Introduction to Dust Collection Systems

Pure, clean air is natures gift to mankind and every living being has a right to it. But in todays world, a deep breath of pure, clean air appears to be a luxury thanks to an alarming increase in pollution levels. If technical and industrial advancement have brought us many commercial successes and comforts, they have also brought the gigantic concerns of pollution and its effect on environment. These concerns pose a serious hazard to the health of mankind not only today, but forever. It is high time that we complement our technological advancement with great responsibility and give back to our world simple pleasures like a deep breath of pure air. As individuals we could make a big difference at our workplaces if we understand the processes and various equipment used for pollution control. Many industries such as woodcutting, furniture building, plastic cutting, metal working among others operate under conditions that create a lot of dust. Efficient dust controlling systems control dust pollution and aid us in our objective. Dust collectors are devices that filter dust from polluted air generated by industrial processes and discharge clean air into the environment. Efficient dust collectors protect employees and society from exposure to pollution, recover product from the dust filled air and facilitate compliance with health and air emission standards. There are various types of dust collectors that efficiently treat different types of air pollution. The most commonly used ones are inertial separators, baghouse collectors, air washers and air scrubbers, electrostatic precipitators and cartridge dust collectors. By understanding these dust collection technologies we can ensure a cleaner, purer environment at our work place, homes and society.

Electrostatic Precipitation for Dust Collection

How Electrostatic Filtration Works
Electrostatic dust collectors use electrostatic charges to separate dust from the dusty air stream. A number of high voltage, direct current electrodes (carrying negative charge) are placed between grounded electrodes (carrying positive charge). The dust borne air stream is passed through the passage between the discharging (negative) electrodes and collecting (positive) electrodes. Dust particles receive a negative charge from the discharging electrodes (ionizing section) and are attracted to the positively charged grounded electrode (collection plates) and fasten on to it. Cleaning is done by rapping or vibrating the collecting electrode wherein dust particles fall away. Cleaning can be done without interrupting the flow.

For more thorough cleaning, the collection cell can be removed and washed by hand or in a parts washer with an aluminum safe detergent. Some ESP air cleaners have automatic self washing mechanisms. DUST COLLECTOR EXPERT TIP: Most common electrostatic precipitator filtration is best used for ambient capture of light atmospheric dust. Unless you are using a self cleaning electrostatic precipitator, source capture or direct ducting from a heavy dust producing

machine will quickly fill up the collection plates. Heavy dust collection requires storage for a large volume of dust. Surface area of pleated media filters, fabric bags or pleated cartridge media is much greater than surface area of electrostatic collection plates and work better for source capture and direct machine ducted dust capture than ESP would. The basic components of an electrostatic precipitator are (i) power supply unit (to impart high voltage, uni- directional current) (ii) an ionizing section where charge is imparted to dust filled air stream (iii) cleaning system to remove dust particles and (iv) housing for the precipitator.

ESP Advantages
Electrostatic precipitators have the following advantages: They have high efficiencies (exceeds 99.9% in some applications) Fine dust particles are collected efficiently Can function at high temperatures (as high as 700 degree F 1300 degree F) Pressure and temperature changes are small Difficult material like acid and tars can be collected They withstand extremely corrosive material Low power requirement for cleaning Dry dust is collected making recovery of lost product easy Large flow rates are possible

ESP Disadvantages
High initial cost Materials with very high or low resistivity are difficult to collect Inefficiencies could arise in the system due to variable condition of airflow (though automatic voltage control improves collector efficiency) They can be larger than baghouses (fabric collectors) and cartridge units, and can occupy greater space Material in gaseous phase cannot be removed by electrostatic method Dust loads may be needed to be reduced before precipitation process (precleaner may be needed)

The efficiency of electrostatic precipitators can be increased by: (i) larger collection surface areas and lower air flow rates give more time and area for dust particles to collect (ii) increased speed of dust particles towards collection electrodes

Variation in Electrostatic Dust Collection Technology

Electrostatic precipitators are either single stage precipitators (high voltage) or two stage precipitators (low voltage).

Single Stage Precipitator

Single stage precipitators are of two types (i) Plate precipitators or (ii) Tubular precipitators. Plate Precipitators Single stage plate precipitators consist of a number of grounded plates (collecting plates), suspended parallel to one another with

equal spacing between them (4-6 inch) and high voltage discharge (4000-6000 volts) electrodes that are suspended vertically between the plates from an insulated mounting frame. The discharge voltage causes the air stream to ionize and dust particles are negatively charged. As the negatively charged dust particles pass along the positively charged collection plates, they adhere to them. The collecting electrode is cleaned, and dust particles are collected in a hopper. Design Considerations Efficiency is affected by the speed of the air stream. It is important to maintain even velocity distribution through precipitator from side to side and from top to bottom Care must be taken in design of distribution baffles Discharge electrodes are either hanging wires with weights or fixed frames. Hanging wires are economical. The closer the electrodes are to grounding plates, the more effective the charging forces are at lower voltage

Factors That Affect Efficiency Some factors that could affect the efficiency of the electrostatic precipitator are as follows: Other gases in the air stream could affect efficiency Some dusts have high charge and greater forces may be required to attract them to the collection plates Sulfur compounds in boiler gas increase collector efficiency Pressure drop usually in the range of 0.2 to 0.5 inches

Dust Discharge Considerations Dust is removed by rapping or vibrating the collection plates with an air-powered anvil (after turning the power supply off) so dust falls into the hopper. Sometime dust particles collect on high voltage insulator (since they can migrate to any grounded or uncharged surface) forming a path for the high voltage to ground. This could cause failure of power supply and can be corrected by pressurizing insulators with a blower while maintaining a flow of outside air in collecting compartment. Charged particles do not have enough attraction by this to settle on insulators. Tubular Precipitators Tubular precipitators consist of collection electrodes that are tubular (similar to a pipe) with discharge electrodes placed in the center of the tube. The dust laden air stream flows through the tubes, gets negatively charged and collects on the inside wall of the collecting tube. The dust is cleaned from the bottom of the tube. This type of an electrostatic precipitator can be used with wet electrostatic precipitators by keeping the walls continuously wet or by washing the collection electrodes. Pipe collection electrodes provide highly effective gas distribution within the precipitator. Uses of Tubular Precipitators They are widely applied to high temperature gas streams such as boiler exhausts in power plants since they are able to adjust to expansion and contraction of parts. They are also used for mist or fog collection or for adhesive, sticky, radioactive, or extremely toxic materials. Tubular precipitators find application in operations involving mineral processing.

Two Stage Precipitator

In the Two Stage Precipitator grounded plates are placed about an inch apart with an intermediate plate that is also charged. With the two-stage system, instead of 4000-6000 DC supply, it has 13000-15000 volt supply with intermediate supply at 7500 volts. Dust load in this system is normally between 0.01 to 0.1 grains per 1000 cu.ft Two Stage ESP Advantages

Highly efficient Self cleaning washing systems The washing system is a light duty unit designed for 250 cycles. Has longer life since cleaning is required only monthly. Air distribution is even since dust collecting filtering device operates at same velocities as heating and cooling coils

Uses of Two Stage Precipitators Two stage precipitators are generally used in plants where welding, grinding and burning operations are performed. However since maintenance requires removal of precipitator frames and manual cleaning of delicate assemblies, the electrode wires had the problem of being broken. This caused collection efficiencies to suffer. Two stage precipitators are used in hooded and ducted automatic welding machines or welding booths when dust load has increased to 30-50 grains per cu.ft per minute Design Considerations Plates have to be maintained at precise distances. This calls for special tooling. Installing insulators in compartments through which air is blown or drawn from outside, reduces dust particles collection on insulators. This increases life of insulator in heavy load conditions as well. Since even flow distribution is critical to achieve 99% precipitation, care must be taken such that charged particles quickly lose static charge. In poor velocity distribution circumstances under atmospheric conditions of low humidity, particles may not lose charge, sometime indefinitely. In such cases all surfaces become collecting surfaces and this phenomenon is called plating. Plating is a major disadvantage in Two Stage Precipitators and can be avoided by having even flow, lower speed air stream flow. Plating can also be countered by applying an alternating current to the high voltage power supply that effectively removes charge from particles coming through the collector. This method can be used effectively even at fairly high speeds velocities.

Media Filtration in Dust Collectors

Filter media is used to filter out dust particles from the polluted air stream, normally by using a screening material (such as fabric), placed in the path of the air stream. The dust particles stopped in the dust collector by the filter media form a dust cake on the incoming surface and as more dust particles collect on the filter media the thickness of the dust cake increases. This increases the efficiency of the dust collector filter media (capturing up to 99.99 % of dust particles in some cases). The two main functions of media filters in major types of industrial dust collectors are: i. ii. to stop dust particles on its surface while allowing clean air molecules to pass through and to provide easy release of the dust cake during cleaning.

