(N/A) The Cottrell precipitator is a device used to remove smoke from industrial gases.
Smoke is a colloidal dispersion of solid carbon particles in air.
These colloidal particles are electrically charged.
In the Cottrell precipitator,the smoke is passed through a chamber containing metal plates connected to a high-voltage source.
These plates act as electrodes.
When the smoke passes between these charged plates,the colloidal particles lose their charge upon coming in contact with the oppositely charged electrode.
Once the charge is neutralized,the particles aggregate and settle down due to gravity,leaving the clean gas to escape.