Operating Experience of Wet

Electrostatic Precipitators
Sam Kumar & Adel Mansour
Babcock & Wilcox Company, USA

Round Table Sulfuric Acid Conference
Puerto Varas, Chile
October 17-20, 2010





Typical Acid Product Specifications
Hg PPM 0.5
As PPM 0.5
Se PPM 0.5
Pb PPM 1.0
As+Cu+Ni+Cd PPM 1.0
Venturi Scrubber Performance Alone
Is Not Enough
To achieve low levels of arsenic emissions
highly efficient wet ESPs will be required
High level of fine particulate control is needed
High level of sulfuric acid mist control is needed
Maximum practical particulate control ahead
of wet ESPs ( in the dry ESPs and venturis ) will
reduce maintenance requirements of WESPs

B&Ws Wet ESP Technology Milestones

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The B&W Company offers WESP products based on the technology, experience and
know-how of Western Precipitation, Joy, Fluid Ionics, and FLS.
B&W licensed all of FLS WESP technology for all applications
on a world-wide basis
B&W acquired the pollution control business of Joy Environmental, which
included that of Joy Western and Western Precipitation
1907
1995
2004
2003
B&W entered into a contract with FLS to supply WESPs for supply of (2)
power plant capturing sulfuric acid mist ESPs for a power plant complex
totaling 1,050 MW of generation
Western Precipitation installs their first wet precipitator on a smelter in Selby
California
Several B&W wet ESP reference plants
in the Americas
Groupo Mexico, SPCC, Ilo, Peru
CODELCO El Teniente, Chile
Groupo Mexico, Mexicana DeCobre, Mexico
Cominco Trail, BC, Canada
Xstrata Horn, Canada
Xstrata CEZinc, Canada
Xstrata Falconbridge, Canada

Lead wet ESP Codelco EL Teniente

Casing bottom and middle section installation
Codelco EL Teniente
Chile
Installation of lead tubesheet
Grupo Mexico-Southern Peru Copper ILO
Lead Wet ESP Codelco El Teniente
Lead Discharge Electrode Upper Framing
Grupo Mexico-Southern Peru Copper, ILO
Lower High Voltage Discharge Electrode Frame
Wet ESP Tube/Rigid Electrode Design
Old Cells
New Cells
WESP Corona Current Profiles
Acid Plant Inlet Outlet Electrode
Field* Field*
#1 15 23 Star wire
#2 7.5 20 Star Wire
#3 15 15 Star Wire
#4 50 60 Pipe & Spike
#5 60 - Pipe & Spike
* Corona current density in mA/1000 ft2
Benefits Of Alloy Design
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Generation Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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All alloy materials


Excellent electrical conductor

Continuous irrigation system not required

Robust construction permits periodic high pressure washing

Greatly reduces risk of damage by fire

Hex Tube WESP Design
Collector Design More Capacity in Same Footprint



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More efficient
footprint with the
hex tube design


More collection surface using double sided collection

Replacement of round tube design with higher capacity alloy hex tube
B&W WESPs


Rigid Discharge Electrodes in Alloy Design
Electrode Design High Reliability



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Generation Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Self-supporting
rigid discharge
electrodes

Rigid pipe and nail construction = higher reliability

Higher corona producing discharge electrodes = superior WESP
performance

Self supporting arrangement, no insulators in the gas stream

Alloy Hex Tube Design
2010 Babcock & Wilcox Power
Generation Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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New WESP Module with
248 HEX Tubes. No
tubesheet
Old FRP & LEAD WESP Module
with 108 Tubes
Greater collection area in same footprint
Hex Tube Design and Project Advantage
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Generation Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Modular design
Fits existing footprint
Flexibility in size (surface area)
Maintenance accessibility
Transporting Collector Assemblies
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Generation Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Lifting the Collector Assembly
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Installing the WESP Collector
Assembly
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Generation Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Alloy WESP Units Replacement
for Lead Acid Mist Units
2010 Babcock & Wilcox Power
Generation Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Customer A B1 B2 C
Application
Pet-Coke
Calciner #3, #1
& #2
Metallurgical
Sulfuric Acid Plant
#1
Metallurgical
Sulfuric Acid
Plant #2
Spent Acid Regeneration

WESP unit

Cell #4, #1 (in
parallel) & #6
2 cells
(in parallel)
4 cells
(2+2 in series)
2 cells ( in series)

