Certain industrial processes generate large quantities of dust—this is the case in the energy sector, the oil and gas industry, cement plants, food processing, chemicals, and electronics. Implementing high-performance industrial dust-removal filtration solutions is therefore essential. The equipment used for separating and recovering these solid particles must meet strict requirements in terms of performance, operating costs, and investment, and must be compatible with the technical constraints of the industrial process. It is therefore necessary to know the nature and properties of the dust-laden stream and to take into account stringent regulations regarding pollution control and worker protection.
What types of filters should be used for industrial dust removal? With what level of performance? Here is the guidance of a Pemflow expert to help you address your industrial dust-collection challenges.
Dust-collection filter bags
Industrial dust-collection bag filters are capable of handling large volumes and a wide range of dust types. They can operate under very diverse service conditions, depending on the filtration media used. Flexible and robust, bag filters can handle metal dust, wood or composite dust, food powders, and pharmaceutical powders, for example.
These bag filters operate under pressure or vacuum. By gradually reducing air velocity, a pre-separation occurs: the heaviest particles fall into the recovery hopper, while only the fine particles rise toward the outside of the filter bags, extending their service life.
Advanced manufacturing techniques, such as computer-assisted continuous cutting and thermal welding, make it possible to produce industrial dust-collection filter bags suitable for all types of dust-removal systems: reverse-pulse jet, air-wash systems, or vibration-based systems.
Special attention must be paid to the selection of filter fabrics (needlefelt fabrics, hydroentangled fabrics, membrane fabrics, food-grade certified materials, etc.) and to the choice of surface coatings and special treatments (antistatic, hydrophobic, oleophobic, etc.).
Expert advice
In the case of explosive dust, the dust-collection equipment must comply with the ATEX directive.
Find an example of installing filter bags for shot-blasting dust removal: Industrial dust removal and filtration: extraction of shot-blasting dust
Industrial dust-collection cartridges
Offering significantly larger filtration surfaces than traditional bag filters, dust-collection cartridge filters cover a wider technical range in terms of treated airflow and filtration efficiency for industrial dust removal.
Air enters the cartridge filter under the action of a fan. Large particles fall into a recovery hopper, while fine dust is trapped by the cartridge’s filtration media. The purified air is then discharged through the top of the unit.
Like a bag filter, a dust-collection cartridge filter is equipped with a cleaning system. In these units, the cleaning system may be pneumatic, using compressed-air pulses, or mechanical, using vibrators.
The selected filters must be easy to install, have minimal compressed-air consumption for cleaning, and offer competitive cost.
Expert advice
For applications involving particularly high temperatures, metal fiber media or ceramic media can be used.
Dust-collection panels
The latest generation of filtration elements used for industrial dust removal, pleated filter panels are designed to handle high dust loads in compact installations. They are also easy for operators to handle. Air is drawn into the filter cabinet by an extraction fan, where it is purified.
Find an example of implementing an industrial dust-removal system for the production of plant-protection products:
Air filtration and dust removal, liquid filtration: optimising all filtration processes for the production of crop-protection products
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