Influence of Acoustic waves on Deposition and Coagulation of fine Particles

The removal of fine particles less than 2.5 mu m in diameter generated from industrial plants represents a serious challenge in air pollution abatement. These particles can penetrate deeply into the lungs and are difficult to remove by cyclones, electrostatic precipitators, and other conventional separation devices. In this paper, the influence of acoustic waves on removing aerosol particles from gas flue is studied. The mechanism of this effect includes the coagulation of nanometer particles to each other and forms larger particles. Moreover, these particles adhere to the wall of the test-rig pipe by the acoustic precipitation mechanism. Therefore, the particles are separated from the gas flue. Experiments are carried out on particle sized in the range of 260-3000 nm. Micro-sphere particles immersed in the air are subjected to homogeneous plane standing-waves at frequencies ranging from 100 Hz up to 2 kHz and a pressure level of 120 to 150 dB. At high pressure levels, the results indicate that the system has high efficiency for removing fine particles.