MistBuster^® Advantage

October 12th, 2017 | Posted in Air Cleaners

A frequently asked question when evaluating mist collection solutions is, “what are the advantages of an electrostatic precipitator (like the MistBuster^®
) over a media air cleaner?”

The primary advantages are: airflow, maintenance, and efficiency.

AIRFLOW: An electrostatic precipitator stays consistent as the electronic filters (cells) collect contaminant. The reason being that air flow through a cell is not impeded as it collects mist and smoke particulate. The cell design is such that it collects particulates onto separately evenly spaced aluminum plates within the cell leaving openings for clean air to pass. Media filters, on the other hand, impact particulate onto a fabric material. While the contaminant collects on the media it closes the spaces available for air to travel – thus restricting airflow.

By design, electronic cells do not have a significant change in static pressure (restriction) from when the cell is clean to when it has collected contaminant. Media filters by design need more force to move the same volume of air as it fills with contaminant. (See graph below) thus requiring: a high power fan to drive air through it; and a need to make major adjustments to the fan or oversize the fan in order to maintain the same airflow from when the filter was clean. The end result – an electronic cell requiring only a lower powered fan equates to lower energy costs!

Note: Data above is compared to a stack of 3 electrostatic cells versus a 12″ x 24″ x 25″ 5 pocket MERV 15 bag filter.

MAINTENANCE: Media filters degrade over time from washing since the media filter becomes permanently impregnated with particulate; and the consistency of the filter media deteriorates by forming holes or tears. Proper and regular washing an electrostatic cell can guarantee its filtering efficiency and increase its life.

EFFICIENCY: The electrostatic cell’s filtering efficiency is significant! The graphs below illustrate the efficiency of several different cell configurations available within our MistBuster^®
500 and MistBuster^®
850. Note that our MistBuster^®
2000, with its 6 cell configuration, will double the efficiency illustrated in the graph.

Having 2 and 3 cell configurations helps increase airflow since the particulate traveling through the cell has more time to dwell within the cell and thus more likely to be collected. A comparison of the cell efficiency data below to a HEPA rated media filter with an efficiency of 99.97% of airborne particulate down to 0.3 microns shows that with the correct configuration and airflow you can achieve near HEPA efficiency with electrostatic cells.

In Summary –

FAQ: “What is the advantage of a electrostatic filtration over media filtration?”

ANSWER: Airflow, Maintenance, Efficiency