Device for cleaning the collecting electrodes in electrostatic precipitators

Claim 1

AN ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR COMPRISING: A CASING ARRANGED FOR HORIZONTAL GAS FLOW THERETHROUGH, PLATE-SHAPED COLLECTING ELECTRODES DISPOSED PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF GAS FLOW AND ARRANGED IN TRANSVERSELY-SPACED LONGITUDINAL ROWS WHICH ARE PARALLEL TO THE GAS FLOW, MEANS SUSPENDING SAID COLLECTING ELECTRODES FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT IN SAID CASING, AN ELONGATED IMPACT BAR UNDERLYING EACH ROW OF ELECTRODES AND COEXTENSIVE THEREWITH, HAMMER MEANS WITHIN SAID CASING FOR EACH IMPACT BAR OPERABLE UPON ACTUATION THEREOF TO ENGAGE AND DISPLACE SAID BAR LONGITUDINALLY IN THE DIRECTION OF GAS FLOW THROUGH SAID PRECIPITATOR, ABUTMENT MEANS ON SAID IMPACT BAR ENGAGING EACH OF SAID ELECTRODES IN THE ASSOCIATED ROW TO EFFECT OSCILLATORY MOVEMENT OF SAID ELECTRODES IN THE DIRECTION OF GAS FLOW UPON ACTUATION OF SAID HAMMER MEANS, AND INCLUDING MEANS AT EACH END OF EACH IMPACT BAR TO SUSPEND SAID BAR FROM SAID OUTERMOST ELECTRODES, LATERALLY EXTENDING RAILS ADJACENT THE ENDS OF THE ROWS OF ELECTRODES, AND MEANS AT EACH END OF EACH RAIL SECURING SAID RAIL TO THE IMPACT BAR ADJACENT EACH END TO SUSPEND THE RAIL THEREFROM, SAID MEANS BEING THE SOLE SUPPORT FOR SAID RAILS, A U-SHAPED GUIDE BRACKET MOUNTED ON SAID RAIL TO EMBRACE EACH IMPACT BAR AND GUIDE IT AGAINST LATERAL MOVEMENT WHILE PERMITTING FREE THERMAL EXPANSION OF SAID COLLECTING ELECTRODES, AND BAFFLE PLATES SECURED TO AND DEPENDING FROM SAID LATERALLY EXTENDING RAILS AND OPERABLE TO PREVENT ANY SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF THE GAS FROM FLOWING LONGITUDINALLY WITHIN THE SPACE BENEATH THE ELECTRODES.