Applications of Bag Filters in Different Industries
Bag filter systems are common in various manufacturing and energy industries. They’re used to filter a variety of liquids, chemicals and gases. The type of filter media and the design of the housing can impact capacity. The most common styles include needlefelts, woven monofilament meshes and melt-blown media. Choosing the right filter media is important for chemical compatibility, temperature and flow rate.
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
Whether in a food and beverage processing plant, pharmaceutical factory or oil and gas facility, filtration systems keep your production safe and secure by filtering out solid particles that could damage equipment, reduce efficiency or compromise product quality. These industrial-grade filters also help prevent clogging and fouling of downstream systems, which can save on maintenance costs and minimize downtime. Industrial bag filters VA are an excellent choice for those that require size separation of powders, such as metals, ceramics, cement, flour and foundries. Air fed into the case of a bag filter is shaken so that the fine powder and dust accumulated on the surface and inside the fabric of the filter bags fall off from them and collect in the conical base of the casing. The most common way to increase the capacity of a filter bag is to add more filter surface area. But this can be expensive, requiring investment, extra floor space and process interruptions.
Water Treatment
Bag filter systems provide a cost-effective and simple method to remove sediment in industrial, commercial and agricultural settings. The oversized holes in the bags capture larger pieces of deposit without interfering with water flow at a rapid rate, allowing for continued operation at high speeds. Bag filters are manufactured from woven mono- and multi-filament fabrics, needle felts, melt-blown non-wovens or composite structures and come in different micron ratings. They are usually fitted with a basket made from metal wire mesh or perforated metal to hold the fabric in position and prevent the bag from bursting. They are typically cleaned with a pulse jet, reverse air or shaker cleaning mechanism that releases compressed air into the bag to dislodge and break up the dust cake. The accumulated particles then fall to the bottom of the bag and are removed in a separate collection hopper. The pleating process increases the surface area inside the bag, reducing the amount of dust accumulating over time.
Oil & Gas
Bag filters are used to filter liquids in various industries and applications. Filter materials, size and design, are determined by the kind of liquid being filtered, the ambient temperature, the desired particle size range and a host of other factors. An air duct delivers dirty gas to the bag filter, and an internal fan draws it through the fabric bags. Particulate matter in the gas is trapped by various mechanisms on the surface of the fabric bags, including impaction, interception and diffusion. As the dirty gas passes through the bags, it creates a pressure differential based on the size of the layer of captured particles. As this differential builds, the bags must be periodically cleaned to prevent clogging. Unlike electrostatic precipitators, which take the entire system offline for maintenance, continuous cleaning systems use pulses of compressed air to momentarily interrupt the bag collection process and blow away the layer of captured particles.
Paints & Coatings
The paints and coatings industry relies on bag filtration for dust control and purification. It helps to reduce emissions, improve the quality of products and protect workers from harmful substances. Some systems use pre-dedusting equipment to remove particulates from the air before entering the filter. It reduces maintenance costs by decreasing the frequency of filter cleaning and replacement. Some systems also use a dust monitor to find dust leaks downstream of the bag filter. The monitor can be a Triboelectric or an Optical type.
Some bag filter systems feature an auto-cleaning system that uses a short burst of compressed air to dislodge dust and blow it into a collection area. This type of cleaning is less disruptive to production and requires a lower frequency than shaker or reverse air cleaning. It also reduces recirculation and redeposit.