Electrostatic precipitator

Claim 2

In an electrostatic precipitator having a plurality of annular, axially spaced apart, parallel collector plates, said collector plates being axially aligned and each having a central opening therethrough, the central openings of said collector plates being aligned to define an axially elongated gas-receiving passage surrounded by said plurality of collector plates, inlet means associated with one end of said plurality of collector plates for permitting a gaseous stream to be supplied into said gas-receiving passage and then flow radially outwardly through channels defined between the adjacent collector plates, an end plate disposed adjacent the other end of said plurality of plates for closing the other end of said passage, ionizing means associated with said inlet means for ionizing the gaseous stream flowing therethrough, means for electrically insulatively supporting alternate ones of said collector plates from the others of said collector plates, and electrical connection means for supplying voltage to said alternate collector plates and said ionizing means, comprising the improvement wherein the central openings of at least some of said collector plates are of decreasing diameter as the plates extend from one end thereof to the other end thereof so that the axially elongated gas-receiving passage decreases in cross-sectional area as it extends from said inlet means to said end plate, and wherein said plurality of plates extend at a nonperpendicular angle with respect to the axial direction of said passage so as to define a reverse slope as measured with respect to a radially outwardly extending direction which results in the radially outer edges of said plates being axially positioned between the radially inner edges of the plates and said inlet means.

Claim 3

A precipitator according to claim 1, wherein said collector plates are of a truncated conical configuration.

Claim 4

A precipitator according to claim 1, wherein said collector plates as they extend radially outwardly from the inner to the outer peripheral edges thereof are sloped at an angle of between 10° and 20° relative to the radially outwardly extending direction.

Claim 5

A precipitator according to claim 1, wherein the outer diameter of at least some of the collector plates decreases in size as the plates extend from said inlet means toward said end plate so that all of said collector plates have substantially equal surface areas, and drive means connected to said plurality of collector plates for causing rotation thereof about the longitudinally extending axis defined by said passage.

Claim 6

A precipitator according to claim 4, wherein said collector plates are of a truncated conical configuration and are substantially uniformly axially spaced apart.

Claim 7

In an electrostatic air cleaning system having a housing with an inlet opening at one end thereof and an outlet opening spaced from said inlet opening, a precipitator rotor disposed within and rotatably supported relative to said housing for rotation about the longitudinal axis of the rotor, said precipitator rotor being formed from a plurality of annular plates which are fixedly connected in axially spaced-apart but parallel relationship, each of said plates having a central opening therethrough, the central openings of said plurality of plates being aligned to define an axially elongated gas-receiving space which is opened at one end thereof, the opened end of said space being disposed adjacent said inlet opening, said precipitator rotor having an end plate which closes the other end of said space, means associated with said precipitator rotor for creating electrostatic fields between said plates, drive means for causing rotation of said rotor, and ionizing means for ionizing the gaseous stream which is supplied into said space through the opened end thereof, comprising the improvement wherein said ionizing means is mounted on said precipitator rotor for rotation therewith and includes ionizing wire means disposed adjacent the opened end of said space and extending transversely thereacross.

Claim 8

In an electrostatic air cleaning system having a housing with an inlet opening at one end thereof and an outlet opening spaced from said inlet opening, a precipitator rotor disposed within and rotatably supported relative to said housing for rotation about the longitudinal axis of the rotor, said precipitator rotor being formed from a plurality of annular plates which are fixedly connected in axially spaced-apart but parallel relationship, each of said plates having a central opening therethrough, the central openings of said plurality of plates being aligned to define an axially elongated gas-receiving space which is opened at one end thereof, the opened end of said space being disposed adjacent said inlet opening, said precipitator rotor having an end plate which closes the other end of said space, means associated with said precipitator rotor for creating electrostatic fields between said plates, drive means for causing rotation of said rotor, and ionizing means for ionizing the gaseous stream which is supplied into said space through the opened end thereof, comprising the improvement wherein said ionizing means is mounted on said precipitator rotor for rotation therewith and includes ionizing wire means disposed adjacent the opened end of said space and extending transversely thereacross.

Claim 9

An air cleaning system according to claim 6, wherein said ionizing means includes an annular support member fixed to said precipitator rotor in concentric and surrounding relationship to said gas-receiving passage at said one end thereof, spoke means fixed to said support member and extending inwardly therefrom in transverse relationship to said space, said ionizing means including a plurality of flow divider plates fixed to said spoke means, said flow divider plates comprising a plurality of concentric rings positioned at the open end of said space and disposed in radially spaced relationship, said ionizing means also including a plurality of concentric electrically conductive loops positioned alternately between the flow divider rings in substantially perpendicular relationship to the axial direction of said space, means for supplying electrical potential to said loops, and said rings being electrically grounded, whereby an electric field is created between the loops and the adjacent flow divider rings for ionizing the particles within the gaseous stream as it flows through the channels defined between the adjacent rings.

Claim 10

An air cleaning system according to claim 7, wherein said precipitator rotor includes an elongated rotatable shaft extending coaxially of said gas receiving space and defining said longitudinal axis, said plurality of annular plates being fixed to said shaft, and said ionizing means being supported on and rotatable with said shaft adjacent the opened end of said space.

