ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR ASSEMBLY AND ELECTROSTATIC AIR CLEANER WITH INTEGRAL IONIZATION ELEMENTS
An electrostatic air precipitator electrode system having collecting electrodes made of a conductive polymer material, preferably a conductive synthetic polymer material. The repelling electrode may be integrated with ion-emitting sites to avoid the necessity of a separate corona electrode in an electrostatic precipitator. Ion emitting structures are portions of the electrode that have very small diameters. Molded ion emitting sites may be in the form of pointed cones or knife-like ridges. Features of reduced diameter to be ion emitting sites may be formed in metallic repelling electrode by mechanical disruption such as punching, cutting, or sawing the repelling electrode at or near the end of the electrode near the inlet end of the particle collecting structure. The repelling electrodes may also be made of a conductive polymer material, preferably a conductive synthetic polymer material.
1 . An electrostatic air precipitator electrode system comprising:
a corona electrode;
a collecting electrode in close proximity to said corona electrode, wherein said collecting electrode is a synthetic conductive polymer material;
a repelling electrode positioned to cooperate with said collecting electrode such that charged particles between said repelling electrode and said collecting electrode are repelled away from said repelling electrode and urged toward said collecting electrode;
wherein said corona electrode integral with said repelling electrode said repelling electrode exhibits at least one ion emitting site.
2 . The electrostatic air precipitator electrode system according to claim 1 wherein said ion emitting site is a protrusion having a small diameter.
3 . The electrostatic air precipitator electrode system according to claim 2 wherein said protrusion having a small diameter is a cone shaped protrusion.
4 . The electrostatic air precipitator electrode system according to claim 2 wherein said protrusion having a small diameter is a laterally oriented ridge.
5 . An electrostatic air precipitator electrode system according to claim 4 wherein said conductive polymer material includes at least a synthetic polymer material having a resistivity of 10 1 -10 12 ohm/sq.
6 . The electrostatic air precipitator electrode system according to claim 1 wherein said repelling electrode is fabricated from a synthetic conductive polymer material.
7 . The electrostatic air precipitator electrode system according to claim 6 wherein said conductive polymer material comprises material formed by the introduction of two or more components into a mold for an in situ reaction.
8 . The electrostatic air precipitator electrode system according to claim 6 wherein said synthetic conductive polymer material comprises material formed by a RIM process.
9 . The electrostatic air precipitator electrode system according to claim 1 wherein said synthetic conductive polymer material comprises thermoplastic.
10 . The electrostatic air precipitator electrode system according to claim 9 wherein said collecting electrode plates and said repelling plates are made from the same material.
11 . The electrostatic air precipitator electrode system according to claim 6 wherein said conductive polymer material comprises material formed by the introduction of two or more components into a mold for an in situ reaction.
12 . The electrostatic air precipitator electrode system according to claim 6 wherein said conductive polymer material comprises material formed by a RIM process.
13 . The electrostatic air precipitator electrode system according to claim 1 wherein said conductive polymer material comprises thermoplastic.
14 . The electrostatic air precipitator electrode system according to claim 1 wherein said corona electrode further comprises a brush segment.
15 . The electrostatic air precipitator electrode system according to claim 14 wherein said brush segment is a carbon brush.
16 . The electrostatic air precipitator electrode system according to claim 15 wherein said corona brush has sharp edges.