Electrical Measurement of the Mass Concentration of a Self-Preserving Aerosol Size Distribution

Recently fifty-eight measurements of urban aerosol size distributions by Clark have shown that these distributions agree quite well with the self preserving form proposed by Friedlander within the size range of 0.05 to 5 microns radius. This paper shows that for an aerosol obeying the self preserving distribution model, the volume concentration (and, hence, the mass concentration for constant density) is directly proportional to the electric current collected when the aerosol is unipolarly charged, passed through a weak electric field to remove particles smaller than 0.05 micron and then collected by a current collector. It is shown that the linear relation between the mass concentration and collected current is independent of the unipolar charging method used. A test of this theory using Clark’s electric counter data was encouraging and suggests that the electric measurement of urban aerosol mass concentrations by properly designed instruments may be feasible.     

Collection of Fly Ash with High Electrical Resistivity in a Pilot Plant Electrostatic Precipitator Preceded by the EPA/SoRI Precharger

It is well known that dust with high electrical resistivity is difficult to collect in electrostatic precipitators (ESP). The difficulty is primarily due to poor particle charging. This poor particle charging is not because particles having high electrical resistivity are intrinsically difficult to charge, but because back corona (which results from deposition of material on the collection electrode) produces a bipolar ion field. When ions of both positive and negative polarity are present in the charging region, the competing effects of the two, plus low values of electric field, produce low electrical charge on particles.     

The Efficiency of Electrostatic Precipitators Under Conditions of Corona Quenching

The suppression of corona by particle space-charge is of considerable importance in electrostatic precipitators dealing with medium to high concentrations of particulates. However, the effect of the dust concentration on collection efficiency has found no direct answer in the literature. In addition to the expected reduction in corona current due to low mobility dust particles, the presence of these charged particles has two other main effects: 1. The electric field in the vicinity of the discharge electrode is weakened and hence the concentration of ions originating in the ionization zone and forming the charging current is decreased. 2. The resulting space-charge build-up causes an increase in the field strength adjacent to the collecting surface of the precipitator. The importance of each of these effects on the collection efficiency will be dependent on the relative decrease in particle charge as compared to the increase in the collection field. Experiments were carried out under both positive and negative corona with aerosol concentrations having specific surfaces in the range 0 to 44 m²/m³. These results showed: 1. For low values of corona current densities, as the specific surface area increases, the efficiency decreases. In this cqse, the charge per particle decreases as the particle concentration increases and becomes far below the normal charge attainable. Here the increase in the collection field is more than counteracted by the jarge reduction in particle charge. 2. For higher values of initial corona current densities, as the particle specific surface area increases, the efficiency either increases slightly or stays constant, in spite of major reductions in the measured corona current. In this case there should also be a reduction in the charge per particle with the increase in particle concentration, however, this is apparently offset by the increase in the collection field strength. Analysis of the results, coupled with an interpretation of existing theories, indicates that a major parameter that must be considered is the ratio of the initial corona current density and the specific surface of the particles.     

Radiation Charging: A Novel Way to Charge Fine Particles Electrically

The purpose of this paper is to describe a scheme to electrically charge fine particles using electric and magnetic fields in conjunction with ionizing radiation. Once charged, particulate matter can be removed from the air stream by directly applying a transverse electric field. In addition, since electrostatic forces can assist filtration and wet collection systems, it may be possible to design new and improved filtration and wet scrubber systems using radiation charging. The objectives of this paper are: (1) to present expressions that predict the charge acquired by particles and (2) to present the results of preliminary experiments.     

Experimental analysis of particle concentration heterogeneity in a ventilated scale chamber

The mixing processes of the aerosol particles from an outdoor environment in a ventilated scale chamber were experimentally studied. The particles were classified into five groups by size: 0.3–0.5 μm, 0.5–1.0 μm, 1.0–3.0 μm, 3.0–5.0 μm and 5.0–10.0 μm. The developing process for the concentration of each particle group was measured in different kinds of flow fields.The results show that the flow field configuration can effectively influence the dispersion time rate of the particles at certain positions. The increase in particle diameter can decrease the dispersion time rate. When the gas flow velocity is high, the particle dispersion time rate is independent of particle size; but when the gas flow velocity is low, particle size can significantly affect the particle dispersion time rate because the turbulent diffusion becomes important in the air and particle transport. The uniformity of the particle concentration for certain positions in steady state tends to be controlled by the inflow velocity, flow field configuration and the particle diameters.     

