Comparison of electrostatic precipitator power supplies with low effects on the mains

In this article, the distortions caused by the power supplies employed in Electrostatic Precipitators (ESP) are investigated, and means for improving the line power quality are proposed. Multi-pulse and PWM rectifier topologies and other concepts including hybrid systems and active filters are evaluated in order to identify suitable systems for ESP applications. A comparison of the studied systems rated to 60 kW and fully designed employing commercial components is shown. The ESP systems efficiency, power density, current harmonic THD, among others features are used for the assessment. The loss calculations are extended to a variable chip area to allow a fair comparison between the studied systems. Finally, the VIENNA 6-switches rectifier and active filter concepts are chosen and experimental analyses are carried out, verifying the performance and feasibility of the proposed systems.