US2737257A - Washers for electrostatic precipitators - Google Patents

Description

March 6, 1956 R, w. WARBURTON 2,737,257

WASHERS FOR ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS Filed Dec. 1, 1955 4' Sheets-Sheet l IJYQA i l: I

March 6, 1956 R, w. WARBURTON 2,737,257

WASHERS FOR ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS Filed Dec. 1, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I'zvenifofl: RqyWWmm' iow, 6 W .7. wa er:

R. w. WARBURTON 2,737,257

WASHERS FOR ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS March 6, 1 956 4 Sheets-Shet 3 Filed Dec. 1, 1955 March 6, 1956 R. w. WARBURTON 2,737,257

WASHERS FOR ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS Filed Dec. 1, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent WASHERS FOR ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS Ray W. Warburton, Medfield, Mass., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 1, 1953, Serial No. 395,544

4 Claims. (Cl. 1837) This invention relates to washers for the ionizer and collector electrodes of electrostatic precipitators.

The electrostatic precipitators most generally used for removing dust from air, consist of upstream ionizers having wire and tube electrodes, and downstream collector cells having closely spaced collector plates. After a period of operation the ionizer and collector electrodes become coated with collected matter so that it is the practice to wash the electrodes with a water spray, and then to spray adhesive upon the electrodes for aiding them to retain the collected matter.

This invention provides a simple, inexpensive washer having a vertically extending header assembly comprising two header tubes, each equipped with nozzles, one who being provided for supplying water tobe sprayed upon the electrodes, and the other tube being provided for supplying adhesive to be sprayed upon the electrodes. The two tubes and their nozzles are so arranged that all of the nozzles extend in vertical alignment. The header assembly is supported on rollers which ride upon a horizontally extending track attached to the front ofthe frame of the precipitator, and is caused to move back and forth across the face of the precipitator by a light cable which pulls both the top and bottom of the header assembly in such a manner that vertical alignment is provided.

A feature of this invention is that the spray header assembly is movable across the full face of the precipitator without requiring dead spaces for the location of the end pulleys which are required for the cable.

An object of this invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive washer for the electrodes of an electrostatic precipitator.

Another object of this invention is to reduce the space required for a washer for an electrostatic precipitator.

This invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, of which:

Fig. l is an isometric view of an electrostatic precipitator embodying this invention, the ionizer and collector electrodes being removed;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail showing the cable driving motor mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a partial side elevation of the header assembly and its supports and drive;

Fig. 4 is a projected, diagrammatic view showing the relation of the header assembly to the drive pulleys and cable;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail showing an end position of the header assembly;

Fig. 6 is a section through the header assembly and one of the cable clamps attached thereto;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation, in section, of the header assembly showing the inner tubes and a portion of the hoses attached thereto;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view along the lines 88 of Fig. 7;

.Fig. 9 is a sectional view along the lines 9-9 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 10 is a partial elevation of a simplified header assembly, it being seen from the nozzle side, and

Fig. 11 is an end elevation of Fig. 10.

Fig. l of the drawingsillustrates a frame 10 having openings 11 for receiving four vertical rows and four horizontal rows of collector cells. The cells and their ionizers are not illustrated since they form no part of the present invention. In the frame illustrated, some of the cell openings are larger than others for receiving larger cells.

The frame 10 has a horizontally extending track 14 formed from an inverted U-shaped plate having inturned lower ends on which the rollers 15 ride. The track is supported from the frame by the outer, inverted U-shaped plate 16 and the supports 17 and 18. Supported from a common shaft between the rollers 15 is a bolt 19 which is attached-to a bracket 19 attached to the outer pipe 21.

The frame has a lower, inverted U-shaped guide rail 22 attached thereto by the supports 23 and 24. The guide roller 25 is attached by the plate 26 to the lower end of the outer pipe 21, and normally is positioned midway between but closely adjacent the legs of the guide rail 22.

The' pulleys 27 are rotatably mounted on the shafts 28 which are supported from the plate 16 at the opposite ends of the track 14. The pulleys 29 and 30 are rotatably' mounted on a shaft which is supported by the member 32 from the guide rail support 24.

The pipe 21 has a cable clamp 34 attached thereto by the bolt 47, just above a line interconnecting the tops of the horizontally aligned pulleys 27, and has a similar cable clamp 35 attached thereto by a bolt 47' just below a line interconnecting the tops of the horizontally aligned pulleys 29.

Arr electric motor 36 mounted on the outside of one vertical side of the frame 10', drives, through the gear box 37, a pulley 38 which is rotatably mounted on the inner side of the said vertical frame side. The pulleys 39 and 40 are rotatably mounted on the outer ends of the pulley-supports 41 and 42 respectively, the inner ends of which are pivoted to the gear box 37.