Media filter cleaning is normally done by a burst of clean air in the reverse direction to the air stream with a velocity greater than air stream. The greater force of the cleaning air burst dislodges the dust cake from the filter media and drops it into the hopper area. For greater efficiency, a fan is used to push or pull air through filter media openings. Media filtration in specific applications important considerations: Temperature: Upper limits of filter media handling dust filled air stream temperatures are - 200 F for cellulose and 500 F for Fiber glass material Combustion: Filter media is not fireproof. Combustion can be countered with fire retardant coatings Static removal: Static electrical charges may build up on the filter media and could discharge, causing an explosion. Static charge can be defused by, o carbon impregnation in wet laid media (cellulose) and o metalloid finish in polyester media, (spun bodied) for better dust cake release

and superior static dispersion qualities. Hydro and Oleophobic finish imparts moisture and oil mist resistance to polyester media. It also improves dust collection efficiency and strength

DUST COLLECTOR EXPERT HINT: A common term used in dust collectors is pressure drop. This is a term related to static air pressure. Any aerodynamic resistance that an air stream must overcome causes a pressure change. For example, woven filter material standing in the path of the air stream slows down the air as it tries to pass through. Air pressure in front of the filter is high, while air pressure beyond the filter is low. The filter causes increased static pressure in front of it, and a pressure drop (drop in static air pressure) beyond it. Mathematical Variables to be considered in design of filter media: Static pressure is an important variable in design of filter media. It is the positive or negative pressure that causes surface to expand or contract (expressed in water gage). In the case of dust collectors, it is the resistance to be overcome by air in the dust collector duct. Velocity pressure (VP) is the pressure needed to effect a change in velocity of the air molecules and Velocity V, the rate of speed of matter. The value of air density is important in efficient design of filter media. i) Air density (mass per unit volume of air) at standard conditions Using the perfect gas equation (relates to pressure, density, temperature and the gas constant for air), air density is calculated as 0.075 lbm per cu.ft at a standard conditions (STP) (temperature at 70 F, zero water content and standard atmospheric pressure of 14.7 pounds per square inch absolute). This value is used in fan and air flow equations. (greek letter rho) or density of air (at STP conditions) = P/RT (where P = atmospheric pressure, T = temperature, R = gas constant for air) = 0.075 lbm per cu.ft ii) Relationship between volumetric flow rate (Q), velocity (V) and cross sectional area (A): Q = volumetric flow rate expressed as cubic feet per minute (CFM) V= average velocity expressed in feet per minute (fpm) A = area (sq. ft) Q = (V) (A) Eg. Determining flow rate of air (Q), through an 8 inch diameter (A) duct, at a velocity (V) rate of 4000 fpm Q = 1396 ft/min This equation is used in flow pipe applications. iii) Relationship between velocity and velocity pressure: This relationship helps to determining critical pressure requirement to move air stream through air ducts and the fan. VP (velocity pressure) = [ V / 1096 ] = mass density (lbm/cu. ft)

VP = velocity pressure (inches of water gauge) V = velocity (feet/minute) When equals 0.075 lbm/cu. ft at standard conditions for air VP = [ V ft/min / 4005 ] When air is traveling at 4000 ft/min through any duct size at standard conditions VP = [ 4000 ] / [ 4005 ] VP = 1 WG By using the equation Q = VA it is easy to determine actual flow rate Q (CFM) through duct size. iv) Frasier permeability rating for Filter Media: It states that volumetric air flow rate number is determined at inch of water gauge pressure through an area of one square foot of media. The Frasier permeability number is 20-40 CFM for standard filter bag media and 4-30 CFM for Cartridge Filter Media. The working status of filter cartridge or bag can be gauged by the magnehelic differential pressure gauge that measures pressure between a port in the dirty air chamber and a port in the clean air chamber. If the value of this velocity pressure differential is low (1 to 2 wg) it indicates good balance and if high (5 to 7 WG), it indicates that the system is out of balance. (The differential pressure reading is not the Frasier Permeability rating) Main types of Filter media that are used in various types of dust collection filters.
i) Media used in Baghouse filters Media Polyester Singed polyester Use/Characteristic Commonly used material in the industry Improves dust cake release

PTFE membrane polyester Captures fine particles where artificial dust cake is needed Aramid Polypropelene Suitable for high temperature applications Known for superior chemical resistance

ii) Media used in Cartridge filters Media Cellulose Cellulose/polyester Spun bonded polyester Use/Characteristic Commonly used cartridge media material. Has high durability and good abrasion resistance Has good dust cake release and excellent moisture tolerance and abrasion resistance

iii) Media used in Pleated bag filters Media Spun bonded polyester Use/Characteristic Commonly used pleated bad media

Properties of various fabric media for low-medium temperature, dry filtration:

Fiber Generic name Fiber Trade name Recommended continuous operation temperature (dry heat) 180 F 82 F Cotton Polyamid Nylon 66 200 F 94 F Polypropelene Herculon 200 F 94 F Polyester Dacron 270 F 132 F

Water vapor saturated condition (moist heat) Maximum operation temperature (dry heat) Specific density

180 F 82 F 200 F 94 F 1.50

200 F 94 F 250 F 121 F 1.14 4.0-4.5

200 F 94 F 225 F 107 F 0.9 0.1

200 F 94 F 300 F 150 F 1.38 0.4

Relative moisture regain in 8.5 % (at 68 degree F and 65% relative moisture) Supports combustion Biological resistance (bacteria, mildew) Resistance to alkalies* Resistance to mineral acids* Resistance to organic acids* Resistance to oxidizing agents* Resistance to organic solvents* Yes No (on treatment) Good Poor Poor Fair Very good

Yes No effect Good Poor Poor Fair Very good

Yes Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Good Excellent

Yes No effect Fair Fair (not recommended) Fair Good Good

* at operating temperatures. Based on fiber manufacturers published specifications.

Properties of various fabric media for high temperature, dry filtration:

Fiber Generic name Fiber Trade name Recommended continuous operation temperature (dry heat) Water vapor saturated condition (moist heat) Maximum operation temperature (dry heat) Specific density Aramid Nomex 400 F 204 F 350 F 177 F 450 F 232 F 1.38 Glass Fiberglass 500 F 260 F 500 F 260 F 550 F 290 F 2.54 0 PTFE Teflon 500 F** 260 F 500 F** 260 F 550 F** 290 F 2.3 0 Polyethylene Sulfide Rylon 375 F 190 F 375 F 190 F 450 F 232 F 1.38 0.6

Relative moisture regain in 4.5 % (at 68 degree F and 65% relative moisture) Supports combustion Biological resistance (bacteria, mildew) Resistance to alkalies* Resistance to mineral acids* Resistance to organic acids* Resistance to oxidizing agents* No No effect Good Fair Fair Poor

No No effect Fair Very Good Very Good Excellent

No No effect Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent

No No effect Excellent Excellent Excellent (PPS fiber is attacked by strong oxidizing agents) Excellent

Resistance to organic solvents*

Very good

Very good

Excellent

* at operating temperatures. Based on fiber manufacturers published specifications.

** 475 degrees for reverse air shakers

Methods to Improve Filtering Properties of Fabric

1. Weaving of fabric material in any of the following ways. a. Plain weave Fabric can be made porous or tight by number of counts per inch. b. Twill weave Has fewer weaves and is more porous and flexible c. Sateen weave has least number of weaves and is porous, flexible and smooth 2. Use of needled-felt material With its short felt fibers pressed together and mechanically fixed by needle punch machine, this material has high dust collection efficiency and flow rate. 3. Use of singed material It improves the surface of the bag.

Dust Cake Characteristics on Bag Filters

The high efficiency of fabric collectors depends on the formation of a good filter cake. For a good filter cake to form, dust particles must have interlocking characteristics. Porous cakes increase dust collection and retains more dust and can operate at a lower pressure drop. A good mix of collectors, inlets and operational procedures can deal with any dust or powder. The thickness of dust cakes on baghouse collectors varies between 1/16th and 1/8th inches and on cartridge collectors the cake is less than 1/64th inch thick.

Media Filtration Aids

A precoat of inert material applied on the filter surface helps when the dust collector contains moisture, oil and small dust particles sizes. Applying the precoat on the clean surface of the filter media forms a protective dust cake layer. The use of this type of a filtration aid helps in efficient release of the dust cake, captures small particles and increases overall efficiency. However precoats have limited use. Frequent applications may be needed to maintain the protective coating and there could be difficulties in recycling product dust from hopper if precoat material mixes with dust. Ideally, precoats must be applied on job specific basis after considering the cost and benefits of the system.

What You Never Knew About Your Cyclone Dust Collector

Cyclone dust collectors, named after the cyclone weather phenomenon, are large funnel shaped sheet metal tubes connected to ducts often used in woodshops, machine shops, manufacturing plants, and powder processing plants. Dust and debris are sucked in at the top. Air containing fine dust blows out of the other side of the top, while chips and large dust particles fall out of the bottom into a drum or bin. Dusty exhaust air is either blown outside or filtered again using media filtration.

Looking for a Cyclone Dust Collector?

If you haven't noticed, they come in all shapes and sizes from different manufacturers. If you choose the wrong size, it will not work. Equipment choice depends on the type of dust, types of machines, sizes of take-off collars, source capture hood design and more. Get the ball rolling and fill out this online application form.

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You may find a cyclone dust collector in a variety of sizes for applications ranging from small, home wood shops to CNC machines and even large industrial plants. Our main focus is on the larger, CNC and industrial cyclone air cleaners. Cyclones are the most commonly known form of inertial separators. Though simple construction, the concept is genius.

Inertial Separators
Inertial separators use inertia and gravity to separate dust particles from the dust filled air stream i.e. by slowing the flow of dusty air stream. When the speed of the dust filled air stream is slowed down, heavier dirt particles settle out from the air stream by gravity and fall into a hopper where they are collected.

There are two types of inertial separators. They are (i) settling collectors (ii) baffle collectors.