Foot print 16 ft x 17.5 ft
(each)
13.5 ft x 15.5 ft
(each)
13.5 ft x 15.5 ft
(each)
15 ft x 16 ft (each)

New WESP
No. of tubes
238 & 248 hex
(each)
17 ft long tubes
150 hex (each)
17 ft long tubes
150 hex (each)
17 ft long tubes
248 hex (each)
15 ft long tubes

New WESP
collecting area
11,650 sq. ft.
(each)
7,395 sq. ft. (each) 7,395 sq. ft.
(each)
10,711 sq. ft. (each)

Old WESP
No. of tubes
98 lead tubes
(each)
(in parallel)
3 cells x 126 lead
tubes
(in parallel)
6 cells x 120 lead
tubes (3+3 in
series)
2 cells x 164 lead tubes
(in parallel)

Old WESP
collecting area
4,360 sq. ft.
(each)
4,950 sq. ft. each 4,712 sq. ft.
each
4,126 sq. ft. each

In Operation 1999, 2007 &
2008
2000 2000 2006

Alloy WESP Replacement Example For
Lead Acid Mist Units
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Generation Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Customer B1 - Acid Plant


6 Old Lead WESP Modules with
Lead Tubes and Steel Shell
4 New HEX WESP Modules 150 Tubes
replaced 6 old Lead WESP modules

Alloy Materials Suitability Curve
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Approximate Service Limits for Stainless Steels and Nickel-Base Alloys in Flue Gas Condensates and Acid Brines
at Moderate Temperatures (140 176 F)
Corrosion Study
Confirm Material Selection
Corrosion rack will include alloy coupons of 904L,
6%Mo, 654SMO, C276, C22, etc.

Test rack to be installed in operating units
at the inlet and outlet sides
Test rack to be removed and analyzed after
test period
A key planning tool to switch to high
performing , economical alloy WESP design

2010 Babcock & Wilcox Power
Generation Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Design and Maintenance Issues with
wet ESPs
Uniform Flow Distribution improves performance
Well aligned electrodes maximize power to
WESP to maximize performance
Poorly aligned electrodes lower power input
Increased sparking can lead to wire breakage and de-
energizing of precipitator stage affecting performance
Insulators need to be kept warm and dry
Premature tracking leads to low power
Damaged insulators can short the entire precipitator
stage
Purge air systems need periodic maintenance



Perforated Plate Gas Flow Distributor
& Lower Flush Header
Uneven Gas Distribution Affects
Performance

High flow in some tubes gives high volume
with low treatment time
Low flow in some tubes gives low volume with
high treatment time
Balance between tubes (perforated plate &
evase bell)
Balance between cells (duct configuration &
dampers)
Misalignment of Discharge Wire
limits operating power
Insulators Must Be Clean & Dry

Frequent Inspection & Maintenance is important

Acid and dust buildup on HV insulators
limits operating power
V/I Curves: Indicative of Performance
and Maintenance Issues
Normal curve. After corona is formed,
current increases with increasing voltage.
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Voltage, kV
C
u
r
r
e
n
t
,

m
a

1
V/I Curves (2)
Indicates resistance path to ground. May be due to
cracked insulator or loose wire touching tube wall.
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Voltage, kV
C
u
r
r
e
n
t
,

m
a

1
2
V/I Curves (3)
Indicates severe misalignment between
emitting electrodes and collecting plates.
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Voltage, kV
C
u
r
r
e
n
t
,

m
a

1
2
3
*
V/I Curves (4)
Acts like increased radius of emitting
electrode (heavy deposits on rounded star
wire edges).
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Voltage, kV
C
u
r
r
e
n
t
,

m
a

1
2
3
*
*
4
V/I Curves (5)
Indicates corona quenching due to severe space
charge. Little increase in current with increasing
voltage because corona is not formed.
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Voltage, kV
C
u
r
r
e
n
t
,

m
a

1
2
3
*
5
*
4
Conclusions
Dedicated maintenance can result in highly
improved reliability and availability of wet
ESPs
Alloy designs have been introduced to
replace lead WESPs
Designs show much noticeable improvements in
both performance and reliability
Better footprint efficiency can help retrofit and
expansion options considerably
Thank You !!
Local Babcock & Wilcox Contact in Chile
Technagent
Raul A. Sigren O.
Gerente General
Presidente Emazuriz 3262
Casilla 25 Santiago 35, CHILE

technagent@technagent.com
raul.sigren@technagent.com