F.L.

SmidthAirtech

Product Description

Small dust particles is a health risk. Decreasing dust emission has a signicant health impact on the population. A new invention for reduction of the number of small particles is described in this paper.

Low dust emission with Electrostatic Precipitators

Technical Description

Product Description

Small particles is a health problem

In recent years, adverse health effects of ne particles have increasingly been brought into focus. Particles can be measured in different size fractions. The ne particle fraction PM2.5 (particle diameter less than 2.5 microns) has proved to be the particle fraction most closely associated with adverse health effects in epidemiological studies. For ne particulate matter, the present level of regulatory protection is rather weak. The present levels of these pollutants, and the present limit values, imply risk of signicant health impacts - even deaths - on the population. One third reduction of annual PM2.5 levels in Danish urban areas will expectedly result in about 400 fewer deaths per one million people per year. In order to reduce the level of particles with a diameter less than 2.5 microns, a reduction of total dust emission from collecting equipment must be carried out.

Future requirements
The European Commission ambient air quality regulations require that a 24 hour average of particles PM10 should be less than 50 g/m3. This value is not to be exceeded more than 35 times per calendar year, decreasing to 7 times per calendar year in 2010. This means that the future design of dust emission control equipment must meet lower emission values than required today.

Best Available Techniques

The European Commission recommend Electrostatic Precipitators, Fabric Filters or in some industries Wet Scrubbers as the preferred air pollution control equipment.

Product Description

The basic principle of fabric ltration is the use of fabric membrane which is permeable to gas, but retains the dust. The fabric lter should have multiple compartments which can be individually isolated in case of bag failure, and that should be sufcient to allow adequate performance to be maintained if a compartment is taken off line. The use of modern fabric lters can reduce dust emissions to below 5 mg/Nm3.

Sufciently dimensioned electrostatic precipitators, together with good gas conditioning and optimised ESP cleaning regime, can reduce levels down to 5-15 mg/Nm3 on monthly average. Existing EP installations can often be upgraded without the need for total replacement, thereby limiting costs.

Choosing the correct control equipment

Selection of the appropriate control equipment must be done with consideration to many factors in the daily operation of the main production machines. The inuences on the operation of the main production machines from the air pollution equipment are shown in the table.

Parameter
Risk of disturbance of production Efciency sensitivity from the process Sensitivity to process upset condition Cold start-up capability Power consumption including ID fan Maintenance costs Maximum operating temperature oC

Fabric Filter Precipitator

Medium Low Low Sensible High High 260 oC Low Medium High High Low Low 400 oC

The Sneakage problem

Conventional electrostatic precipitators are normally not able to maintain dust emission levels below 30 mg/Nm3. In an electrostatic precipitator the dust is collected by electrical forces between the collecting plates, but because of the internal mechanical construction some gas and dust will by-pass the electrical eld either below or above the eld. This means that even when the electrostatic precipitator has a 100 % collection efciency, dust will be emitted to the stack.

This example shows how serious the stack emission is effected by gas by-passing the electrical eld:

Example of Sneakage
Inlet dust load: 30 g/Nm3 Outlet dust emission designed to: 20 mg/Nm3 Only 0,1% of the gas by-passing the elds Outlet dust emission will increase to: 50 mg/Nm3.

An Ideal ow pattern
The ideal conguration of an electrostatic precipitator is a simple pipe (the collecting plate) and in the centre of the pipe the discharge electrode is positioned. With this conguration all gas ows in the electrical eld, and it has been proven that a collection efciency of 100 % can be achieved. In an industrial size precipitator it is not possible to implement the ideal design. But it is possible to design devices by which an almost ideal ow pattern can be achieved.

Conventional Solution to the sneakage problem

With installation of simple steel plates before each electrical eld the gas can be forced to ow between the collecting plates. In many types of electrostatic precipitators these plates (anti sneakage plates) are manufactured from perforated plate. Placed in a heavy dust loaded gas ow, the holes will over time be blocked with dust.

Product Description

The FLSmidth Airtech Solution to the sneakage problem

FLSmidth Airtech has performed several tests with different designs of the anti sneakage plates and performed computer simulations of the internal ow. The results have proven that installation of perforated plates create a relatively strong vortex behind the plate and below the electrical eld. The trick is to design the anti sneakage plates in a way where recirculation of gas behind the plates is eliminated and at the same time ensure that no gas is by-passing the electrical eld. FLSmidth Airtech has invented a Vortex Free Anti sneakage Device. It turns out that recirculation of the ow behind the anti sneakage plates has been eliminated compared to standard hole plate design, and that the gas is now guided to ow between the collecting plates.

VELOCITY MAGNITUDE M/S

2.000 1.800 1.600 1.400 1.200 1.000 0.8000 0.6000 0.4000 0.2000 0.0000

Collecting plates Sneakage plate Flow pattern. Conventional designed Anti Sneakage plates

FLSmidth Airtech Installations with Low Dust Emission

Nord Kalk, Sweden Uppsala, Sweden Posco, South Korea Sidmar, Belgium LKAB, Sweden Enci, Holland OCI, USA MSila, Algeria Collecting plates Sneakage plate Flow pattern. FLSmidth Airtech Vortex Free Anti Sneakage plates With a well designed precipitator equipped with the Vortex Free Anti sneakage Device it is proven that a low emission can be achieved and, therefore, the future demand for reduction of ne particles can be met. Without Sneakage plate Emission With this device the ow pattern in an industrial size precipitator is very close to the ideal ow pattern in a pipe precipitator.

With Sneakage plate

0.1

Micron

10 Ramsingsvej 30 DK-2500 Valby Tel. +45 3618 2000 Fax. +45 3618 2030 E-mail: info@sairtech.com www.sairtech.com

Rev. 1 MRS

Product Description

F.L.Smidth Airtech supplies Air Pollution Control equipment: Electrostatic precipitators FabriClean pulse-jet fabric lters Gas conditioning towers Desulphurization systems COROMAX pulse systems PIACS microprocessor controllers and other advanced electrical control systems Dust transport and storage equipment All kinds of auxiliary equipment like fans, ue gas ducts, cyclones etc. We supply new equipment or upgrading of existing equipment no matter whether the existing equipment is supplied by us or not.