Electrostatic precipitator with collector-electrode spacers

Claim 1

A dust-collection electrostatic precipitator comprising: a housing; a plurality of upright parallel collecting electrodes in transversely spaced relationship within said housing and defining gas channels between them, each of said collecting electrodes being formed with a common carrier at the top thereof, a rapping member along the bottom of the collecting electrode, and a multiplicity of collecting-electrode strips secured at their tops to said carrier and at their bottoms to said member, said strips having adjacent lateral edges loosely hooked one into another, the end strips of each collecting electrode being engaged by profiled supporting members extending over the entire height of the collecting-electrode strips; arrays of discharge electrodes between said collecting electrodes; spacers interposed between the individual collecting-electrode strips of said collecting-electrodes, each of said spacers projecting from a strip of one collecting electrode toward an opposing strip of another collecting electrode across the channel between them but terminating short of said other strip to define a gap therewith, said spacers lying in horizontal rows spanning said housing between opposing walls thereof; a source of electric potential connected across said discharge and collecting electrodes; and mounting means on each collecting-electrode strip pivotally securing the respective spacer thereto whereby said spacers can be swung up against the respective electrode strip.