A controllable, variable waveform, high voltage, switched mode power supply for electrostatic precipitators

Increased awareness of the effects of atmospheric pollution has meant that electrostatic precipitators, which have been used since the early part of this century to separate particulate matter from process gas streams, are now required to achieve particulate collection efficiencies in excess of 99.7% for a number of processes. Increasingly stringent legislation concerning industrial particulate emissions has challenged the precipitation industry to consider how equipment can be improved to reduce, in particular, heavy metal and respirable size particulate discharges.;Electrostatic precipitators charge dust particles in a gas stream by corona-producing electrodes, and remove the charged particles by electrostatic attraction under high electric fields.;This thesis details the development of a prototype high frequency (20KHz), high voltage (50kV), high power (25 kW) switched mode precipitator power supply with technological advances over conventional units.;A high frequency, high voltage, high power precipitator supply using high frequency inverter technology coupled to a novel ferrite cored, high voltage transformer-rectifier unit has been designed and built. It is capable of delivering in a controlled and responsive way 25kW at 50kV into a load that may suffer from sparking and flashover.;The developmental stages of the prototype from initial concept through to field trials of the supply at a power station in the UK are detailed.