Performance evaluation of a novel electrostatic-vane compound demister using numerical simulation

A novel compound demister has been developed, incorporating an electrostatic field into the vane demister. This study aims to investigate the influence of various structural and operational parameters of the compound demister on droplet separation efficiency and pressure drop through numerical simulations. The results indicate that the compound demister, in comparison to the vane demister, significantly enhances the separation efficiency of fine droplets. At gas velocity of 6 m/s, the separation efficiency for 10 mu m droplets reaches up to 90%, accompanied by a mere 46.8 Pa pressure drop. The separation efficiency demonstrates a negative correlation with vane spacing and electrode wire radius, while exhibiting a positive correlation with voltage and the number of electrode wires. However, the vane turning angle and the geometry of turning corner have a negligible effect on the separation efficiency. On the other hand, pressure drop increases with both increasing vane spacing and turning angle.