Breathe easy [electrostatic precipitator]

The recent development and availability of high speed, high power devices have enabled a new breed of power supply to be designed for electrostatic precipitator energization duties. These new units are based on high frequency, high voltage or switch mode power supplies operating at frequencies up to 50 kHz. One such unit was developed by researchers at the University of Leicester and RWE. The unit features a 20 kHz frequency switched mode based power supply (SMPS) for electrostatic precipitation in a coal-fired power station and an output voltage of 50 kV at 1 A continuous rating. This paper describes this and other similar SMPS systems for use in electrostatic precipitation.