Thermal Precipitation for the Removal of Nanoparticles

Thermal Precipitation for the Removal of Nanoparticles

The usefulness of the process of thermal precipitation for the removal of nanoparticles from gas streams is analyzed in this study. The continuity, momentum, and energy equations are solved to determine velocity and temperature fields inside a precipitator. Additionally, a particle transport equation which incorporates the Stokes drag, the Saffman lift force, the thermophoretic effect, and the Brownian diffusion is solved for the aerosol particles transport and removal. Simulation results lead to the conclusion that by using thermal precipitators, higher collection efficiencies can be achieved for finer nanoparticles. Model predictions also indicate that temperature gradient enhances the efficiency of the particle collection. It is demonstrated that the method is much more effective under lower air flow rates. In spite of this, the presented results provide evidence that the influence of temperature gradient as well as air flow rate diminishes for fine nanoparticles.