Collection of Aerosol Particles by Electrostatic Droplet Spray Scrubbers

Theoretical calculations and experimental measurements show that the collection of small aerosol particles (0.05 to 5 micron diameter range) by water droplets in spray scrubbers can be substantially increased by electrostatically charging the droplets and particles to opposite polarity. Measurements with a 140 acfm two chamber spray scrubber (7 seconds gas residence time) showed an increase in the overall particle collection efficiency from 68.8% tit uncharged conditions to 93.6% at charged conditions, with a dioctyl phthalate aerosol (1.05 μm particle mass mean diameter and 2.59 geometric standard deviation). The collection efficiency for 0.3 μm particles increased from 35 to 87% when charged. During 1973–1974 a 1000 acfm pilot plant electrostatic scrubber was constructed inside a 40 ft trailer for evaluation on controlling particu-late emissions from pulp mill operations (funded by Northwest Pulp and Paper Association). Field tests performed on the particle emissions exhausting from SO₂ absorption towers treating the gases from a magnesium based sulfite recovery boiler have shown particle collection efficiencies ranging from about 60 to 99% by weight, depending on the electrostatic scrubber operating conditions. Energy requirements for the University of Washington electrostatic scrubber are about 0.5 hp/1000 acfm (350 Watts/1000 acfm) including gas pressure drop, water pressure drop, and electrostatic charging of the water spray droplets and the particles.     

A Model to Predict the System Performance of an Electrostatic Precipitator for Collecting Polydisperse Particles

Abstract

This paper presents a model for predicting the performance of an electrostatic precipitator (ESP) for collecting polydisperse particles. The particle charge was obtained by modifying Cochet’s charge equation; the particle size distribution was approximated by a lognormal function; and then the statistic method of moments was employed to obtain a set of the first three moment equations. The continuous evolution of the particle size distribution in an ESP is easily taken into account by the first three moment equations. The performance of this model was validated by comparing its predictions with the existing data available in the literature. Effects of the particle size distribution on the ESP performance were examined, and the results indicated that both overall mass and number efficiencies are lower for inlet particles with a larger mass median diameter and a higher geometric standard deviation. The methodology introduced may be applied to develop design criteria and determine optimal operating conditions of an ESP for improving the collection efficiency of the submicron particles.     

ESP粉尘收集性能的影响因素

为了进一步提高电除尘器的收尘效率,尤其是对高比电阻粉尘的收尘效率,依据非稳态静电收集理论,对影响电除尘器粉尘收集性能各项因素的作用程度及机理进行了进一步研究。实验研究了粉尘收尘效率与不同比电阻粉尘的最优极间距、最优工作电压、粉尘层厚度和比电阻之间的相互关系。研究结果表明,随着极间距的增加,对应比收尘极面积,对于不同比电阻粉尘的收尘效率的增加幅度是不同的,其中高比电阻粉尘的收尘效率增加的趋势更加显著;粉尘比电阻越高,所对应的最优极间距越大,宽间距电除尘器对捕集高比电阻粉尘具有一定优越性;在最优极间距条件下,粉尘比电阻越高,其所对应的最优工作电压越小;相对于正常比电阻粉尘,随极板沉积粉尘层厚度的增加,高比电阻粉尘的最佳收尘效率所对应的最优工作电压升高幅度较大,而且最优工作电压所对应的收尘效率下降显著。随粉尘比电阻的增大,电除尘器收尘效率逐渐降低,特别是当粉尘比电阻大于1011Ω.cm后,粉尘收尘效率显著下降。研究结果与非稳态静电收尘理论提出的观点相吻合,有助于透彻理解电场结构和运行参数与粉尘收集性能的关系,特别是对于今后研发提高高比电阻粉尘收集性能的针对性技术措施具有指导作用。     

