Mast electrode design

1. A mast electrode assembly for a wet electrostatic precipitator, which comprises:

a first and a second electrode section, each said electrode section being cylindrical and hollow and having a closure thereto at each end of the electrode section, and

a connector assembly connecting one end closure of said first electrode section to one end closure of said second electrode section, said connector assembly comprising an axial protrusion extending from said one end closure of said first electrode section in friction fit relationship into an axial bore formed in said one end closure of said second electrode section with adjacent surfaces of said one end closures of said first and second electrode sections in abutting relationship.

2. The electrode assembly of claim 1 wherein each said abutting surface of said one end closure of said first and second electrode section has a recess formed therein and said one end closure of each of said first and second electrode sections has a passage formed therethrough establishing fluid flow relationship between an interior of said first and second electrode sections and said recess formed in the respective surfaces of the one end closure of the first and second electrode sections.

3. The electrode assembly of claim 2 wherein the other end closure of each of said first and second electrode sections has an opening therethrough.

4. A wet electrostatic precipitator, comprising a housing, a bundle of vertical discharge tubes, a plurality of high-voltage rigid rod electrodes axially arranged in the tubes, an upper inlet and a lower outlet, at least one of said electrodes being a mast electrode assembly as claimed in claim 1 .

5. A method of replacement of a damaged or non-functioning electrode in a wet electrostatic precipitator, said wet electrostatic precipitator comprising a housing, a bundle of vertical discharge tubes in said housing, each tube having a high-voltage rigid, rod electrode axially arranged therein, an upper inlet plenum to said housing and a lower outlet plenum from said housing, an access door for said upper inlet plenum and an access door for said lower outlet plenum, which comprises:

providing a high-voltage rigid mast electrode comprising separate first and second electrode sections, each electrode section being cylindrical and hollow and having a closure thereto at each end of said electrode section, a two-part connector assembly for connecting one end closure of said first electrode section to one end closure of said second electrode section, one part of said connector assembly comprising an axial protrusion extending from said one end closure of said first electrode section and the second part of said connector assembly comprising an axial bore formed in said one end closure of said second electrode section for receiving said protrusion in friction fit relationship with said bore with adjacent surfaces of said one end closures of said first and second electrode sections in abutting relationship,

removing the damaged or non-functional electrode from the tube in which it is located,

inserting one of said electrode sections part-way into the tube from which the damaged or non-functional electrode has been removed,

joining the other of said electrode sections with said one electrode section to form a replacement electrode, and

inserting the replacement electrode the whole way into the tube from which the damaged or non-functional electrode has been removed.