While trying to think of some invention that would enable him to gain funds sufficient to support relatives after his father died, Frederick Gardner Cottrell happened to recall hearing some former classmates who had become miners complaining about the damage being caused by smoke, dust, and vapor, and about the millions of dollars that firms were spending to settle lawsuits or to buy up large tracts of land to stop complaints of citizens in the area. He determined at that moment to devise a new method of dealing with the pollution. He also recalled reading about the work of an English physicist, Sir Oliver Lodge, who had tried unsuccessfully to clean the air using electrical precipitation. Applying the general principles of this earlier work, Cottrell spent five years and some $20,000 in developing a complicated machine that would remove over 98 percent of the pollutant.

A lead-smelting company that was being threatened with injunctions by area farmers heard of his invention and called Cottrell in; soon, similar firms everywhere were seeking Cottrell's help. Meanwhile, Cottrell was discovering other uses for his electrostatic precipitator. The Southern Pacific Railroad needed to find a way to remove emulsifying water from petroleum in the oil pipelines it operated. The same principle used in cleaning the air worked: a current was run through the emulsified oil, separating the water from the oil. His precipitator also proved effective in recovering one hundred tons of cement particles as well as reclaiming potash at a cement plant. The devices, also known as cottrells, are also used to enable power plants to burn pulverized coal without creating illegal levels of smoke emission, to reclaim gold and silver, to apply sand to an adhesive surface to make sandpaper, and to attract flock to a rubber base to make carpet.

While adaptations are necessary to address different problems, the electrostatic precipitator works by recognizing that fine droplets and solid particles in smoke, for example, are held in suspension by repelling electrical charges on their surfaces. The device neutralized the charges on a suspended material and causes it to precipitate.

The first patent for Cottrell's electrostatic precipitator was issued on August 11, 1908. The expense this device has saved in abating pollution and reclaiming various materials makes it invaluable. Companies that install cottrells find that they pay for themselves quickly in terms of the value of the materials that the precipitated solids are able to recover.

Free term papers are not written to satisfy your specific instructions. You can use our professional writing services to buy a custom written research paper, term paper, or essay on Technology at affordable price. CustomTermPapers is the best solution for those who seek help in writing term papers, essays, and research papers related to Technology and other relevant topics.