Influence of applied magnetic field on a wire-plate electrostatic precipitators under multi-field coupling

The aim of this work is to find an effective method to improve the collection efficiency of electrostatic precipitators (ESPs). A mathematic model of an ESP subjected to the external magnetic field was proposed. The model considered the coupled effects between the gas flow field, particle dynamic field and electromagnetic field. Particles following a Rosin-Rammler distribution were simulated under various conditions and the influence of the magnetic field density on the capture of fine particles was investigated. The collection efficiency and the escaped particle size distribution under different applied magnetic field intensities were discussed. Particle trajectories inside the ESP under aerodynamic and electromagnetic forces were also analyzed. Numerical results indicate that the collection efficiency increases with the increase of applied magnetic field. It was also found that a stronger applied magnetic field results in a larger particle deflection towards the dust collection plates. Furthermore, the average diameter of escaping particles decreases and the dispersion of dust particles with different sizes increases with the increasingly applied magnetic field. Finally, the average diameter decreases almost linearly with the magnetic field until it drops to a certain value. The model proposed in this work is able to obtain important information on the particle collection phenomena inside an industrial ESP under the applied magnetic field.