How would an electrostatic precipitator separate sulfuric acid from hydrocarbons?

Well, I take it you work in refining or a chemical plant of some sort, but the general explanation would be that if hydrocarbon and sulfuric acid were mixed together and dumped into some sort of vessel, the mixture would be coming in quite fast. Since sulfuric acid is somewhat conductive of electricity, and hydrocarbon isn't so much, the EP forced the acid to move one way, while the hydrocarbon moves the other. Think of putting two magnets together so they won't stick to eachother. The acid droplets will run into each other and coalesce, thus getting heavy and dropping to the bottom of the vessel, whereas the hydrocarbons, which are lighter, will remain on top.