Claim 11

An air cleaning system according to claim 6, wherein said ionizing means includes a plurality of spaced apart, substantially parallel flow divider plates extending across the opened end of said space in substantially perpendicular relationship to the axial direction of said space, and said ionizing wire means including a plurality of substantially parallel and spaced apart ionizing wires, each of said wires being disposed parallel to and spaced substantially midway between a pair of said flow divider plates so that said wires also extend substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of said space.

Claim 12

An air cleaning system according to claim 9, wherein said plurality of flow divider plates comprise a plurality of concentric rings positioned at the open end of said space and disposed in radially spaced relationship, and wherein said ionizing wires comprise a plurality of concentric electrically conductive loops positioned alternately between the flow divider rings.

Claim 13

An air cleaning system according to claim 10, wherein each of said flow divider rings and ionizing loops is of a polygonal shape.

Claim 14

An air cleaning system according to claim 10, wherein all of said annular plates have substantially equal surface areas so that electric fields of substantially equal intensity are created between the adjacent pairs of plates.

Claim 15

An air cleaning system according to claim 12, wherein the central openings defined by said annular plates are of progressively decreasing diameter as said plates extend from the opening end of said space to the closed end thereof, and wherein the external diameters of said annular plates are also of decreasing diameter as the plates extend from the opened end to the closed end of said space, whereby the variation in the internal and external diameters of the plates in the axial direction of the rotor causes all of the plates to be of substantially equal surface area.

Claim 16

An air cleaning system according to claim 13, wherein the plates are all sloped rearwardly as they project radially outwardly so that the radially inner peripheral edge of each annular plate is disposed axially between the radially outer peripheral edge of the respective plate and the closed end of said passage.

Claim 17

In an air cleaning system having duct means defining an opening through which flows a particle-laden gaseous stream, ionizing means associated with said opening for ionizing the particles contained within said gaseous stream, and an electrostatic precipitator device disposed downstream of said ionizing means for removing the ionized particles from the gaseous stream, said precipitator device including a precipitator member formed from a plurality of annular collector plates disposed in spaced apart parallel relationship with said plates being alternately of opposite electrical charge for creating electrostatic fields therebetween, said plurality of collector plates defining an elongated flow receiving passage extending centrally thereof so that said gaseous stream flows through said ionizing means and into said passage and then radially outwardly between the adjacent collector plates, said precipitator member including an end plate which closes the end of said passage which is opposite from said ionizing means, and means supporting said precipitator member for rotation about the longitudinally extending axis of said passage, comprising the improvement wherein said ionizing means is fixed to said precipitator member for rotation therewith, said ionizing means extending transversely across the opening and including a plurality of substantially concentric flow divider rings positioned within said opening and being spaced apart from one another in the radially extending direction of said opening, said ionizing means also including a plurality of looplike ionizing wires disposed in concentric relationship with one another and positioned so that the looplike wires are disposed alternately between the flow divider rings, first and second ringlike conductors mounted on said end plate and being respectively associated with first and second slip contacts which are connected to at least one source of D.C. potential, first means electrically connecting the first ringlike conductor to alternate ones of the collector plates, and second means electrically connecting the second ringlike conductor to said looplike wires for creating an electric field between each wire and the adjacent rings for ionizing the particles within the gaseous stream as it flows through the channels defined between the adjacent rings, said second means including an elongated electrically conductive wire extending axially throughout the length of said passage.

Claim 18

In an air cleaning system having duct means defining an opening through which flows a particle-laden gaseous stream, ionizing means associated with said opening for ionizing the particles contained within said gaseous stream, and an electrostatic precipitator device disposed downstream of said ionizing means for removing the ionized particles from the gaseous stream, said precipitator device including a precipitator member formed from a plurality of annular collector plates disposed in spaced apart parallel relationship with said plates being alternately of opposite electrical charge for creating electrostatic fields therebetween, said plurality of collector plates defining an elongated flow receiving passage extending centrally thereof so that said gaseous stream flows through said ionizing means and into said passage and then radially outwardly between the adjacent collector plates, said precipitator member including an end plate which closes the end of said passage which is opposite from said ionizing means, and means supporting said precipitator member for rotation about the longitudinally extending axis of said passage, comprising the improvement wherein said ionizing means is fixed to said precipitator member for rotation therewith, said ionizing means extending transversely across the opening and including a plurality of substantially concentric flow divider rings positioned within said opening and being spaced apart from one another in the radially extending direction of said opening, said ionizing means also including a plurality of looplike ionizing wires disposed in concentric relationship with one another and positioned so that the looplike wires are disposed alternately between the flow divider rings, first and second ringlike conductors mounted on said end plate and being respectively associated with first and second slip contacts which are connected to at least one source of D.C. potential, first means electrically connecting the first ringlike conductor to alternate ones of the collector plates, and second means electrically connecting the second ringlike conductor to said looplike wires for creating an electric field between each wire and the adjacent rings for ionizing the particles within the gaseous stream as it flows through the channels defined between the adjacent rings, said second means including an elongated electrically conductive wire extending axially throughout the length of said passage.

Claim 19

An air cleaning system according to claim 15, wherein said rings are uniformly radially spaced apart, and wherein said looplike ionizing wires are also uniformly radially spaced apart so that the individual wires are disposed radially midway between the adjacent rings.

Claim 20

An air cleaning system according to claim 16, wherein said looplike ionizing wires and said rings are all of a polygonal shape.