Influence of particle location on the number of charges per charged nanoparticle at the outlet of a needle charger

This study has investigated numerically the influence of particle location on the number of charges per charged particle in the 10-40 nm size range at the outlet of a needle charger by simulating flow field, electric field, particle charging, and particle trajectory at various conditions. The results show that the total (i.e., diffusion + field charging) number of charges per particle increase with decreasing ratio values of radial location at the outlet of the charger due to the particle position close to the needle tip. It has also been shown that in the outlet region of the charger there is a critical radial location at which the number of charges per particle is a maximum; this critical radial location represents the point at which the charged particle trajectory becomes closest to the needle electrode. The maximum value of number of charges increases with increasing Reynolds number and slightly increases with decreasing applied voltage for particle diameter larger than 20 nm. The maximum number of charges per charged nanoparticle increases with increasing particle diameter. In addition, the minimum ratio value of radial particle location decreases with increasing Reynolds number for various particle diameters.     

The Onset of Electrical Breakdown in Dust Layers: I,Microsparking Described by Paschen’s Law

The onset of electrical breakdown in dust layers has been studied for hand-deposited dust layers in a parallel plate geometry. It was found that the breakdown was an ordinary electron avalanche process originating in voids within the dust layer and obeying Paschen’s Law. The size of voids where breakdown occurs was in the range of 10 to 20 μm for the layers used. The distribution of particle sizes in a sample Influences its breakdown through changes in the average void dimension where breakdown takes place. Water vapor in the test environment, which affects the electrical conduction mechanism prior to breakdown, lowered the average electric field required to initiate breakdown. Moderate compaction of the sample had little or no effect on its breakdown behavior.     

混凝搅拌内部流场数值模拟分析

通过对圆形搅拌容器内部流场的数值模拟,从湍流速度场、湍动耗散率和湍动能3个角度来分析该容器内的二维空间流态变化,及其对混凝过程中颗粒碰撞和絮体成长的影响,针对其不足之处,提出改进模型:方形、圆形挡板、多边形、圆角和方形导流板模型,并分别比较各模型在不同转速下的内部流场的变化。结果表明,在相同截面积的条件下,圆角模型更有利于颗粒的碰撞粘结和絮体的成长。     

Impact of particle emissions of new laser printers on modeled office room

In this study, we present how an indoor aerosol model can be used to characterize particle emitter and predict influence of the source on indoor air quality. Particle size-resolved emission rates were quantified and the source’s influence on indoor air quality was estimated by using office model simulations. We measured particle emissions from three modern laser printers in a flow-through chamber. Measured parameters were used as input parameters for an indoor aerosol model, which we then used to quantify the particle emission rates. The same indoor aerosol model was used to simulate the effect of the particle emission source inside an office model. The office model consists of a mechanically ventilated empty room and the particle source. The aerosol from the ventilation air was a filtered urban background aerosol. The effect of the ventilation rate was studied using three different ventilation ratios 1, 2 and 3 h^?1. According to the model, peak emission rates of the printers exceeded 7.0 × 10⁸ s^?1 (2.5 × 10¹² h^?1), and emitted mainly ultrafine particles (diameter less than 100 nm). The office model simulation results indicate that a print job increases ultrafine particle concentration to a maximum of 2.6 × 10⁵ cm^?3. Printer-emitted particles increased 6-h averaged particle concentration over eleven times compared to the background particle concentration.     

Experiments probing the influence of air exchange rates on secondary organic aerosols derived from indoor chemistry

