Jacketed precipitator apparatus

Claim 1

A gas treatment electrostatic precipitator comprising a double wall vertical shell having inner and outer spacedly arranged tubular side walls, said inner wall circumscribingly defining a gas treatment chamber, means at the lower end of the shell for supporting the shell and closing off the treatment chamber and the space between the side walls, a double wall top housing arrangement at the top of the shell closing off the shell and constituting transverse top projections of the side walls, said top wall arrangement defining an insulator chamber disposed in free and open communication with the space between the side walls, said insulator chamber being closed off from the treatment chamber with only a bleed passage between the insulator chamber and the treatment chamber, spacedly arranged discharge and collecting electrodes positioned in said treatment chamber, electrical conductor means passing through the insulator chamber and into the treatment chamber for energizing the electrodes, inlet conduit means directingly conveying particle laden gas to be treated into the treatment chamber to flow between the spacedly arranged discharge and collecting electrodes, outlet conduit means in communication with the treatment chamber for conveying the treated gas out from the treatment chamber, heater means for heating a clean gas that is distinct from the treated gas, inlet means communicated between the heater means and the space between the walls of the shell for conveying the heated clean gas into said space so that the gas comes in intimate contact with the exterior surface of the inner wall of the shell, outlet means communicated with said space at a point remote from the inlet means for withdrawing the heated gas from the space between the walls and being connected with the heater means for returning the withdrawn gas to the heater means, said heater means being in substantially closed fluid path with said gas inlet means and said gas outlet means, said bleed passage between the insulator chamber and the treatment chamber permitting a portion of the heated clean gas to enter from the insulator chamber into the treatment chamber around the electrodes and into contact with the interior of the shell walls, conduit means for conveying a make up gas to the closed fluid path of the heater means in advance of the heater means to replace the bleed portion of said gas, spacer members connected between the inner and outer side walls of the shell for spacing the walls apart and having openings therethrough through which the heated clean gas passes in a controlled manner and means for forcefully moving the heated clean gas from said gas outlet to said gas inlet means.