Settling Dust Collectors:

Settling collectors separate dust from the dusty air stream by using a settling chamber (a large box) in ductwork carrying dusty air. When the dust filled air stream enters the large settling chamber its speed come down considerably owing to the sudden increase in size of its passage. Heavier dust particles settle out due to gravity from the slow air stream and are collected.

Baffle Dust Collectors:

Baffle collectors have a baffle plate (a flat plate) in the path of the dust filled air stream to slow it down. The air stream strikes the baffle plate and undergoes a sudden change in direction. The air stream flow and the baffle are designed in a way that the stream is first forced in a downward direction, followed by an upward 180 degree turn. With such abrupt changes in direction, the air flow slows down sharply. The heavier dust particles either strike the baffle plates due to their inertia or settle out by gravity when the flow slows down and slide into the hopper where they are collected. As they collect, the larger dust particles mop up the finer particles that escape the action of gravity and inertia, and improve the overall efficiency.

Uses of Inertial Dust Collectors:

Inertial separators are the simplest type of dust collector. They are normally used as a pre cleaner or a pre filter for collectors with greater efficiencies. As pre cleaners their main function is to separate large particles that could damage some dust collectors. In metal working operations they are also used as a spark trap and protect filters in collectors in a limited way.

Cyclones or Centrifugal Collectors

Cyclones (or centrifugal collectors) create a cyclonic or centrifugal force, similar to water going down a drain, to separate dust from the polluted air stream. The centrifugal force is created when dust filled air enters the top of the cylindrical collector at an angle and is spun rapidly downward in a vortex (similar to a whirlpool action). As the air flow moves in a circular fashion downward, heavier dust particles are thrown against the walls of the collector, collect, and slide down into the hopper.

Cyclone Collector Design Considerations:

Cyclone dust collector efficiencies depend on, i. ii. iii. particle size (particles with larger mass being subjected to greater force), force exerted on the dust particles and, time that the force is exerted on the particles

Cyclone dust collectors can be designed with either large or narrow diameters depending on the application. Small diameter cyclones have high dust collection efficiencies at low dust loads (0.1 to 6 grains per cubic foot) and high pressure drop of 6 to 10 inches w.c. (water column). Owing to the small diameter they have the tendency to plug at high dust loads. Large diameter cyclones can handle high dust loads (50-100 grains per cu.ft) with low pressure drops (1.5 to 3 inch w.c.) efficiently. They are not very efficient at low dust loads. To improve efficiencies, design considerations are, a. high narrow inlets reduce distances traveled by dust to the wall and thereby improve collection efficiencies b. small diameters have higher forces than larger diameter cyclones c. smooth transition ensures maximum efficiency.

Use of expansion hoppers in dust discharge: In high pressure drop cyclones, dust collecting at the discharge point could be swept upward to the outlet tube. This phenomenon occurs due to the powerful inner vortex that is formed inside the main swirling stream at the discharge point. Use of expansion hoppers allows dust to be discharged through an airtight feeder. Expansion hoppers effectively squeeze out moisture in some heavy moisture applications.

Multiple Cyclone Separators:

Multiple cyclone separators consist of a number of small diameter cyclones (6 inch diameter) placed parallel to one another with vane spinners. The multiclones have a common inlet and outlet for air. The smaller diameter of the barrels and longer length makes them more efficient than regular cyclones. By being longer dust is retained inside for greater amount of time and smaller diameter of barrel increases centrifugal force, causing efficient separation of dust. The inclined dirty air plenum facilitates effective air and dust distribution in the dusty area and even distribution of clean air in the clean area. This type of collectors are commonly used in boilers or as preliminary cyclones.

Rotary Dry Centrifugal Unit:

They are centrifugal collectors with centrally designed blades that effectively disperse dust particles from the air stream against the walls of the collector. The dust particles slide down and are collected in a hopper while clean air is let out from the outlet. These units are commonly used in grinding applications. Limited to small volume flows, the housing of these centrifugal collectors is normally made of cast iron due to high abrasion.

Louver Type Collectors

In this type of a dust collector, louvers with narrow spacings are used in the collector to cause abrupt change in direction of incoming dust-filled air stream. Dust particles in the air stream collide against the flat surfaces and collect in the lower part of the collector. Louver type collectors are highly effective at light loads of fine dust (their use is limited to less than 0.5 grains per cu.ft.) and are used to reduce the load entering replaceable panel filters. These collectors plug at heavier loads. A part of the air stream is diverted into a small centrifugal collector. They are used for some specialized applications of collecting fine dust. Being basic designs, the efficiency of these collectors is limited despite the advantage of having few internal parts. Inertial separators are normally used as a) preliminary filters b) to trap large particles from an air stream and c) to increase efficiency of a solid separation process with water scrubbers or electrostatic precipitators.

Air Washers & Wet Gas Scrubbers Overview

A Safe Way to minimize dust fire and explosion hazards
Inertial separators had the drawback of dust particles not accumulating properly on the collecting surface, resulting in finer particles being swept back into the air stream. Air washers or wet scrubbers, use liquid (usually water) to absorb the finer dust particles (scrubbed). Water comes into contact with the dust filled air stream and captures dust in water droplets. The dirty water droplets accumulate, and are collected and removed. The cleaned air in air washers contains fine water droplets forming a mist. These water droplets can be removed from the cleaned air by a mist eliminator. Mist eliminators are similar in design to inertial separators where mist and air are separated either by change in air flow or by the spin in air stream which creates the centrifugal forces. The dust-water mixture is either cleaned or recycled into the scrubber. The accumulated dust is removed by using a clarification tank or a drag chain tank, where dust particles can be cleaned after they settle to the bottom.

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The diagram to the right shows a standard design of a packed bed wet scrubber or spray tower wet scrubber. The three important operations of air washers or wet gas scrubbers: a. Humidification (of air): This process increases size of fine dust particles and makes collection easier b. Contact of liquid and dust filled air: This is the key operation that governs collection efficiency of the scrubber. Water droplets in the path of the air stream collect dust particles while the air stream flows around it c. Separation of dirty liquid and clean air: During this operation, the dust-water mixture accumulates, and as they grow larger, they collect into the hopper. How do Wet Scrubbers Work? In the simplest form of air scrubbers, water is sprayed on the interior walls of the cyclone to improve collection efficiency. Water thus mops up fine dust particles that otherwise do not stay on the collection surfaces and tend to be swept back into the air stream. However air scrubbers suffered operational problems of (i) keeping the interior walls coated, (ii) maintaining water distribution on interior walls and (iii) cleaning mud and sludge from collection interior. An improvement of this design sprayed water into the polluted air inlet. In these collectors, the dust-water slurry had to travel a long distance inside the collector. Another drawback was that slurry droplets were swept upward to the outlet with the inner vortex that disturbed water dropping on the expansion chamber. The collection efficiencies of these units was however, much higher than the dry units. High collection efficiencies can be achieved in scrubbers by maintaining velocities of air that are high enough to drive dust through the surface tension of water droplets. A good design scrubber produced a secondary generation of water droplets and induced a mist collection section. Wet scrubbers are normally categorized on the basis of pressure drop (the difference in pressure between two points in a system, caused by resistance to flow, and measured in inches water gauge) as the following: i) Low energy scrubbers (between 0.5 to 2.5 inches wg) ii) Low medium energy scrubbers (between 2.5 to 6 inches wg) iii) Medium to high energy scrubbers (between 6 to 15 inches wg) iv) High energy scrubbers (greater than 15 inches wg).

Low Energy Wet Scrubbers

Dynamic wet precipitators are similar to centrifugal type dry collectors in design. The difference is that they are equipped with water sprays and accordingly the blade is designed to handle dust and water. Centered in the inlet the water sprays spray the blades with water. When dust filled air stream enters the inlet, water and dust come into contact, mix, and form a slurry. The slurry is thrown against the walls of the collector due to the centrifugal force and is collected in the drain. Water and mist (clean air) have separate outlets, the water going into the centrifugal separator and the mist into the drain. This type of collectors have limited use due to high wear on the blades caused by high solid content in dust particles. Orifice scrubbers are similar to inertial separators. The difference being that instead of baffles, orifice scrubbers use a water surface. The air stream changes its direction abruptly after colliding against the water surface, causing a pressure drop of almost 3-6 inch w.c. Greater dispersion is

achieved when equipped with spray nozzles. Dust particles are captured by water to from coarse droplets and clean air is separated. Orifice scrubbers can be installed inside the plant being shorter than other scrubbers. Design considerations for higher efficiencies: Some design considerations for greater efficiencies of low pressure scrubbers are By increasing speed of blades, dust particles hit the water surface at a faster rate By separating dust into individual streams, dust stays in contact with water for longer time (collectors can be designed with orifice plates, orifices of 1/10 to inch in diameter). Orifices designed with smooth spheres on a coarse grid have an effective scrubbing action By increasing water velocity, finer particles can be collected

Limitations of low pressure scrubbers: One of the main limitations of low pressure scrubbers is that fine particles are deflected away from water surface due to water surface tension.