Reactions between ozone and terpenes have been shown to increase the concentrations of submicron particles in indoor settings. The present study was designed to examine the influence of air exchange rates on the concentrations of these secondary organic aerosols as well as on the evolution of their particle size distributions. The experiments were performed in a manipulated office setting containing a constant source of d-limonene and an ozone generator that was remotely turned “on” or “off” at 6 h intervals. The particle number concentrations were monitored using an optical particle counter with eight-channels ranging from 0.1–0.2 to>2.0 μm diameter. The air exchange rates during the experiments were either high (working hours) or low (non-working hours) and ranged from 1.6 to>12 h⁻¹, with intermediate exchange rates. Given the emission rates of ozone and d-limonene used in these studies, at an air exchange rate of 1.6 h⁻¹ particle number concentration in the 0.1–0.2 μm size-range peaked 1.2 h after the ozone generator was switched on. In the ensuing 4.8 h particle counts increased in successive size-ranges up to the 0.5–0.7 μm diameter range. At higher air exchange rates, the resulting concentrations of total particles and particle mass (calculated from particle counts) were smaller, and at exchange rates exceeding 12 h⁻¹, no excess particle formation was detectable with the instrument used in this study. Particle size evolved through accretion and, in some cases, coagulation. There was evidence for coagulation among particles in the smallest size-range at low air exchange rates (high particle concentrations) but no evidence of coagulation was apparent at higher air exchange rates (lower particle concentrations). At higher air exchange rates the particle count or size distributions were shifted towards smaller particle diameters and less time was required to achieve the maximum concentration in each of the size-ranges where discernable particle growth occurred. These results illustrate still another way in which ventilation affects human exposures in indoor settings. However, the ultimate effects of these exposures on health and well being remain to be determined.     

电除尘技术研究现状及趋势

详细介绍了电除尘技术研究现状、现存问题及其发展趋势.论述了烟尘荷电凝聚机制及其输运特性等,以便解决除尘电场中的电离占空比、输运项甚低等问题;又着重研究了烟尘的荷电、凝聚的物理过程,将有助于解决电除尘器存在的捕集微细烟尘效率低的问题.     

Characteristics of particulate matter emissions from toy cars with electric motors

Aerosol emissions from toy cars with electric motors were characterized. Particle emission rates from the toy cars, as high as 7.47 × 10⁷ particles/s, were measured. This emission rate is lower than other indoor sources such as smoking and cooking. The particles emitted from toy cars are generated from spark discharges inside the electric motors that power the toy cars. Size distribution measurements indicated that most particles were below 100 nm in diameter. Copper was the dominant inorganic species in these particles. By deploying aerosol mass spectrometers, high concentrations of particulate organic matter were also detected and characterized in detail. Several organic compounds were identified using a thermal desorption aerosol gas chromatography. The mass size distribution of particulate organic matter was bimodal. The formation mechanism of particulate organic matter from toy cars was elucidated.

Implications:?A possible new source of indoor air pollution, particles from electric motors in toy cars, was identified. This study characterized aerosol emissions from toy cars in detail. Most of these particles have a diameter less than 100 nm. Copper and some organics are the major components of these particles. Conditions that minimize these emissions were determined.     

A Cyclone for Size-Selective Sampling of Ambient Air

A cyclone with a 47 mm after-filter has been developed for ambient air size-selective monitoring. It has been extensively evaluated with laboratory-generated aerosol. Variation of the pressure drop and 50% cut point with flow rate show that the cyclone operates in a single flow regime with a vortex in the outlet flow. The particle size cutoff curve is comparable in sharpness to a cascade impactor and is the same for solid or liquid particles. At 21.7 L/min, D ₅₀ is 2.5μm and at 15.4 L/min, D ₅₀ is 3.5 μm. Collection efficiency data for flow rates from 8 to 27 L/min fit a universal curve when plotted vs. the normalized particle diameter, (D-D ₅₀)/D ₅₀ Reentrainment of previously deposited particles is less than 1 % of the loading per day. In field tests the cyclone has proved to be a very satisfactory size-selective sampler.     

Long range transport and gas/particle distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at a remote site in the Mediterranean Sea

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations have been determined for 14 successive days in a remote site of the Mediterranean Sea situated in Corsica, France. Both particulate and gas phases were collected and analyzed. For any receptor site the concentration of adsorbed PAH on particles is determined by three parameters, in order of decreasing importance: the source area, nearby sources and precipitation along the trajectory followed by the particles. For two air masses originating from the same source area, PAH concentrations can be reduced by 60% by particle scavenging during precipitation events. The identification of the source area is in complete agreement with the classification based on the mineral elements. The gas phase concentrations are determined by the source area only; they remain high compared to the concentrations in the industrial zone, thus proving that the gaseous PAH are not strongly degraded by chemical aggressors during transport. Factor analysis clearly shows the different effects involved during transport. The gas/particle ratio is determined essentially by the temperature and molecular weight of the PAH and not by the origin of the emissions. However precipitation influences this ratio to a non-negligible extent through scavenging of the aerosols. For example, the gas/particle ratio, for pyrene, varies from 2 to 4 between two ‘dry’ episodes with a temperature difference of 2.2° C, and from 6 to 13 because of the particle scavenging by rain. These results can be used as a data base and are expected to guide the conception of transport models including the parameters considered in this study.     

