Experiments on enhancing the particle charging performance in an 1 electrostatic precipitator 2

10 Particle charging is an important process of particle removal in an electrostatic precipitator 11 (ESP). A particle charge measurement system, which can adjust the flue gas temperature, was 12 designed to study the effects of the flue gas parameters (i.e., temperature and humidity), main 13 component of the particle, and discharge electrodes on particle charging. When the temperature 14 changed from 300 K to 363 K, the particle charge increased with increasing temperature at the 15 same applied electrical field strength. For the particles with a size of 0.73 μm, the average 16 particle charge increased by 30% from 140 e to 183 e with increasing temperature from 300 K to 17 363 K. The particle charge was increased by 98% when the relative dielectric constant increased 18 from 4.5 to 11.8 at −4.2 kV cm. The increase in relative humidity significantly affected the 19 acceleration of particle charging. For particles with sizes greater than 0.1 μm, the average charge 20 increased by more than 50% with increasing relative humidity from 30% to 80%. Discharge 21 electrode optimization also enhanced particle charging. When the electrode was changed from the 22 wire electrode (d = 1 mm) to the ribbon electrode, the particle charge was increased by more than 23 75% for 0.7 μm particles at −4.2 kV cm. 24 25