High Pressure Scrubbers

Venturi Scrubbers: A venturi is a tube with a narrow throat that increases the velocity and lowers the pressure of the liquid passing through it. In venturi scrubbers the inlet for the dust filled air stream is shaped like a venturi. When dusty air enters it, the speed of the air stream is increased to 15000-20000 feet / minute. By adding 4-6 gallons of water pr 1000 cfm of cleaned air at the venturi throat, dust is trapped in slurry to form very fine droplets. The high air velocity helps fine dust particles to be collected efficiently. After dust is captured by the water and formed into slurry, mist is eliminated from clean air stream by mist eliminator. Slurry is directed to the scrubber outlet. It is necessary to keep the air stream close to saturation point or in a humidified state to prevent dust from escaping as slurry evaporates. This could be a problem since liberated air normally does not return to the work environment. Another phenomenon that could occur is that of plumes that form due to mixing of hot air and cold air when condensed water vapor descends ground ward due to heavy water droplets, sometimes miles away. Uses of Wet Scrubbers: Wet Scrubbers are most often used - To separate explosive solids from air streams - Where slurry could be reused (either in other parts of process or sold) - Where chemical reactions could be generated with scrubbing action - To absorb air Wet scrubbers have low capital costs and require small spaces to install. They can be used to treat high temperature and high humidity air streams and have the capability to capture both air and sticky particulates. However they have high operating costs, require a pre-cleaner for heavier dust loadings, cause water pollution and are likely to erode at high velocities.

Considering a Dust Collection System?

A complete dust collection system will improve indoor air quality by removing dust from a series of work stations, machines and tools. Furthermore, one large centrally ducted dust collection system addresses the need for using an industrial air cleaner on each workstation. One large central dust collector system can often do the work of dozens of smaller, individual air cleaners, providing complete industrial plant dust collection for the entire facility.

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Central dust collection systems generally consists of large media dust collectors (such as cartridges or baghouses) with an inertial separator used as a pre-sorter (such as a cyclone or drop out box). The pre-sorter removes large chips, then the media filtration removes fine particles. Large chips are collected in bins or drums. Filtration media often uses some form of cleaning such as mechanical shaking or a sudden pulse of air that knocks built up dust cake from the filters. Electrostatic precipitators are rarely used for large dust collectors, since they do not have the capacity to store a large volume of dust. Though, electrostatic air cleaners are frequently used along side central systems to clean atmospheric background dust that is not captured by the ducted system.

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Advantages of a Central Dust Collection System

Equipment Cost: Often the deciding factor when choosing a dust collection solution. Depending on the cost of ductwork and installation, a central dust collection system can initially cost less than purchasing 12 or more individual dust collectors. Waste Removal: As dusty air is filtered, waste dust is collected in bines, drawers or hoppers. Waste removal from one location verses many locations is easier and thus more cost effective. Filter Replacement: Replacing filters from 12 or more separate machines will cost more than regular filter replacement of one large dust collector designed for heavy loads. Energy Consumption: Your energy bill will be lower

when powering one big dust collector than if you try to power a dozen or so dust collector motors. Noise: Imagine the noise from 12 or more dust collector motors and blowers running in a work area. Now take that noise, put it all in one big motor / blower and tuck it away in its own area, away from workers. Maintenance: You can go either way on maintenance. With multiple air cleaners, you have that many more parts to replace. With one central dust collector, you only have one set of components to maintain. On the other hand, if your central dust collection system goes down, all workstations go down.

Disadvantages of a Central Ducted Dust Collector

Flexibility: A central system is designed for a predetermined situation. It must keep a constant air flow and air to cloth ratio. If you need to add machines or move stations, the system must be re-engineered. Downtime: In using one dust collection system for an entire network of machines, downtime for the air cleaner means downtime for all workstations. Design & Installation: In order to function, a dust collection system must be designed carefully taking in account airflow requirements for each workstation, media filtration requirements, size and amount of ductwork and pressure drop of filters. Air Balancing: Ducts have adjustable dampers at each work station that are set by a technician for optimum air pressure balance throughout the system. Often workers will take it upon themselves to open or close the dampers to adjust airflow going to their station. Unfortunately, this affects the airflow at all other workstations, too. Using one blower, the air must remain balanced and cannot fluctuate to accommodate individual workstations. Space Limitation: Floor space and overhead space are needed for a large dust collector and network of ducts. Overhead cranes or tight floor space will not allow for a central ducted dust collection system.

Ambient Dust Collectors Explained & Compared

Do you think you need an industrial air purifier? Ambient dust collectors are usually the first thing people picture when you say air cleaner or air purifier. Though many times, an ambient dust collector should not be the first thing you buy. (If in doubt, give us a call - our expert panel includes suppliers of equipment from various manufacturers.) As the name implies, ambient dust collectors filter airborne dust particles as they circulate through the air and into the machine. In most dust producing processes, it is more effective to capture dust from the source, as it is created, before it has a chance to go airborne. Yet ambient dust collectors are crucial for avoiding respiratory health conditions. Larger, heavier particles 10 microns and bigger will most likely fall before reaching the ambient dust collector. Smaller particles that escape source capture will be thrown into the air where they will remain suspended. Ambient air cleaners should be used to remove this suspended atmospheric dust. Small dust particles have a tendency to become permanently lodged in lung tissue, causing irreversible health problems. While heavy loading dust collectors handle the big particles, ambient dust collectors address the smaller background dust that clouds the air.

Types of Ambient Dust Collectors

There are three configurations for ambient dust collectors: self contained (free hanging), HVAC integrated and independently ducted.

Self Contained Air Cleaners

Self contained ambient dust collectors have one cabinet with everything in it to move the air, filter the air and collect the dust. Self contained units create an airflow pattern to obtain complete air exchanges. One air cleaner working alone can use the COANDA airflow pattern in a contained area. In an open area, multiple units can interact to create a larger airflow pattern or air curtains.

HVAC Integrated Dust Collectors

Using air exchanges generated by the HVAC system, an integrated dust collector installs inline with the your facility's HVAC. Integrated air cleaning systems can be self maintaining electrostatic or disposable media. A dust collector that installs into your HVAC is limited to airflow and air exchanges of an HVAC, which are generally not as aggressive as a dedicated dust collection system.

Centrally Ducted Ambient Dust Collection Systems

By adding ducts to a self contained dust collector, one air cleaner can be expanded to create a highly focused, customized airflow pattern. Because the system is independent from HVAC, duct placement and airflow is not restricted. In an independently ducted dust collection system, ambient capture can be combined with source capture, downdraft benches and direct ducting to machine enclosures.

Ambient Industrial Air Purifier Product Comparisons

Dust Collector AirBoss M2500 Ambient Dust Collector Filtration Specs Options Application Advantages

28 sq ft Prefilter 4" pleated 35% Primary filter 95% bag filter 66 sq ft.

1240-2010 CFM 0.75 HP motor 180 lbs 3 speed

Filter gauge kit 2" Pre-filter polyester pad 4 sq ft 2" Prefilter 3 way wrap around

Welding smoke Grinding dust Plastic dust Very fine atmospheric dust

Quiet operation 50-70 dB at 5 ft. Small size 47"x25"x25"

 Other filter options available

selector switch Direct drive, forward curved blower 3000 CFM preset by factory 2 HP motor 260 lbs Direct drive, forward curved blower 68"L x 25"W x 26.25"H

10 sq ft 65% bag filter 66 sq ft.

AirBoss M3000 Ambient Dust Collector

35% pre-filter pleated 4" 95% primary bag filter Optional prefilters, primary filters and secondary filters

Filter gauge kit Different 2 or 3 HP motors available Belt drive, backward inclined, airfoil, 3 HP high static blower Motor starter 2" alum mesh prefilter 2" impinger prefilter 3-way wrap around prefilter 65-95% extended surface primary filter HEPA primary filter 2 adsorber 25 lb carbon modules 95% short bag secondary filter

Wet or dry particulates Ambient or ducted Smoke Dust Fumes

Quiet 74dB at 5 ft. 72.5dB with optional silencer Modular upgradeable design Air discharge choices for better control Odor and high efficiency filters available High static blower options for more contaminant pick up points Belt driven blower with variable pitch sheave provides adjustment for precise CFM operatring range

Similar to bigger version M6000

AQE M73 Ambient Dust Collector

2 prefilters 3035% cotton synthetic blend 59 sq ft 12"x24"x4" 2 rigid V-bank 24"x24"x12" primary filters mini-pleated micro-glass fiber 400 sq ft. Primary filter options range from 45-95% ASHRAE

4500-6000 CFM 3 HP motor Adjustable sheave allows field adjustments to airflow up to 800 CFM 405 lbs 50"L x 47"W x 32H" Filter gauge 4 way adjustable exhaust louvers Motor starter and circuitry included

Fine dusts Smoke Mist Soot

Excellent CFM and media

Do You Need a Portable Dust Collector on Your Shop Floor?

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If you have workers making dust or fumes as they move fabrication from station to station, a portable dust collector can provide the needed flexible solution. Small, mobile, portable dust collectors work well with intermittent use in small spaces such as wood shops or tight production facilities. You can choose from a wide range of cartridge media, HEPA, washable media or electrostatic filtration with blowers ranging from 200 to 3000 Cubic Feet per Minute. All portable units use at least one source capture arm. Many are modular with add-ons and options.