Performance evaluation of novel wet vibrational precipitator

This study reports the development, construction, and initial testing of a novel vibrational precipitator (VP), patented at Ohio University in 2016, that uses vibrating metal cables with water running over them to capture particulate matter in an exhaust stream. Unlike traditional electrostatic precipitators relying on electric energy to capture particles, this new system uses the concept of vortex shedding to produce vibrations in vertical cables running perpendicular to an exhaust stream. Collisions between particles in the exhaust stream and these vibrating cables cause the particles to land onto a thin film of flowing water around the cables, which carries the particles downward for collection and removal. Initial tests with air containing particulates of 3 micron average particle size show capture efficiencies up to 54% using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Method 5 to measure the particulate concentrations at the upstream and downstream of a VP comprising 8 cells. These results show that this system, without consuming any electric energy, has a significant potential to be a simple and cost-effective way to treat particle-laden exhaust gases.

Implications: In this work, for the first time, a novel precipitator is investigated that captures particles without using any particle charging and (hence) any electricity. The capture mechanism is governed by vibrations of collection electrodes, which are vertical steel cables wetted through continuous flow of water. Without any discharge electrodes, electrode suspension mechanism, and ability of the system to be installed in existing ducts, the novel precipitator becomes a simple chamber housing containing multiple collection electrode cells. The preliminary results show that this new technology can achieve net particulate matter capture efficiency of 54%. This paves a pathway forward for reducing capital and operating cost of air pollution control systems.     

Electrofluidized Beds in the Filtration Of a Submicron Aerosol

A plug-flow model is developed showing the way in which efficiency depends on unfluidized bed height, bed particle size, participate mobility, gas flow rate and applied electric field intensity. This model is successfully correlated with tests in which flow rate, bed particle size, and unfluidized bed height are varied. It is shown that efficiencies better than 90% can be achieved in collecting 0.4 µm DOP with a gas residence time less than 50 msec and a pressure drop of about 10 cm of water.     

Enhancement of the deposition of ultrafine secondary organic aerosols by the negative air ion and the effect of relative humidity

Deposition is an important process for the removal of aerosol particles. Negative air ion (NAI) generators can charge the ultrafine airborne particles and enhance their deposition rate. However, many NAI generators may also emit ozone and increase the concentration of particles in the presence of biogenic volatile organic compounds owing to the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) production. To validate the effectiveness of NAI generator, the authors investigated the enhancement effect of an NAI generator on the deposition of the ultrafine SOAs generated from the ozonolysis of d-limonene in a test chamber under controlled ventilation rate and relative humidity (RH). The experimental results demonstrated that compared with other effects, including the gravity, particle eddy diffusion, and the Brownian diffusion, the effect of NAIs is the most dominate one on the deposition of SOA particles onto the wall surface in the near-wall region (<1 cm away from the wall). According to these experiments, the tested NAI generator could efficiently enhance the deposition rate by an enhancement factor ranging from 8.17 ± 0.38 to 25.3 ± 1.1, with a low ozone production rate. This NAI generator had better performance on the deposition of the SOAs with smaller particle sizes and it performed even better under higher RH. The enhancement effect of the NAI generator was related to its high NAI production and electric field strength.

Implications: This study investigated a novel technique of negative air ion (NAI) generator that can enhance the precipitation of nano-scale secondary organic aerosol (SOA). The tested NAI generator can significantly improve the deposition rate of SOA with an enhancement factor of about 8.17 ± 0.38 to 25.3 ± 1.1. The enhancement factor rose when relative humidity increased.