Flow distribution inside an electrostatic precipitator : effects of uniform and variable porosity of perforated plate

This paper presents a numerical flow model applied to a 3D geometry of an electrostatic precipitator (ESP). The flow simulation is performed by using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code FLUENT. Realizable k-ε model for turbulence condition inside the ESP is applied. In the simulation, the perforated plates are modeled as thin porous media of finite thickness with directional permeability. Perforated plates with both uniform porosity and variable porosity are considered for simulation. The results of the simulation are discussed and compared with on-site measured data supplied by the local power plant. The simulated results show reasonable agreement with the measured data.