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Compare Portable Dust Collectors

The table below gives an unbiased comparison between portable dust collectors from a few of the top brands on the market. Note the "Advantages" column. Here you can see features that make that product unique or specialized.
Dust Collector AQE 2000 Portable Dust Collector Filtration Specs Options Application Advantages

2 media cartridges 382 sq ft of media 99.8% efficient at 0.5 micron Reverse pulse cleaning system

1100 CFM 1.5 HP motor Source capture arm 11'-1"

HEPA post filter Lighted Hood Damper Assembly

Welding smoke Grinding dust Plastic dust Fine particles

Quiet operation 73 dB at 6 ft. Reverse pulse cleaning

46"H x 28.5"W x 14' arm 37"D HO treated polyester cartridge

Trion Air Boss One Man Portable Dust Collector

HEPA media 3.2 sq ft 35% ASHRAE 53 sq ft 99.97% HEPA

220 CFM 2 direct drive fan motors Flexible capture hose 10' 12"D x 27"W x 19"H

Aluminum Smoke mesh pre-filter Dust instead of 35% ASHRAE pre-filter Powders Dry process particles Welding Grinding Sanding Soldering

Magnetic base for nozzle - easy mounting Extractor nozzle can be 3" from welding w/out effecting shielding gasses Lightweight 45 lbs

AQE M66V Portable Dust

3 stages of media

Up to 3000 CFM

Dual mechanical or

Smoke

Modular design for upgrades, options

Collector

Full range of media options from 50% to 99% including HEPA and Carbon

1 HP motor Externally supported flexible capture hose 10' 40"L x 31"W x 72"H

hose capture arms 1.5 HP motor 2 HP motor 3 HP motor Silencer HEPA Impinger 45 lb carbon filter module Lighted hood Minihelic gages Various multipocket bags Various dry and mist bag filters

Dust Mist Soot Vapors VOCs Wet or dry particles Wet grinding

and changes

Smaller AQE M32V is similar.

Trion Port-A-Cart Portable Dust Collector

1 media cartridge 190 sq ft of media Up to 99.999% efficient at 0.5 microns

Up to 1000 CFM 1.5 HP motor Externally supported flexible spurce capture arm 6'-5" Parabolic hood design Minihelic gauge included Fire retardant cardridge Impregnated carbon post filter 48" x 30" x 34"

Offline reverse pulse cleaning system Bolt-on HEPA post filter

Smoke Dust Powders Dry process particulates

Very quiet 70dB at 5 ft. Packaged with most commonly needed accessories

Dust Collection Via Cartridge Filtration

Both shaker collectors and fabric pulse jet collectors had limited dust collection efficiency when it came to applications such as high density dust from powder coating booths. The high-density dust from these powdercoating booths caused the fabric pulse jet collectors to operate at a high pressure drop and thereby increased compressed air requirements for cleaning. Another problem was that exhaust air could not be recycled into work areas due to high amount of dust penetration into adjacent bags. Cartridge dust collectors overcame the above problems effectively.

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The Cartridge dust collector uses a perforated metal cartridge with a cellulose filter pleated, non woven filter media, bound by steel caps at the top and bottom. The end caps were joined with the cellulose media and outer and inner cores by an adhesive. Cellulose media was used because it has pressure drop qualities similar to those of felted media in pulse jet collectors. Pleated media filter elements with narrow pleat spacing (8 pleats per inch) are efficient for filter cakes (formed with fine dusts) that are less than 0.02 inch thickness. Narrow pleat spacing loses its relevance when dust particle size is beyond 0.03 inch. The pleated design provides greater amount of filtering area while occupying lesser space. Consequently the air - filter media ratio, pressure drop and cartridge collector size reduce considerably. Are you looking for a Cartridge Dust Collector? Contact Dust Collector Experts

Dust Collector Cartridges Use

Cartridge collectors are highly efficient in collection of dust with high bulk densities and fine dust particles. Filter cake forms well at low pressure drop and has high filtration efficiency. In a study conducted by the American Foundry Society it was found that the outlet dust flow in cartridge collectors was the least in comparison with other dust collectors in foundry operations as shown below:
Collector type Pulse jet fabric collector Shaker collector Cartridge collector Outlet dust flow 0.0660 grains/cu.ft 0.00035 grains/cu.ft 0.00005 grains/cu.ft

At an inlet load of 1-2 grains/cubic foot A version of the filter media elements of the cartridge collectors was used as intake air filter cartridges for trucks. The pleats were pushed deep into the media surface, 0.014 inch deep, and tightly spaced. These truck filters had a long life since inlet loads were only 0.0002 grains per cubic feet. The fine dusts collected on the top of the filter media or on adjacent pleats and the filter operated on the principle that more media contributes to longer filter life. Main differences between truck engine filter and dust collector:

i. ii. iii.

Loads: Dust collector loads are 1-20 grains per cu. ft whereas dust loads for truck filters are 0.0002 grins per cu.ft (5000 to 100000 times more than engine filters) Dust cake: Dust cake in dust collector forms on the filter media surface as well as within the media. The dust cake in truck filters forms only within the filter media. Pressure drop: Pressure drop in the dust collector is 2-3 times more than the pressure drop in the truck filter.

Cyclic Pulse Cleaning Increases Cartridge Efficiencies

Thicker dust cakes on filter elements that were cylindrical were found to be efficient and reduced the requirement of compressed air. An efficient solution to clean coarse dusts was by introducing a cleaning cycle (as opposed to continuous cleaning) that activated on pressure setting. A pressure switch such as a photohelic gage was used for this application and pressure switch setting was at 3 inches water gage. By operating the collector at a pressure of inch water column above the initial pressure drop, the pressure actuated cleaning system is best utilized. By shortening off time cleaning interval, the pressure drop can be stabilized. The frequency of the cycles can be reduced if greater amount of dust can be removed in each cycle. The lower pulsing frequency in cylindrical cartridges implies that dust penetration to adjacent filter media is reduced since dust penetration is directly related to pulsing frequency. Though pleated filter elements can also operate with a pressure switch actuation system, we must understand that the pressure drop setting in these elements is normally limited by pleat spacing. The dust loading could be minimal in applications such as fume dusts and welding operations that may require only one or two cleaning cycles per day. Further compressed air utilization increases with narrow pleat spacing. Eg. Considering the initial pressure drop across a pleated filter media to be 0.1 inches water gage, we can see that if bridging (filling up) of pleat groove with dust occurs, then cleaning air flow is obstructed in the portion below the dust bridge. In such a case cleaning air has no option but to take the path of least resistance that makes all the media below the bridge ineffective. In such cases pressure switches can be set for dusts that can filter effectively at a wide range of pressure settings. Assuming a dust load of 2 grains per cubic foot and pressure switch settings are provided at 1 , 2 or 3 inches water column, we get the following results:
Pressure switch 1 inch w.c. 2 inch w.c. 2 inch w.c. 3 inch w.c. Cleaning cycle time 5 minutes 5 minutes 4 minutes 3 minutes Compressed air usage at 85 psig 0.7 scfm per 1000 acfm filtered air 0.6 scfm per 1000 acfm filtered air 0.9 scfm per 1000 acfm filtered air 1.2 scfm per 1000 acfm filtered air

If pleats are spaced narrowly, compressed air usage would increase. From the table we can see that the air usage is higher initially (due to shallow cake) and reduces despite bridging. As bridging increases so does the cleaning cycle and compressed air usage.

Cleaning Action in Cartridge Collectors

Cleaning action is achieved by compressed air jet. The jet enters the top of the filter element and expands at an angle of 14-16 degrees, drawing clean air from the clean air plenum. When this expanding air flow enters the filter element, it loses its capability to draw more clean air because the filter and the dust cake offer resistance to the flow. The air jet starts compressing the clean air in the filter element causing a pressure wave that expels the fan air present in the filter element. Once fan air is expelled, a positive pressure is created which sweeps out accumulated dust that has collected on the outside surface of the filter media in the dirty air chamber.

In pleated design, dust is displaced at the speed of cleaning air jet in a perpendicular path from the filter media surface. This prevents dust from striking the adjacent media, which is also ejecting dust at an angle. This advantage is lost in cylindrical and envelope bag pulse collectors where dust is thrown on to the adjacent rows during cleaning action. Pleated cartridge filter design has one of the better collection efficiencies due to this factor of not propelling dust to the adjacent bags.

Drawbacks
One drawback of pleated filter elements is that dust leaks through the filter media during cleaning cycles. This happens before the dust cake is properly formed. This dust then leaks on to the clean air chamber. Over a period of time, it can cause problems such as creating high pressure drop, frequent need of cleanings and reduced filter element life. Cartridge Filter Placement The old method of filter placement within the cartridge was in vertical rows. By virtue of the vertical placement of these elements in the polluted air section of the collector, they posed a health hazard to workers who had to enter the polluted section to change the filter elements. To counter this hazard filter placement was designed such that they could be removed from the outside of the collector. An efficient variation of filter placement from the outside is the horizontal placement of filter elements in vertical rows. Cleaning sequence was from the top to the bottom row. Dust Collection Considerations Fine dust normally adheres to surface of filter element and accumulates other fine dust particles as well When accumulated dust cake formed properly and is large enough and unaffected by upward air streams, it falls into the hopper

Drawbacks of Cleaning Action in Horizontal Rows During cartridge cleaning in horizontal rows, dust falls from the filter elements in the top rows (that are cleaned first) on to the filter elements in rows below. Accumulation of dust in this fashion on the rows below makes the cleaning action in the affected rows inefficient. This problem can be countered by using a baffle arrangement at the inlet. The baffle arrangement splits the incoming polluted air into smaller channels and distributes dusty air evenly to the filter elements and helps the down flow of process air. This arrangement reduces dusty air flow speed and mitigates problems of dust particles settling on other rows. Filter Ratio Design Cartridges with large amount of filter media require greater cleaning jet speed. Cartridges with less filter media however, stand to benefit by the advantage of a greater cleaning jet speed since it promotes effective cleaning an advantage that cannot be enjoyed conversely. Normally the cleaning air to process air ratio is between 4:1 or 6:1 (which means that the cleaning flow of 1600 and 2400 CFM is required for a cartridge filter that is rated for 400 CFM). However, in spite of the high cleaning air flow rate, cartridges collect dust and get plugged. This causes active filter media to be plugged and thus the inactive filter media are activated. The operating pressure drop across the filter media remains constant as long as there are inactive filter media in reserve. But when all the filter media get plugged and there are no more inactive filter media left, pressure drop rises and consequently cleaning frequency must be increased. When pressure drop increases to a point where it is difficult to sustain required fan air flow in the system, the cartridges must be substituted. In circumstances when dust accumulates in uncleaned pleats and bridges the system undergoes mechanical stresses on the structure and the seals.

