Computation of V-I characteristics in electrostatic precipitators

In this paper a new method allowing the prediction of the V-I characteristics of a duct-type electrostatic precipitator operating under repetitive pulse excitation is proposed. The method consists of a two-dimensional space-time model and a suitable numerical procedure. The electrostatic precipitator model has been developed in two distinct parts: the first is valid during the pulse-on period and uses the wave equation to calculate the electric field distribution in the interelectrodic region; the second is valid during the pulse-off period and uses the continuity equation to calculate the space-charge drift. The procedure is based on a finite difference time domain scheme. After a detailed description of the method its validity is demonstrated by comparing the computed V-I characteristic and experimentally measured values.