What Are The Applications Of Electrostatics?

One important application is the removal of flue-as (a mixture of smoke and dust particles) from a modern coal fired power station by means of an electrostatic precipitator. If the flue-ash is not removed, it would be discharged into the atmosphere causing serious air pollution. The precipitator is attached to the chimney walls and it removed smoke and dust particles from the waste gases that flow through the chimney into the atmosphere.

A precipitator is made up of a number of wires and plates. The wires are made negatively charged so that they can charge the ash particles negatively when passing through. The collector plates are made positively charged to attract and collect the ash particles. The plates are then mechanically shaken to remove the ash which is collected and used as a by product.

The electrostatic precipitation technique is also important in steel, cement and chemical industries which release large quantities of flue gases.
Another application is spray painting. It is usually used in car productions. The object (car's body) to be sprayed and the spray nozzle are oppositely charged. This results in good adhesion of the paint to every corner of the object and gives a uniform layer of paint. This method is effective, efficient and economical.