The Removal Performance of an Electrostatic Precipitator at a Manufacturing Site Using a Wet-porous Electrode Array

Abstract

In this study, to eliminate the ultrafine particles and gaseous pollutants generated in the manufacturing site and supply clean air to the working chamber of the injection molding machine, we analyzed the concentrations and size distributions of ultrafine particles, as well as their chemical components and morphologies, in the injection molding process applied in a machine used for manufacturing disposable medical devices. The concentrations of water-soluble gases such as sulfur dioxide (SO2), which is an undesirable emission, were also measured during the manufacturing process. Furthermore the WPE- ESP (Electrostatic precipitator with wet-porous electrode arrays) was modified and optimized for a mounting system so that it could be applied for the injection molding process that is used to manufacture high-precision devices. The generated ESP system had a high collection efficiency of > 99.5% under laminar flow conditions (flowrate > 0.4 m/s) and removed up to 92.5% the water-soluble SO2 gas that was generated in the manufacturing process. In particular, the proposed system promotes energy efficiency when used over a long period because of the low pressure drop.