January - March 2014

Tai & Chyun Newsletter

Enhancing Electrostatic Precipitator Performance
Whats new ?
Product Feature I Electromagnetic Gravity Impact Rappers (EGR) I Page 1
Case Study I ESP Water Washing I Page 3
Troubleshooting I Dust BuildupI Page 6
ESP Q&A I Insulator Crack , Spark and SCR related questions I Page 7
News & More about us... I Page 8
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Page 7
Rapping System
Electromagnetic Gravity Impact Rappers


Product Feature
January - March 2014
Electromagnetic Gravity Impact Rapper
The dust buildup on the collecting plates
and discharge electrodes of the Electrostatic
Precipitator (ESP) should be periodically cleared
off to allow normal functioning of the ESP
and to attain the highest collection effciency.
This process of cleaning of dust is called the
rapping. One commonly used rapping system
is the electromagnetic gravity impact rappers
(EGR).
EGR is applied to clean the gas distribution
screens, collecting plates and discharge
electrode. The rappers are located on the roof
top of the ESPs.
An EGR is made up of electromagnetic coils
housed inside steel casing. The energized
electromagnetic coil provides a controlled and
adjustable lift to its plunger, which is the only
movable part of the rapper. The low voltage
(110 V dc) pulse energizes the coil, creating a
magnetic force which lifts the plunger into the
phenolic tube. The plunger returns back due
to gravity pull or with the assistance of a spring
to strike on the rapper rod which transmits the
force to the collecting plates and discharge
electrodes, thus successfully shearing the dust
buildup into the hopper for disposal. Unlike
other types of rapper, the EGR does not have
any movable parts present in the gas stream
and thus is not exposed to the erosive effects
of the gas passing through the ESP. The EGR
is located on the ESP rooftop which allows
for inspection and servicing without having
to shut down the ESP. The rapping frequency
and intensity can be easily adjusted with the
controller. The EGR parts include: steel casing,
solenoid coils, plunger, plunger anvil, sealing
boot and steel clamp.
Advantages of using electromagnetic
gravity impact rapper:
Easy accessibility
The EGR is located on the roof top of the ESP
compartment. Thus, servicing and inspection
can be easily carried out during ESP on-line
operation.
Easy control
The rapping force can be easily adjusted
according to the ESPs dust loading condition
by modifying the parameters in the rapper
control panel to control the intensity, rapper
height or frequency of each rap.
Rugged design
The plunger is mounted on cast iron box and
protected by a steel casing. This rugged
design comes with reliable performance as
well as wear resistance.

Longer life
The rapper does not have any parts exposed
to the erosive effects of the fue gases present
in the gas passage, thus, having longer life as
compared to other types of rapping system.
Product Feature
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Page 2
ESP Water Washing
Application
Two feld ESP of a glass factory located in Central Taiwan
Problem
1.Heavy dust buildup on collecting plates, discharge
electrodes, GD screen, inner wall of hopper, inner walkway
and rapping system.
2.The traditional method of manual ESP cleaning was time
consuming and also ineffcient.
3.Poor operating values due to ineffcient performance.
Solution
Tai & Chyun proposed the use of an effcient and economical
way of ESP cleaning that is by water washing. Water washing
preparation includes removal of the ash conveyor system and
setting up of the temporary pool to contain the water and dirt.
Case Study
Buffer Pool
Bags for collecting wet dust
January - March 2014
Limitation
However, there are limitations to ESP water
washing. Water washing can be done if there
are major repair works to be done in the ESP.
ESP water washing is not recommended for
short shutdown period. During water washing,
the water pressure should be between 5 kg/
m
2
to 10 kg/m
2
. After washing, all the access
doors should be kept open in order to allow the
ESP to dry up faster. It will take around a day
to totally dry up. Then follow the standard start
up procedures. The area where to dispose the
used water with the dust should be taken into
consideration.
Benefts
Water washing the ESP improved the operating
values signifcantly. Also, the collection
effciency has increased effciently, especially
in the frst feld.
Case Study - ESP Water Washing
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Page 4
Discharge Electrode
GD Screen
Collecting Plate
Rapping System
Before
Before
Before
Before
After
After
After
After
Electrostatic precipitator is a highly effcient and cost effective fltration
device that collects suspended particulates. But there are some factors that
hamper the effciency of the ESP. Let us try to understand these factors.
Dust Buildup
Troubleshooting
Infuencing Factors
January - March 2014
Dust Buildup
Dust Buildup
ESP collects dust particles by charging the dust particles
through the corona discharge from the electrodes and
attracting the dust towards the collecting plates. The dust
particles are then dislodged from the collecting plates into the
hoppers with the help of rapping system.
Dust buildup is the accumulation of dust on the parts inside
the electrostatic precipitator (ESP) like collecting plates,
discharge electrodes, GD screen, inner wall, hopper, etc.
These buildups can adversely affect the performance of the
ESP.
The main causes of dust buildup are as follows:
1. Back corona due to fuel/dust characteristic and rapping
control buildups on DE

2. Poor electrode cleaning caused by
Failure of rapping system parts
Infrequent cleaning interval
Weak cleaning energy
Loose electrodes
3. Wet and sticky nature of dust
4. Operation at temperatures below gas dew point level

