Electric agglomeration modes of coal-fired fly-ash particles with water droplet humidification

•Effects of water droplet humidification on electric agglomeration were examined.•A novel sampling method was developed for agglomerated particle observation.•A theory of particle electric agglomeration modes was proposed.

Electric agglomeration is a useful method to improve fly-ash particle collection efficiency in traditional electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) by increasing particle diameter and achieving particle pre-charging. In this study, a laboratory agglomerator, which consisted of a pre-charging region and a static mixer, was designed and tested for fine particle agglomeration. The pre-charging provided both positive and negative discharges in parallel channels. Fine water droplets were used to enhance particle agglomeration and collection efficiency in a downstream small ESP. The operating effects were evaluated under various applied voltages and droplet concentrations. Experimental results showed that the presence of water droplets effectively improved coal-fired particle agglomeration, pre-charging, and collection in the ESP. The total number collection efficiency improved from 53.91% to 86.02% compared with the condition without the agglomerator. In addition, a novel sampling method was used to observe agglomerated particles using scanning electron microscopy, and theoretical adhesive force analysis supported the proposal of a series of power-plant particle electric agglomeration modes.