Patent ID: 6156098
Filing Date: 2000-12-05
Classification: B01D,B03C

Abstract:
Apparatus for removing both particulate pollutants and gaseous pollutants, from a gas to be cleaned, said gas to be cleaned already flowing in an established gas flow stream and gas flow direction upon entry into said apparatus, said gas flow direction defining a downstream direction in said gas flow stream as a direction parallel to said gas flow direction and defining an upstream direction in said gas flow stream as a direction opposite to said gas flow direction, said apparatus comprising:(a) a pressurized liquid means, being a source providing a pressurized liquid at a controllable liquid pressure;(b) a droplet production means, connected to said pressurized liquid means, for emitting copious quantities of droplets of said liquid;(c) a droplet charging means, communicating with said droplet production means, for exposing said droplets, at the instant of emission of each of said droplets from said droplet production means, to an electric field of strength sufficient for charging said droplets to an average charge which is at least an appreciable portion of the maximum charge which may be carried by said droplets of said liquid;(d) an injection means, acting upon said droplets, for injection of said droplets into said gas to be cleaned, and for intimately mixing said droplets with said gas to be cleaned by causing said droplets to travel through said gas to be cleaned in motion of said droplets through a length of travel relative to said gas to be cleaned; and(e) a droplet removal means, communicating with said gas to be cleaned and said droplets injected into said gas, for removing said droplets from said gas to be cleaned after said droplets have interacted with said gas, and for collecting together said liquid contained in said dropletswherein said pressurized liquid means, said droplet production means, said droplet charging means, and said injection means are so configured and operated as to provide said droplets with a combination of size, charge, droplet production rate, and length of travel of said droplets in said gas to be cleaned such as to cause removal of said pollutants with a desired particulate removal efficiency for said particulate pollutants, and to also cause removal of said gaseous pollutants with a desired gaseous pollutant removal efficiency.