5. Slow gas fow velocity

6. Imbalanced air distribution

7. Air leakages
Dust buildup on collecting plate will lead to heavy sparking
thus suppressing voltage and current. Buildup on discharge
electrode will limit the formation of corona thus resulting to
low current. GD screens dust buildup will cause blockage in
gas distribution which in turn reduces the collecting effciency
caused by misdistribution of gas fow across the ESP.
Dust on insulators can cause tracking leading to breakage.
VI curves can be used to evaluate whether there is dust
buildup in your ESP. ESP inspection can help identify not
only the sources of the dust buildup but the causes as well.
The ESP inspection is the most effective way to determine
the root causes so the dust buildup problems are addressed
to properly.
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Troubleshooting - Dust Buildup
Discharge Electrodes
Access Door
GD Screen
Rapping System
Dust Buildup Area:
January - March 2014
Question: How to maintain ESP during outage ?
Answer: Here are some of the practices that should be done...
Electrical testing (including open circuit test, TR set insulation
testing, heater resistance measurement, etc)
Replacement of access door sealing.
Expert inspection should be done on every maintenance outage
even if the system is working well during operation.
Recommended mechanical repair works and replacement of
damage parts should be done after a detailed inspection.
Being updated with the emerging technology is also important
since ESP has a certain range of service life. Upgrade plan is a
good step to take especially after 10-15 years of service years.
Question: What will happen if ESP is facing serious spark problem?
Answer: Serious spark problem will limit the operating voltage and re-
sulting in temporary degradation of collection effeciency of the ESP.
Other damages caused by sparks can also be seen from time to time
in ESP felds but such damages are easily overlooked or mistaken as
being caused by other problems.
Question: What caused voltage (kV) and current (mA) to drop and
, cant go up? How to overcome low voltage warning?
Answer: Drop in kV and mA is caused by spark/arc. These parameters
are limited by spark/arc so it is proper to do complete inspection to fnd
out the cause of the sparking/arcing. If there is no spark/arc but the kV
and mA still cannot increase, then the controller limit settings should be
checked: mA limit, kV limit, or fring angle. Low mA and kV correspond
to low power to the ESP and this would mean a low collecting effciency
leading to high dust emissions.
Question: Why do SCR often break down?
Answer: If the problem only happens in one control panel, then the
SCRs insulation to panel and other electrical components such as
contactor, fuse, over-current protection device (if present), and even
cables/bus bars and their connection should be checked. This could
also indicate a damaged CLR since the CLR is the one that protects the
SCR by limiting the current. If problem happens in all the panels, it could
be supply problem. If the SCR model has been replaced before with
its equivalent, then it would be better to recheck again the equivalent
model.
Question: What are the characteristics of cracked support insula-
tor caused by electrical/mechanical?
Answer: Cracked support insulators can be caused by an unbalanced
discharge electrode suspension system or electrical tracking on the sup-
port insulators. Damaged support insulator caused by electrical stress
will leave burn mark around the cracking line.
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Page 7
Free
Gift
In this 2014, we would like
to introduce a Q&A session.
Our engineers are ready to
help answer related ques-
tions for ESP user !
You can also be part of us by
sending in questions about
your ESP or sharing with us
about your experiences in
ESP trouble shooting. If your
question gets published in
the next quarters newsletter
we will send you Tai & Chyun
USB from Taiwan!
How to send in questions?
You can send in question
in your local language
by contact T&C sales
representative! Or to info@
taichyun.com.tw by setting
the subject as: Newsletter
Marketing Activities
To make sure that we get
in touch with you, please
provide your name, company
name, address and contact
number
ESP Q&A Session
Upcoming & Company News
January - March 2014
Contact
Information
International Technical Support Numbers:
Indonesia Mobile: +62-(0) 811-8160-856
Malaysia Mobile: +60-(0)17-472-5119
Thailand Mobile: +66-(0) 898-644-040
Taipei Offce:
10F, No. 250, Sec. 1, Nei Hu Rd., Taipei, Taiwan
Tel: +886-2-8752-5119
Fax: +886-2-8752-5120
Manila Offce:
Unit 203-A Bayview International Tower 1, Roxas Blvd.
cor. NAIA Rd., Paranaque City
Tel: + 63 2 855 69 87
Fax: + 63 2 822 96 93
info@taichyun.com.tw
www.taichyun.com.tw
Bangkok: Electrostatic Precipitator Seminar
Date: March 21, 2014 (Friday)
Location: Amari Don Muang Airport, Bangkok
Tai & Chyun will once again conduct a one-day
training seminar on Electrostatic Precipitator.
Our Engineers are ready to answer your
questiens about ESP operation problem as well
as sharing their experiences with end-user.
What will you learn from our ESP seminar?
Complete set of ESP basic operation
How to maximize ESP effciency
ESP troubleshooting, prevention and point of
attention
Shutdown & Startup procedure
Safety knowledge when working with ESP
Partial list of previous participants:
SCG Cement
IRPC Public Company
National Power Supply
Phoenix Pulp & Paper
Chubu Electric Power
Mitr Phol Sugar Group
Tai & Chyun Offce in BKK
Tai & Chyun family is growing
again! We are delighted to an-
nounce that we have expanded to
open a branch offce in Bangkok,
Thailand. The new branch offce
is registered under the name Tai
& Chyun Engineering Service
(Thailand) Co., Ltd.
Bangkok offce location:
Na Nakorn Building: No.99/349
Cheangwatana Road, Tungsonghong,
Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
We are committed to improving our level of ser-
vice and support for customers
Company Trip:
On December 7
th
, Tai & Chyun arranged a company trip
to Great Roots Forest Park, San Xia and Visit Ying Ge
old street which is famous for ceramic and pottery.