The cable 44 is threaded around the pulleys 27, 29, 30, 38, 39 and 40 and the cable clamps 34 and 35. The cable is wrapped completely around the clamps 34 and 35 on the header pipe 21. The cable is clamped to the clamp 34 by the circular plate 45 which is tightened against the cable by the nut 46 on the bolt 47. The cable is clamped to the lower clamp 35 in a similar manner.

A limit and reversing switch 50 is mounted on the right side of the track support 18 and is operated by a pin 51 (Fig. 3) attached to the header pipe 21, when the latter reaches the end of its travel at the right side of Fig. 1. A similar switch 50' is mounted on the left side of the track support 18.

The outer pipe 21 contains a water supply tube 51 and an adhesive supply tube 52, having the spray nozzles 53 and 54 respectively. There are two water spray nozzles 53 for each collector cell, with an adhesive spray nozzle 54 therebetween. In order that all of the spray nozzles extend in vertical alignment the tube 52 is bent back and forth as illustrated by Fig. 7.

Due to the cable 44 being completely wrapped around the cable clamps 34 and 35 on the header pipe 21, the pipe 21 can be moved past the end pulleys 27 and 29 as illustrated by Fig. 5. In prior washers of this general type, the end pulleys had to be located in otherwise unused spaces beyond the outer ends of the end collector cells in order for the end areas of the end cells to be sprayed with liquid. This required a larger and more expensive enclosure than is required by a precipitator embodying this invention.

Since the cable 44 reverses its direction at the bottom pulleys 30, it is caused to change its direction to that at the top pass by being threaded over the reversing pulleys 29. Thus, the cable at the lower cable clamp 35 moves in the same direction as at the upper cable clamp 34 so that the header assembly is moved in vertical alignment.

Figs. and 11 show a simpler and preferred form of header construction. The water tube 60 is much larger than the adhesive tube 61, has the rollers 15 attached thereto'by the bracket 19, has the roller attached thereto by the plate 26, and has the cable clamps 34 and 35 attached thereto.

In operation, when the collector and ionizer electrodes require cleaning, an operator after shutting off the fan and power pack, would start the water pump and the motor 36. The motor would then, through the pulleys 38, 39, 40, 27, 29 and 30, rotate the cable 44 which, through its connection to the top and bottom portions of the header by the clamps 34 and 35, would move the header assembly from the left side of the precipitator to its right side. When the header assembly reaches the right side of the precipitator, it trips the limit and-reversal switch 50 at that side, which reverses the motor causing it to rotate the cable in the opposite direction and causing it to move the header assembly back to the right side of the precipitator. During this time the spray nozzles 53 would be spraying water upon the ionizer and collector electrodes. At the end of two or more cleaning passes, the operator would stop the motor 36 and the pump motor. Then, after waiting a sufiicient period of time for the electrodes to dry, the operator would start the adhesive pump motor and would again start the motor 36. The header assembly would again be moved back and forth by the cable across the face of the precipitator while the adhesive spray nozzles 54 spray adhesive upon the electrodes.

While one embodiment of the invention has been described for the purpose of illustration, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact apparatus and arrangement of apparatus illustrated and described, since modifications thereof may be suggested by those skilled in the art, without departure from the essence of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A washer for an electrostatic precipitator having a frame, a horizontally extending track supported from said frame, a vertically extending header assembly, a roller on said track rotatably supported from said assembly adjacent the upper end thereof, a horizontally extending guide attached to said frame below said track, a roller adjacent said guide rotatably attached to said assembly adjacent the other end thereof, pulleys at the ends of said track and guide, upper and lower cable clamps rotatably attached to said assembly adjacent said upper and lower ends thereof, a cable threaded around said pulleys and wrapped completely around said clamps, a plurality of nozzles extending from said assembly towards said frame, and means for rotating said cable for moving said assembly.

2. A washer as claimed in claim 1 in which the cable clamps are circular, in which the upper clamp is supported above the pulleys at the ends of the track, and in which the lower clamp is supported above the pulleys at the ends of the guide.

3. A washer as claimed in claim 2 in which the header assembly comprises two tubes, one for water and the other for an adhesive, in which a plurality of nozzles are connected to each of the tubes and extend towards the frame, and in which the tubes are so arranged that the nozzles extend in vertical alignment.

4. A washer as claimed in claim 1 in which the header assembly comprises two tubes, one for water and the other for an adhesive, in which a plurality of nozzles are connected to the tubes and extend towards the frame, and in which the tubes are so arranged that the nozzles extend in vertical alignment.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 998,579 Herz July 18, 1911 2,333,551 Pegg Nov. 2, 1943 2,591,404 Carlson Apr. 1, 1952

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