Electrode configuration is a key parameter that affect the operation of ESPs. In this study, through a wire-plate ESP at wide temperatures, the dynamic and ultimate removal characteristics of coal-fired power plant and coal pyrolysis furnace fly ash (ash A and B) with different resistivity under four electrode configurations were investigated. For ash A, the sawtooth electrode DE3 exhibited the largest current density under identical applied voltage. Each discharge electrode configuration had its efficient operating temperature. DE3 had the best removal performance when the temperature was 363 K and DE1 performed excellently at 500 K. For ash B, the removal efficiency with rod electrode DE4 was only 91.2% at 700 K in the simulated inert atmosphere. Through the optimization of electrode configuration with DE1, particles were effectively removed with collection efficiency exceeding 95%, and the particle removal efficiency of each diameter distribution was remarkably higher than that of DE4. (C) 2020 Published by Elsevier B.V.