Sulfuric acid-mist electrical precipitator

Dust particles, water droplets, and sulfuric acid mist (and if present, ammonium salt aerosols) are electrically charged in the same way as in the dry precipitator. The negatively charged particles are collected on the positive collecting electrodes. 

This electric sulfuric acid-mist precipitator worked fine, until one of the lead coated wires inside the tubes broke. Then the entire precipitator would arc. This means, the amps would jump up and down, as the single broken wire flapped around inside the tube. I do not know why, but the wires failed only on weekends. Then your fearless author would crawl inside the precipitator, and cut out the broken wire and plug the tube with a wooden plug. 

Electrostatic Precipitators The principles and operation of electrical precipitators are discussed in Sec. 17 under Gas-Sohds Separations. Precipitators are admirably suited to the collection of fine mists and mixtures of mists and solid particulates. Tube-type precipitators have been used for many years for the collection of acid mists and the removal of tar from coke-oven gas. The first practical installation of a precipitator by Cottrell was made on sulfuric acid mist in 1907. Most older installations of precipitators were tube-type rather than plate-type. However, recently two plate-type wet precipitators employing water sprays or overflowing weirs have been introduced by Mikropul Corporation [Bakke,/. Air Pollut. Control Assoc., 25, 163 (1975)] and by Fluid Ionics. Such precipitators operate on the principle of making all particles conductive wnen possible, which increases the particle migration velocity and collection efficiency. Under these conditions, particle dielectric strength becomes a much more impor-... 

---