Cartridge Cleaning System Improvements

The cleaning action in cartridge collectors can be made more efficient by the use of an appropriately designed nozzle that increases speed of compressed air jet from 1000 fps to 1750

fps. This increased speed of the air jet now enables it to draw more clean air (when it expands in an angle) and gives cleaning air jet good cleaning characteristic. Venturi is placed at inlet to filter media to improve cleaning efficiency of cartridge. It also helps in blocking fan air from escaping the cartridge pushing out fan air when cleaning air jet is off with less instability

By increasing space between cartridges, the problem of dust falling on adjacent cartridges is reduced. It must be remembered that the system efficiencies of cartridge collectors depend upon good cleaning of the cartridge and not by adding more filter media in the cartridge. Additional filter media neither improve function nor life of the cartridge. By merely adding filter media it is likely that even the initial advantages in terms of airflow and pressure drop may be lost. The amount of filter media should be decided based on nature and size of dust particle. Proper Seal Design Seals are useful for separating dusty air from cleaned filter air. They are also used to maintain differential working pressures (separating atmospheric pressure from system pressure). If the seal design is flawed, cartridges could quickly get plugged and system loses efficiency. The use of a compression spring mitigates seal deflection problems. Seal design must take into account an appropriate size of seal as well as material strength such that it is robust and does not get crushed. The cartridge opening is sealed by an inner door cover, an outer door plate that separates the dust chamber from the atmospheric pressure and washers that seal outside door handle from internal dirty air chamber. The door parts are attached to one another and installation or dismantling of the door assembly is easy.

Baghouse Dust Collectors

Fabric dust collectors are commonly known as baghouses and for some applications are one of the most efficient and cost effective dust collector models. In baghouse collectors, the dust filled air stream passes through fabric bags that filter the dust particles. Bags are made of different material such as woven or felted cotton, synthetic, or glass-fiber.

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Selecting Baghouse Filter Bag Media

Important considerations while selecting fabric filter material for baghouse collectors: Temperature of incoming dusty air stream Moisture levels in the collector and hydroscopic nature of dusts Electrostatic nature of dust particles Abrasion levels caused by dust particles Acid chemical resistance and Alkali chemical resistance of fabric Fabrics capability to release dust cake easily Fabrics permeability to allow air to pass Size of dust particles Fabric cost

Continue following the tutorial for more in depth information on dust collectors baghouses. We will cover different cleaning mechanisms, types of bags, operating parameters, applications, and various advantages / disadvantages of available technologies.

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Contact us online or by phone. Some of our dust collector expert members specialize in engineering and installation of high performance baghouse dust collector systems. The pictures below show the installation of one of our recent baghouse installations.

Shakers & Mechanical Cleaning Dust Collector

Mechanical cleaning dust collectors are used in processes where non-cleanable filters become an expensive option due to large dust content. It consists of bags with an inlet for dusty air stream at the bottom. The bags are suspended from a rope for improved agitation and fixed at the bottom. Dust filled air enters the bag, passes through the filter and collects on the inside walls of the bag. As dust collects inside the bag, the pressure drop rises (initial pressure drop could be at 0.1 to 0.2 inches w.c.). When pressure drop reaches between 2 to3.5 inches of w.c., filter media is cleaned by pulling up and down on the pipe (by shaking). After cleaning, pressure drop readjusts to 0.5 1.0 inch w.c. The fan is on the dusty side and its paddle wheel moves the air and receives incoming dust. Used in manual paper trim operations, these shakers used sateen weave cloth as filter material because of the tight weave and flexibility. The operating parameters of shaker collectors are normally as follows:
Air volume flow Bag size Bag length Bag area Filtering velocity Initial pressure drop Average dust holding capacity at 3 w.g. Dust holding capacity after cleaning at 1 w.g. Inlet load Time between cleanings 500 1000 CFM 24 inch diameter 10-14 feet 88sft @ 14 feet 5.7 fpm at 500 CFM 11.4 fpm at 1000 CFM 0.1 inches w.c. 8-16 oz 2-4 oz 5 grains/cu.ft 10-20 hrs at 500 CFM 5-10 hours at 1000 CFM

While selecting mechanical cleaning shaker collectors the basic criteria to be considered are: filtering velocity dust load residual pressure drop

Since time is consumed while cleaning, the inlet load into the dust collector must take into account (a) the time required for cleaning and (b) intervals of time between cleanings. For example, inlet load capacity could be 1000 CFM where cleaning is done twice in an eight hourly shift. But where cleaning is done only once in an eight hourly shift a capacity of 500 CFM would suffice. It is important to remember that the residual pressure drop is related to dust holding capacity of filter media. Dust holding capacity of filter media is related to dust characteristics.

Envelope Filter Bags

The collector bags are sewn into envelopes in this type. The envelopes are provided with spacers made of wire inserts or open foam between them to keep the filter media from collapsing. Envelope filter bags save space. Cleaning can be done by manual shaking or

automatically by motor power. Springs are attached to the closed end of the envelope bags to keep the bags taut. This arrangement prevents filter media from stretching after cleaning cycles. Spring tension must be checked and readjusted at appropriate intervals Envelope filter bags are effective at transfer points on belt conveyors, screening, clamping stations, grinding and abrasive blast cabinets where dust is mechanically generated. However their efficiency suffers in processes such as dryers and furnaces where dust particles get stuck in the filter media. This drawback is because the cleaning mechanism in these processes is not good enough to sustain filter element life and low residual pressure drops.

Tubular Shakers
Tubular shakers are tube shaped dust collectors that effectively handle the problem of dust particles that get stuck in the filter media. In these type of shaker collectors, an inlet opening is provided at the bottom of the bag. Dust filled air enters through the inlet and dust particles collect on the inside of the bags. The cloth on the bags is kept taut by the use of a tension device. Cleaning process is a variation of the shaker mechanism. The high cleaning efficiency of this type of shaker collectors is due to the high ratio between the bag opening diameter (3-12 inches) to length of the bag (20-35 inches). This provides tubular shakers with better cleaning than other shaker collector types. These shakers however require continuous cleaning, which stops the industrial process. To counter this drawback, a continuous cleaning compartmental collector system was designed with separate modules inside the collector with separate dampers. This facilitates cleaning of individual modules by closing a damper while directing the flow into other compartments, thereby keeping the process continuous. Individual compartments can be thus cleaned off line by stopping fan flow into that compartment. Compartments can range from 2 to 20. Continuous cleaning shakers hold an advantage in low volume applications and in environments where compressed air is not available for filter cleaning requirements. They however suffer from the drawbacks of the off line cleaning process and high maintenance since they have large number of internal moving parts. The low air to cloth ratio makes these collectors larger in size and they are more expensive than other collectors.

Reverse Air Cleaning Baghouse Dust Collectors

Also known as the reverse blower dust collector, the reverse air cleaning baghouse collects dust which forms regularly forms into a hard 'dust cake' on the dirty side of the filter bag. This type of a dust collector uses highpressure cleaning air, blown in the reverse or opposite direction of the dust laden stream, to clean the dust cake. Also called high pressure reverse fan cleaning, these models are continuous or online cleaning dust collectors and mitigate the drawbacks of the offline collectors. In these collectors, cleaning could be done continuously without interrupting the process and the numerous compartments that featured in the offline dust collectors were done away with. In a reverse fan cleaning dust collector, polluted air enters the filter bags from the inlet at the bottom and passes through the inside of the bag. Dust particles collect on the walls of the bag. A chain driven motor powered traveling manifold moves across the mouth of the envelope filter bags to provide the cleaning air. The flexing of the collecting bags causes the dust cake to crack and fall into the hopper. The reverse air stream can be used to clean one bag or one row of bags at a time.

