Patent ID: 7264658

Claim:
An electrostatic precipitator for cleaning a gas flowing therethrough from upstream to downstream along a gas flow path comprising a first zone comprising a corona discharge ionization zone creating ions which in turn charge particles in said gas, and a second zone comprising a collection zone collecting said charged particles, said second zone being downstream of said first zone, an anti-collector guide in said first zone preventing collection of said charged particles thereat and instead directing said charged particles to flow to said second zone downstream thereof for collection at said second zone, a corona discharge electrode at said first zone creating an electric field providing said corona discharge ionization, and wherein said anti-collector guide comprises a field-shield in said first zone and shielding said charged particles from said electric field to prevent collection of said charged particles in said first zone, wherein said field-shield divides said first zone into first and second subzones, said first subzone being on one side of said field-shield and guiding said charged particles to said second zone, said second subzone being on the opposite side of said field-shield and between said corona discharge electrode and said field-shield and providing said ionization, said field-shield comprises a perforated tube extending axially along an axis and guiding incoming gas from an inlet axial tube end to an axially distally opposite outlet axial tube end, said corona discharge electrode comprises an axially extending hollow drum surrounding said tube, said first subzone being inside said tube, said second subzone being outside said tube and between said tube and said drum, and wherein ions created by ionization in said second subzone pass through perforations in said tube to create said charged particles in said first subzone inside said tube, said charged particles being shielded by said tube from the electric field in said second subzone outside said tube created by said corona discharge electrode.