High velocity wet electrostatic precipitation for removing gaseous and particulate contaminants

Claim 1

AN ELECTROSTATIC WET PRECIPITATOR ADAPTED TO PURIFY A GASEOUS STREAM CONTAINING GASEOUS AS WELL AS PARTICULATE CONTAMINANTS BEFORE THE STREAM IS DISCHARGED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE, SAID PRECIPITATOR COMPRISING: A. CONCENTRICALLY-ARRANGED COLLECTOR TUBES DEFINING AT LEAST ONE VERTICALLY-DISPOSED ANNULAR GAS PASSAGE HAVING AN INLET AT THE LOWER END OF THE TUBES AND AN OUTLET AT THE UPPER END THEREOF, SAID OUTLET LEADING TO THE ATMOSPHERE, B. MEANS TO PRODUCE DOWNWARDLY-FLOWING FILMS OF LIQUID ON THE COMPLEMENTARY SURFACES OF ADJACENT TUBES WHICH LINE SAID PASSAGE THEREBY TO FORM LIQUID COLLECTTORS, C. A DISCHARGE-ELECTRODE STRUCTURE DISPOSED WITHIN SAID PASSAGE IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID LIQUID COLLECTORS; D. INLET MEANS INCLUDING A REACTION CHAMBER DISPOSED BELOW SAID COLLECTOR TUBES FOLLOWED BY A VENTURI OPENING TO FEED SAID CONTAMINATED GASEOUS STREAM AT A RELATIVELY HIGH VELOCITY INTO THE INLET OF EACH PASSAGE TO PRODUCE AN EXPANDING GAS WHICH FLOWS UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID PASSAGE IN COUNTER-CURRENT RELATIONSHIP TO SAID LIQUID FILMS TO FORCE SAID FILMS AGAINST SAID SURFACES TO MAINTAIN THE UNIFORMITY THEREOF; E. MEANS TO APPLY A HIGH VOLTAGE BETWEEN SAID DISCHARGE ELECTRODE STRUCTURE AND SAID LIQUID COLLECTORS TO IONIZE THE PARTICULATE CONTAMINANTS IN THE GASEOUS STREAM FLOWING THROUGH SAID PASSAGE TO CAUSE MIGRATION OF SAID PARTICULATE CONTAMINANTS TOWARD SAID LIQUID COLLECTORS AND THEREBY PURIFY THE STREAM; F. MEANS IN SAID REACTION CHAMBER TO DISPERSE REAGENTS THEREIN TO REACT WITH SAID GASEOUS CONTAMINANT TO PRODUCE REACTION PRODUCTS IN PARTICULATE FORM WHICH ARE IONIZED AND PRECIPITATED IN SAID PASSAGE ALONG WITH SAID PARTICULATE CONTAMINANTS IN SAID STREAM, G. ADJUSTABLE MEANS TO OPTIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF REAGENTS DISPERSED IN SAID CHAMBER RELATIVE TO THE EXISTING CONCENTRATION OF THE GASEOUS CONTAMINANT TO AN EXTENT WHEREBY SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF SAID GASEOUS CONTAMINANT IS CAUSED TO REACT WITH SAID REAGENTS AND THE STREAM DISCHARGED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE THROUGH SAID OUTLET IS SUBSTANTIALLY FREE BOTH OF SAID REAGENTS OR SAID GASEOUS CONTAMINANT, AND H. MEANS SEPARATE FROM SAID REACTION CHAMBER TO DRAIN SAID LIQUID COLLECTORS AND THEREBY RECOVER SAID REACTION PRODUCTS.