducts and the EPs and also by regulating primary air and secondary air required for proper combustion in the furnace.

Maximizing The Performance OF ESP: -

The performance of the ESP is influenced by a number of factors many of which may be controllable. It should be the aim of every operator to maximize the performance by judiciously adjusting the controllable variables.

Cleaning Of Electrodes: -

The performance of the ESP depends on the amount of electrical power absorbed by the system. The highest collection efficiency is achieved when maximum possible electric power for a given set of operating conditions is utilized on the fields. Too thick a dust layer on the collecting plates will lead to drop in the effective voltage, which consequently reduces the collection efficiency. It also leads to unstable to unstable operating conditions. Therefore the rapping system of collecting and emitting electrodes should be kept in perfectly working condition. All the rapping motors have been programmed to achieve the optimum efficiency.

Spark Rate: -

The operating voltage and current keep changing with operating conditions. The secondary current of HVRs have been set just below the spark level, so that only few sparks occur during an hour. Spark rate between 5 to 10 sparks per minute is the most favorable limit, as per the practical experience. Too high flash over will not only result in reduction in useful power and interruption of precipitation process but will cause snapping of emitting electrodes due to electrical erosion.

How To Control The Spark Rate: -

One number s-pot and one number t-pot have been provided on the front of each electronic controller. The s-pot controls the drop rate of rise of field current after the spark is over. The operator can control the rate of spark by adjusting these two pots manually. Both the pots if turned anticlockwise will cause increase in spark rate.

Ash Hopper Evacuation: -

Improper/incomplete hopper evacuation is a major cause for the precipitator malfunction. If the hopper are not emptied regularly, the dust will build up to the high tension emitting system causing shot circuiting. Also the dust can push the internals up causing misalignment of the electrodes. Though the hoppers have been designed for a storage capacity of 8 hours, under MCR conditions, this provision should be used in case of emergency. Normally, the hopper should not be regarded as storage as storage as storage space for the collected ash.

Oil combustion: -

The combustion of oil used during start up or for stabilization of the flames can have an important impact on precipitator operation. Un burnt oil, if passed into ESP can deposit on the emitting and collecting electrodes and deteriorates the electrical condition i.e. reduce the precipitators operating voltage due to high electrical resistivity and consequently the ESPs performance is affected adversely. The precipitator performance remains poor until the oil vaporizes and the ash layer gets rapped off, which usually takes along time.

Air Conditioning Of The ESPs Control Room: -

The ESPs control room houses sophisticated electronic controller. The operation of these controllers directly reflects on precipitator performance. In order to ensure that the controllers are in proper working conditions, it is essential to maintain a dust free atmosphere with controlled ambient conditions. Therefore, the air conditioners should be kept in proper working conditions.

GENERAL DISCRIPTION OF ELECTRONIC CONTROLLER

The EC-HVR is the High voltage DC power supply equipment for the electrostatic precipitator used for extracting fly ash from the exhaust gases. The equipment is supplied in two parts: -

1. The High Voltage Transformer Rectifier (HVR). 2. The Electronic Controller (EC).

The transformer rectifier unit (HVR) consists of an oil immersed step up transformer ac reactor, high voltage, high frequency choke, measuring and protection components. The electronic controller (EC) contains the anti parallel-connected thyristors pair for controlling the input voltage to the transformer rectifier unit & necessary control circuit. The complete equipment is designed to provide a continuously adjustable dc output voltage up to 70 KV peak across the precipitator electrode. The controls are arranged i.e. the unit operate as constant current source adjustable up to an average current of 800 mA max. Occurrence of spark at the electrodes is sensed & made to block the output voltage for a specific period & the voltage is built up again in a specified manner to provide optimum operational efficiency of the precipitator.

Principle of Operation: Controlling the voltage on the primary of the transformer controls the output voltage & current at high voltage DC terminals. The voltage control is achieved by two thyristors connected in anti-parallel configuration. In normal operation, the output of the thyristors is controlled by the gate pulse circuit, which in turn gets its control signal from the current regular output. The output of current regulator adjusts itself i.e. the actual current is maintained equal to set reference value. In case of a spark detection unit detects the same. Wide ranges of adjustment are provided for selecting blocking period & range of S & T control to make equipment suitable to different operating conditions. Persistent low voltage at the primary of transformer or the persistent excess current on primary side that may occur to short-circuiting initiates tripping of equipment.

TECHNICAL DATA OF ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR

Design Conditions
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Gas flow rate Temperature Dust concentration Number of precipitator Number of gas path per boiler No. of fields in series in each gas pass

Unit-1,3,4
200m3/sec 1450 C 38.9 gms/Nm3 One 2 5

COLLECTING ELECTRODE
1. Total No. of collecting plates 2. Nominal height of collecting plate 3. Nominal Length of collecting plate 2480 12.5 m 400 mm

EMITTING ELECTRODES
1. 2. 3. 4. Type Size No. of electrodes in each field Plate/Wire spacing. Spiral 2.7mm 1440 150 mm

RAPPERS FOR COLLECTING ELECTRODES

1.No. & type of rapper 2.Frequency of Rap 3.Drive

4.Location

One drop hammer per row of collecting electrodes surface area 90 m2 Varying from 12 raps/hr at the inlet field to 1 rap/hr at exist Geared electric motor controlled by synch. programmer At the bottom of collecting system

RAPPERS FOR EMMITING ELECTRODES

1.No. and type of Approx. one drop hammers/two rappers rows of electrodes 2. Frequency of Rap 10 raps/hour 3. Driver Geared Electric Motor controlled by Synch. Programmer 4. Location On the side of emitting frame middle position

HOPPERS

1. Type 2.No of Hoppers 3. Capacity

Pyramidal 20 8 hour storage

MOTORS RAPPING OF EMMITING ELECTODE

1. Quantity

10 Nos.

2. Rating

Geared Motor 0.33hp/2.5 rpm at 3phase 415 V 50 Hz On the top EP

3. Location

RAPPING OF COLLECTING ELECTODE

1. Quantity

10 Nos.

2. Rating

Geared Motor, 33 hp/2.5 rpm at 3 phase 415 V 50 Hz. On the top EP

3. Location

ELECTRICAL ITEM RECTIFIERS

1. Rectifier Rating

70 KV (peak) 800 MA (Mean) 10

2. Number/Boiler

3. Type

Silicon Diode Full Wave, Bridge connection Mounted on the top of precipitator

4. Location

RECTIFIER CONTROL PANEL

1. Type of Control

Thyristor

2. Location

In the Control Room