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Improvements in Reverse Fan Cleaning Collector Design

bags need not be kept stretched by use of tension devices since filter bags are pressurized from cleaning manifold cleaning flow is directly related to filtering capacity of the bag. they have higher air-to-cloth ratio (volume of air passed through the filtering bag per unit area of the bag) than shaker collectors and thereby occupy lesser space they are versatile models that can be used effectively for a range of applications

Considerations for Cleaning Process

In a sixteen-bag dust collector with an inlet dust load of 100 cu.ft per minute per bag, the total flow is calculated as: 16 (bags) X 100 cu.ft/min = 1600 cu.ft/min Typically in these collectors, 3% of the collector is cleaned. So, cleaning (or reverse) airflow must be at three times the pressure drop. Reverse flow required to clean one bag would be:

100 cu.ft/min X 3 = 300 cu.ft/min Flow required to be drawn by the exhaust fan to maintain 1600 cu.ft/min in the collector would be: 1600 + 300 = 1900 ft/min While considering fan selection, reverse air flow has to be considered as a different source in the system. The negative pressure in the system must be maintained for greater cleaning efficiency. When negative pressure drop falls below 10 inches w.c., an auxiliary reverse air blower helps to maintain the efficiency of cleaning air stream, and when negative pressure drop exceeds 10 inches w.c., the pressure can be adjusted by providing a slide gate in the reverse air cleaning circuit. Care must be taken to block the bags adjacent to bags that are being cleaned because these dust particles could settle on the adjacent bags, thereby reducing the collection efficiency of the system. By blocking the flow, collected dust falls from targeted bag directly into collection hopper instead of collecting on adjacent bags. Power requirement can be calculated as under: 3% X 3 times power drop = 9% power consumption

Variations in Reverse Blower Dust Collectors

Another version of the reverse fan cleaning or reverse blower dust collector is the cylindrical dust collectors with filtering bags arranged in a circular pattern. A rotating arm moves the traveling manifold in a circular fashion atop the filter bags. The rotating arm is also designed to cover the adjacent bags to block airflow during the cleaning process.

Applications
They are commonly used in wood dust filtering where dust loads are about 10-15 grains per cu.ft. The vent stream is generally positive. Additional positive pressure blowers can also vent into one collector. Though positive blowers are less efficient than backward inclined designs, they have their own advantages. Use of multiple fans divides branches of vent system with low and high pressure drops. Power draw can thus be reduced between different branches. Further system fans get activated only when specific branches are in operation. In these designs, dust cannot enter inactive branches due to the back draft dampers. Changes can be carried out easily to branches. For example change in airflow can be achieved by merely changing fan drive for individual branch. Single point collection of dust facilitates efficient disposal Hopper design (cone shaped) facilitates smooth flow of product to hopper outlet in comparison to other hopper designs These collectors can be installed on the same structures that support low pressure cyclone collectors Upgrading to other fabric collectors is easy with few changes in ductwork

The reverse air fan provides great flexibility to positive pressure systems. Positive pressure systems have the capability of increasing the flow capacity by increasing flow through the reverse fan. By adding heat to the reverse air fan, any requirement of additional temperature spread between dry bulb and dew point temperature can be taken care of. Since hopper openings are at atmospheric pressure in positive pressure systems dust collection is easily achieved. Hopper openings collect wood dust easily being 16-24 inches in diameter and

thus prevent bridging of wood dust on opening. The reverse air fan cleaning collectors are used in grain collection and such processes.

Fan Pulse Dust Collectors

These collectors pulse or provide short bursts of cleaning air flow for efficient cleaning. By this method a very high percentage of dust is expelled from the bags during the first tenth of the second that the bag was being cleaned. Dampers can be opened and closed by the rotating arm during cleaning pulse flow or by solenoids, which are used in some rectangular designs. Damper opens typically for second and the entire cleaning operation in the collector takes 3 to 6 minutes.

Some Advantages of Reverse Air Cleaning Dust Collectors

In these collectors the cleaning air is flowing continuously even when the dampers are closed. However, reverse fan pulse cleaning collectors use less cleaning air to clean the bags than other collectors and thus have all the advantages of continuous cleaning collectors with the additional benefit of lower power usage. Eg. Power required to clean the bags considering a collector with 30 circular rows: Reverse air flow requires cleaning flow of 9% (similar to the continuous fan cleaning system example given above). Power requirement is then calculated as: ( 30 rows ) ( 9% ) X ( 0.5 seconds ) ( 3 min ) X ( 60 sec/min ) = .75%

Reverse fan pulse collectors are ideal for grain and other food applications due to the gradual increase of cleaning flow in the system. Fine dust leaves at lower velocities itself and does not come into play when higher cleaning velocities are reached.

Disadvantages
Reverse fan pulse collectors have the following disadvantages: Limited use. High manufacturing costs for fans with both high positive air pressure and at high air flow rates Expensive and slow damper cleaning operations Reversing air fan motor operates continuously to provide pulsed air for cleaning

Variations in Air Pump Fan Pulse Collectors

A variation in air pump fan pulse was achieved by increasing pressure of the cleaning arm to 7 psig and using a positive displacement air pump. The design features of this variation were: 8-12 inch diaphragm valves that operated faster (opening and closing) than dampers Adequate exhaust velocity from openings on the rotating arms that facilitated openings to be placed inches from the clean air plenum. This flexibility in location of openings led to easier adaptability in mounting various types of bags and aided easier top approach with clean air plenums High pressure cleaning action allowed clean air pumps to be placed next to the collector with minimal pressure drop losses

Reverse Pulse Jet Dust Collectors Information

The term reverse pulse or jet dust collector refers to the air cleaner's cleaning cycle. To clean the filter, a quick burst of compressed air is shot through the filter media in the opposite direction of the dusty air stream. During normal dust collection, dusty air flows through the filter, and a solid layer of dust forms on the filter surface. This dust build-up is called a dust cake or filter cake. A quick burst of air shot through the filter in the opposite direction knocks the dust cake off the filter, breaking it apart. The dust cake crumbles and falls into a collection bin or barrel.

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Some dust collectors must stop in order to clean, while other can pulse clean while running. Reverse pulse cleaning was first used in fabric bag filters. Later the reverse jet dust collector cleaning technology was adapted to cartridge filters.

Variations of Continuous Pulse Jet Cartridge Collectors

Portable Reverse Jet Dust Collectors:
Portable cartridge jet dust collectors range in size of a vacuum cleaner to a refrigerator. A moveable source capture arm can be positioned to directly suck up the dust before it can disperse into the air. The beauty of a portable reverse jet dust collector is serious dust collection power you can carry or wheel around from workstation to workstation.

Stationary Intermittent Duty Cartridge Collectors:

Using one or two cartridge filters in a stationary cabinet, can offer highly efficient dust filtration. As the name implies, intermittent duty dust collectors are appropriate for workstations or tools that do not run continuously, yet produce a considerable amount of dust. A stationary cartridge dust collector can be used for several workstations or dedicated to one workstation, depending on the application. These dust collectors can use either flexible source capture arms or permanent ducting.

Modular Cartridge Dust Collectors:

Multiple rows of cartridge filters can be joined side by side for limitless filtration. These systems are custom engineered for each installation, providing heavy duty dust collection for continuously running production facilities. For noise and space concerns, a large multiplex of cartridge reverse jet dust collector can be installed outside of a building. A carefully engineered system of air ducts transport dusty air to the filtration area from workstations and tools throughout the plant.

Designs for Continuous Fabric Jet Dust Collectors

Blow Ring Collectors

Blow ring collectors are the first version of continuous cleaning pulse jet fabric collectors. They consist of tubular bags (14-16 inch in diameter and 6 to 20 feet long) with an inlet for dusty air provided at the top of the collector. This is a common inlet to all the bags in the system (normally in multiples of four). Each bag is fitted with a blow ring on the outside. The rings move vertically along the length of the bags in a continuous up-down motion (powered by a chain and sprocket arrangement) and provide cleaning action. The rings have outlets facing the outside of the collector bags through which clean air is blown out. A blower fan is connected to the bags by hoses. How They Work Dusty air travels from the inlet at the top and enters the bags in a downward flow at 425 feet per minute. The slow air speed aids efficient dust collection at the bottom of the bags and protects the surface of the bag from abrasion as well. Cleaning is continuous. Clean air flows out from the blow ring outlets to the outside of the bags while dust is collected in the hopper. The filtering velocity (filter ratio) is about 18-22 feet/minute while exit velocity of blower air (cleaning air) is normally at 14000 to 15000 feet/minute. With a cleaning blower flow of about 50 ACFM (6% of the filter flow), 1% of the filter media was cleaned during continuous cleaning operation. Cleaned width of the bag was about half an inch. Standard specifications of blow ring collectors:
Length of bag Diameter Area of the bag Filter flow pressure Number of filtering bags Total flow per collector Average pressure drop Average dust penetration at 10 grains per cubic feet load 8 feet 18 inches 38 sq.ft. 750 CFM 4 3000 CFM 2 inch water column 0.0002 grains per cubic feet

Advantages of Blow Ring Dust Collectors They can operate at low pressure drops (1-1 to 3 inch w.c.) They can handle high dust loads (upper limit of 150 grains per sft) Air can be re-cycled (mostly) Long bag life with an average of 5 years or greater Forms stable dust cake Versatile system. Can operate under different types of dust loading without adjusting speed of blow rings. Flexible system that easily adapts for different dust loads. Shortening of bags for heavy dust loading and lengthening bags lighter dust loading.

