In industrial manufacturing, the need for frequent, costly maintenance is often the stimulus that compels equipment operators to search for a better solution. Time is valuable, and hours spent on maintenance activities could be put towards other responsibilities.
This was the case when a cement company searched for a solution for the short life expectancy of the filters used in its Fuller pulse jet dust collector connected to and OSEPA high-efficiency separator.
The problem
The company was realizing a useful life of its process dust collection filters of only two years, due to a combination of issues: Velocity of the dust in their systems was rendering the membrane material on their filter bags useless. This was allowing for bleed through to the depth of the polyester filter bag, causing an increase of operating differential pressure to over 8 inches (203mm). The high operating differential pressure led to an increase in measured emissions from the system.
The original system was designed to handle an air flow of 61,000 cubic feet per minute. This called for 975 installed filters. Each filter was made of 16-ounce (500 grams) polyester PTFE laminated felt. The dimensions of each filter were 6.25 inches (158.75mm) by 144 inches (3,658 mm). This resulted in a total filtration area of 19,134 square feet (1,779 square meters.) The air to media ratio was 3.1:1.
The solution
The search ended when the company replaced the existing conventional bags and cages with Parker OSEPA BHA® PulsePleat® filter elements (PFE). PFEs offered the opportunity to increase total filtration area while reducing the physical space required. The same number of elements were installed but they were reduced in length from 144 inches to 57 inches. The spun-bound polyester media, set in a pleat, with molded urethane end-caps required no tube sheet or collector modifications. Due to the pleat design, the total filtration area was increased by 75 percent to 33,590 cubic feet. This reduced the air to media ratio to 1.8:1.
Results
After several months of operation, the cement company realized a number of savings and benefits, including:
- More than $14,000 annual savings in compressed air consumption.
- A 2 tph increase in production.
- A 55 percent reduction of differential pressure while maintaining the full flow requirement of 61,000 cfm.
- A 200 percent increase in filter bag life — equivalent to more than five years.
- The shorter element design eliminated the velocity issues and degradation of the filter media.
- The air to media ratio was reduced to 1.8:1.
- The total filtration area was increased by 75 percent.
Conclusion
By installing PFEs, the cement company avoided the high costs of modifying their existing equipment or adding a new dust collector. The company has realized full production capability with lower emissions, lower differential pressure, reduced energy costs and less compressed air consumption as well as longer filter life.
To learn more about BHA dust collection products, watch this video:
For more details on how Parker BHA® PulsePleat® Pleated Filter Elements reduced energy and compressed air consumption costs in this application, please download the full case study, "Finding the Right Filter to Realize Savings and Avoid Costly Upgrades"
This blog was contributed by the Filtration Technology team, Parker Industrial Gas Filtration and Generation Division
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