Numerical analysis of PM2.5 particle collection efficiency of an electrostatic precipitator integrated with double skin facade in a residential home

In this study, the electrostatic precipitator (ESP) integrated with a double skin facade (DSF) was proposed as a new method to overcome natural ventilation constraints due to outdoor particles and the particle collection efficiency of an ESP integrated with a DSF (EPID) was evaluated using numerical analysis. The particle collection efficiencies of two models of ESP integrated with DSF (EPID) with air cavity depths of 0.2 m and 0.5 m were evaluated according to the horizontal and vertical installation positions of the ESP in the air cavity and the voltage intensity during operation. Changes in the particle collection efficiency depending on the inlet air velocity at the EPID inlet were also analyzed. A computational fluid dynamics model was suggested for analyzing the airflow in the EPID, particle behavior, and electrostatic precipitation and validated by comparison with existing experimental data. The particle collection efficiency of the EPID was high when it was adjacent to the inner skin of the EPID and located in the upper section of the air cavity, and positions inside the air cavity with a reduced velocity for the main airflow helped increase the particle collection efficiency. When the air velocity at the EPID inlet was controlled at 0.5 m/s, a particle collection efficiency of 92.8% could be expected at 12 kV. These results indicate that integrating the ESP with the DSF can effectively reduce the inflow of external particles.