NEWS RELEASE                                                                                                    JANUARY 2015

Wet Precipitators Could Capture 20 Percent of the Market in the Next Five Years

Presently dry precipitators dominate the precipitator market with a 90 percent share as compared to only 10 percent for wet precipitators. This ratio is going to change to as much as 20 percent wet precipitators within five years.  This is the prediction of the McIlvaine Company in Electrostatic Precipitator World Market.

Electrostatic Precipitator Revenues ($ Millions)

Wet precipitators are more efficient than dry precipitators. This is the reason that the market share will increase. More than 90 percent of flyash emissions from coal-fired boilers are presently captured in dry precipitators.  Wet precipitators and fabric filters account for the balance. Presently the wet precipitator share is only 2 percent.  There are a few units in the U.S. which were installed to reduce sulfuric acid mist leaving scrubbers.  A few others have been installed in new units to meet very tough new source performance standards.  There are some recent installations in China. Japan installed several large wet precipitators some years ago. India has one unit on a relatively small municipal power plant.

China has very tough new particulate regulations.  Certain provinces and cities will need to reduce emissions to 5 mg/Nm³.  Dry precipitators cannot meet this efficiency requirement. The options are therefore fabric filtration or wet precipitators.  Since dry precipitators are already installed in most Chinese plants, it makes sense to continue to operate them.  The reason is that the precipitators capture the flyash which can then be sold rather than sent to a landfill.  The precipitators are typically followed by a wet scrubber which captures the SO₂. A byproduct is calcium sulfate (gypsum) which is used for wallboard.

An alternative is the dry scrubber/baghouse which captures the flyash and sulfates in one unit.  The flyash is no longer salable because it is mixed with the calcium sulfate.  Uses for the mix are limited.

Fabric filter bags can be installed in the existing precipitator casing.  This is one way to meet the codes and still have a salable product.  China, however, is comfortable with precipitators and wet scrubbers and finds the use of wet precipitators on top of the scrubbers or downstream as the best way to meet the new codes.  Several installations with the dry precipitator, scrubber, wet precipitator combination are successfully operating in Chinese power plants.

The investment by China to reduce coal-fired particulate emissions will be in excess of $5 billion per year.  If only 20 percent of this investment is for wet precipitators, it will greatly boost the market.

Pulp mills, mines and certain other industries are also likely to boost their investments in wet precipitators.

For more information on Electrostatic Precipitator World Market, click on:   http://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php/markets/2-uncategorised/111-n018