Disadvantages of Blow Ring Dust Collectors They are not designed to withstand high temperature or corrosive action Regular maintenance is required for the mechanical drives that operate blow tubes

Improvements of Fabric Jet Dust Collectors

The next generation fabric collectors were designed to handle process air streams with high temperatures and corrosive conditions - a limitation in early continuous cleaning pulse jet fabric collectors such as blow ring collectors. In these improved design, bags (diameter of 4-6 inch and

length of 6 feet) are arranged in rows of 6 to 10 bags each. Cleaning action is done by directing a continuous stream of compressed air jet into each bag through holes in a compressed air pipe that is placed atop the row of bags. The compressed air jet holes were located at the throat of each bag. The cleaning action is based on the principle that compressed air jet expands until stopped (Law of Conservation of momentum). The expansion of the air jet can be limited by i. ii. iii. iv. The bag opening (size) By inserting a tube in the bags throat. The tube is designed with an appropriate diameter to generate appropriate jet speed, given the size of the hole in the pipe By a venturi, to reduce pressure drop when air flows from the bag into the clean air chamber By installing an orifice plate at the center of the throat of the bag.

This design of fabric pulse jet collector could handle high temperature and corrosive conditions effectively. The older designs were modified in 1971. The specifications of the early designs and generic collectors are compared in the following table: Comparison between specifications of older design and modified designs of fabric pulse jet collectors:
Older design, 1963 Average air flow speed at mouth of the tube Diameter of venturi throat Jet flow Bag dimensions (diameter X length) Bag area Filter flow ratio Nominal filter ratio Average air utilization Average pressure drop Average dust penetration at 10 grains per cubic feet load 15000 feet per minute 17/8 inches 290 CFM 4 inches X 72 inches 7 sq. ft 100 CFM 14 FPM SCFM per 1000 CFM of filtered air 3 inches water column 0.0005 grains per cubic feet Modified design, 1971 (Generic collector) 25000 feet per minute 17/8 inches 500 CFM 4 inches X 120 inches 12 sq. ft 90 CFM 8 FPM 1 SCFM per 1000 CFM of filtered air 6 inches water column 0.008 grains per cubic feet

The effects of the modifications are discussed below.

Effects of Lower Filter Ratio

The new design had lower filter ratio (filtering velocity) which caused air utilization, pressure drop and dust penetration to increase while bag life reduced by 2-3 years. The problems of the modified version can be attributed to two main considerations (i) speed of dust moving upward from hopper inlets to filter compartment (ii) change in cleaning jet attributes

Effects of Change in Jet Speed From 15000 to 25000 ft/min

With increased jet speed, the bags ballooned into a cylindrical shape in the new design during the cleaning operation. This flexing movement of the bag helped in providing an effective cleaning action. (When cleaning process was not on, the bags were normally in a concave shape between the vertical wires on the cage). When the collective open area of dust cake is larger than the jet area, pressure does not build up

enough to dislodge the bag from the wires and the flexing does not occur (when pressure drop is below 2 inch water column, w.c.). At 3 inches w.c., flexing occurs on generic jet based fabric collectors. After cleaning, total area of the opening in the bag/ cake is increased and facilitates more efficient dust collection. Pressure equilibrium can be achieved by lowering the pressure drop.

Effect of Increase in Dust Flow Speed During Cleaning

A feature of the new design was the increase in jet flow speeds from 15000 fpm to 25000 fpm which when converted into velocity pressure translates to 14 inches w.c. and 38 inches w.c. respectively. From the above we can see that dust is now being expelled from the bag at 2.7 times the original force during cleaning. With increase in speed, the dust that is expelled normally landed on adjacent bag and cake. The cake grows denser and becomes an efficient filter until pressure balance is reached. This cake can collect fine dusts that are less than 20 microns. In certain cases, depending on the density of dust, outlet of collecting bags expanded after a compressed air jet burst. This is known as puffing. Lower density dusts thrust themselves onto adjacent bags more easily and can operate with low pressure drop, air utilization and low penetration.

Effect on Selection of Filter Media

The prime consideration for filter media selection in this case is to restrict dust that is pushed through the bag and its cake. To counter this problem the following options could be considered: Laminated construction: By laminating PTFE media to the fabric, filter media develops excellent filtering characteristics. The fine openings of the laminate obstruct water while letting air pass through them since the laminate has waterproofing qualities. This type of a filter is expensive. Fabricate filter cloth: By providing finer threads at the filter surface and coarser threads below the surface, the fabric becomes a mangled path, which is not easy to infiltrate by dust. This type of a fabric is a characteristic of dual dernier felts and woven felts.

Effects on Bag and Suggested Modifications Therein

Pleated filter elements: Dust penetration during cleaning can be eliminated by using pleated filter elements. In pleated filter elements dust can be propelled at high speeds against adjacent bags but since that collecting surface is also blowing dust in the reverse direction, dust penetration does not occur or is reduced. Bag diffusers: By inserting bag diffusers such as perforated cylinders that fit into the cage outside the venturi, the cleaning jet speed can be slowed down. Baffles: By inserting baffles between rows of bags, dust is prevented from being propelled against adjacent bags.

Pulse Jet Collector Variations and Improvements

The next variation developed a pulse jet collector that can operate at low pressure drops and high filter ratios (18 to 22:1). The principle was that the better the cleaning capability of the filter media, greater was the air flow. By slowing down compressed air jet speed, the following were achieved in these dust collectors: pressure drop was reduced to levels used in the blow ring collector dust penetration came down by 80% bag life increased by 200%.

Specifications of a fabric pulse jet collector the high ratio design:

Average speed of air flow at bag opening 10000 fpm

Bag inlet size Jet flow Diameter and length of bag Area of the bag Filter flow per bag Nominal filter ratio Pressure drop (average) Air consumption (average) Dust penetration at 10 gr/cu.ft. load (average)

4 inch diameter 740 cfm 4 inches X 96 inches 10 sq. ft 190 CFM 20 FPM 2 inch per water column SCFM/1000 CFM of flow 0.0005 gr/cu/ft

Adaptations made to achieve greater efficiencies in High Ratio collectors:

Changes to Inlet:
Inlets were provided at the top of the collector to create a downward flow of air enabling the system to collect finer dusts that were not collected by hopper inlets in the earlier design (since fine dusts do not accumulate properly, they have the tendency to be carried away by the upward air streams prevailing near the hopper inlet and may not collect in the hopper). The efficiency of the new inlet design increased due to a change in direction of the airflow that facilitated easy removal of heavier dust particles from the air stream.

Baffles and Bag Spacing:

Perforated vertical baffles controlled direction of air stream and dust in the filter compartment. Wider bag spacing was provided.

Uses:
Highly versatile, the high ratio dust collectors can be used in all the applications of fabric and cartridge filters. They are effective even in efficient collection of very fine sub micron dusts that are normally associated with smelting, welding and combustion processes.

Advantages of High Ratio Fabric Collectors:

They require the least space among all other dust collectors. They can operate at 14-18 % filter ratio (twice the filter ratio of generic collectors) 200% increase in bag life 50% reduction in compressed air requirement

Pulse Jet Considerations With Regard to Compressed Air:

Compressed air at the pipe outlet reaches the speed of sound (sonic speed) when the pressure in front of the outlet is about 13 psig. At this speed, by increasing pressure, airflow increases but the speed does not increase anymore. Pressure at the pipe outlet is constant at 0.528 times absolute pressure in the pipe, and the difference in pressure goes unused. Comparison of efficiency of orifices (in pipe) and nozzles at various pressures is shown in the table below:
Air pressure in pipe (psig) 13 25 50 75 Exit pressure in orifice (psig) 0 6.5 19.3 32.5 Efficiency % 100 74 61 57 Exit pressure in nozzle N/A 0 0 0 Efficiency % N/A 95 95 95

90

40.0

55

95

The results indicate higher efficiencies in nozzles.

Nozzles
Nozzles help in conversion of pressure energy to velocity energy. Airflow at the orifice is normally at sonic velocity or 1000 fps. but by using a converging diverging nozzle, air flow speed increases to 1750 fps at nozzle with 90 psig in the pipe. Cleaning efficiency is thus increased sharply by taking advantage of the higher jet speed and using it in the cleaning jet. Expansion of air jet can be limited during cleaning process as done in the generic cleaning system. Instead of a tube or a venturi, the open area of the bag mouth can be used to prevent expansion of air jet. Since filtering fan speed is low, the compressed air jet can be reduced as well.

Generic Pulse Jet Cleaning

In this type, a 1 inch diameter venturi is used to prevent expansion of air jet. Jet speed being high, it sweeps through the opposing filtering fan air by compressing it, until it reaches the bottom of the bag. The air jet bounces off the bottom, expands and fills the bag with cleaning air. The jet air reverses the direction of filtered air flow and dislodges the dust cake from the outer surface of the bag by the jet air. A comparison between Generic dust collectors and Pulse jet collectors characteristics:
Generic dust collector Length of bag Diameter of bag Area of bag Air-to-cloth ratio Filtered air volume (per bag) Bag/venturi diameter (at mouth) Bag/venturi area (at mouth) 8 4 9.46 sq. ft 5:1 (5) (9.46) = 47.3 CFM 1 at venturi (1-3/4)= 0.0167 sq. ft (4) (144) Filtered air velocity at bag/venturi (at mouth) Cleaning air jet velocity at bag/venturi throat opening 47.3 = 2,832 fpm fan air 0.0167 Higher Pulse jet collector 8 4 9.46 sq. ft 10:1 (10) 9.46) = 94.6 CFM 4 at bag opening (4-1/2)= 0.1104 sq. ft (4) (144) 94.6 = 857 fpm fan air 0.1104 Lower

Cleaning air jet in generic collectors is lower than the filtering fan air, which is the reason why the cleaning efficiencies are low when compared to pulse jet collectors.