A NUCLEATION PROCESS FOR THE SEPARATION OF FINE PARTICLES FROM FLUE-GAS

A more efficient (> 99.9%) nucleation method that removes a wider range of gas stream fine particles (several-mu-m down to 7 nm) than previous methods is proposed. As the gas stream passes through supersaturated vapor in a flow cloud chamber (FCC), water vapor condenses onto the particles which settle out with appreciable velocities. Particles with a travelling distance less than the chamber length are removed. Three types of test aerosol are used to demonstrate the efficiency of this cleaning method, which is found to increase with increasing supersaturation, wettability of particles, particle size, and length of the FCC, and to decrease as flow rate, particle concentration, and height of the chamber increase. Suggestions on how to achieve desired efficiencies at less cost are also given.