Advancements in science are often the result of independent work by multiple investigators. This was the case with the electrostatic precipitator. The first electrostatic precipitator was invented by Sir Oliver Lodge and colleagues in 1885 for use in a lead smelter in North Wales. The installation was not successful.
Both Lodge and Erwin Moeller of Germany had worked on the process, but they were unable to apply it successfully until Cottrell’s development of the synchronous switch rectifier. Cottrell oversaw installation of the first successful precipitator at a sulfuric acid plant owned by E.I. DuPont de Nemours Company in Pinole, California in 1906.
Cottrell applied for a U.S. patent on the electrostatic precipitator, which relayed high-voltage direct current to a discharge electrode that leaked the charge onto particles passing by in the fumes. The particles were then electrically attracted to an electrode with an opposite charge, where they could be collected and retrieved as valuable minerals or chemical compounds. His invention made it feasible to take the precipitator from the laboratory into the field.
In “Applied Electrostatic Precipitation” (Blackie Academic and Professional, London, 1997), author K.R. Parker noted, “In order to progress the art of precipitation worldwide, a strong friendly relationship developed between the main investigators, Sir Oliver Lodge in the U.K., Dr. Cottrell in the U.S., and Dr. Moeller in Germany. Archive evidence shows that there were biannual meetings between the parties to review their latest developments, patents and findings…. One result of these discussions was that Dr. Cottrell allowed Sir Oliver Lodge to use the rotary switch rectifier for precipitator duties. In recognition, Lodge renamed his company Lodge Cottrell Ltd. In Germany, Lurgi also used the rotary switch rectifier during this period of major and very varied plant installation.”
In 1912, Walter Schmidt, representing Cottrell, traveled to Europe where he met with Lodge and Moeller. The men agreed that precipitator companies would benefit most not by becoming competitors, but by working together. To that end, they formed Research Company as a nonprofit patent administration company with the purpose of developing the electrostatic precipitator worldwide. The organization acted as a clearinghouse for process improvements, and established operating territories for the participating companies until World War II when it was disbanded. The free interchange of ideas between these scientists was evident in the founding philosophy of Research Corporation.