Dry Filtration FAQ

1. Operating Conditions – Airflow, Temperature, Static Pressure, Dust Type, and Dust Properties
2. Filter Type – Fabric Bag vs. Pleated Bag vs Cartridge
3. Filter Media – Base Material and Treatment, Dust Chemistry, Gas Temperature – Continuous and Surge
4. Filter Access – Clean Side vs. Dirty Side
5. Materials Of Construction – Carbon vs. Stainless Steel; Coatings Required
6. Material Discharge – 55 Gal. Drum, Bulk Bag, Gaylord Box, Self-Dumping Hopper, Conveying System
7. Location – Footprint, Headroom, Indoors vs. Outdoors
8. Explosion Protection – Is Dust Combustible? Venting, Isolation, Suppression
9. Clean Air Exhaust – Indoors or Outdoors
10. Overall Cost of Ownership – Equipment Cost, Operation, Replacement Filters, Maintenance/Downtime, Equipment Lifespan

Contact us to learn more about how the Micronics Engineered Filtration Group can assist you with your Baghouse Solutions needs.

Differential Pressure (DP), as measured by a Photohelic® gauge or other electronic pressure drop indicator, allows you to use both low and high set points to control the baghouse cleaning cycle. The cycle will start only when the DP reaches a high point and will stop when the DP reaches a low set point.

For example, if the high setting is 4” w.g., and the low setting is 2” w.g., then the cleaning cycle will start when the DP reaches 4” w.g. The cleaning cycle will continue until the DP reaches the low setting of 2” w.g. and will not start again until the DP reaches 4” w.g.

The benefits of cleaning based on Differentil Pressure include compressed air savings, lower total emissions, longer life on solenoids and diaphragms valves, and potentially longer filter bag life. If the dust collector cleans only when the Differential Pressure exceeds a high set point, expensive compressed air consumption will be lower than when the cleaning system runs continuously. Cleaning filter bags only when required means that they are pulsed less frequently. It will, therefore, take longer before the wear and tear of pulsing damages the filter bags.

Read more about the importance of Differential Pressure in optimizing baghouse performance in this informative blog content.

Contact us so that we may assist you in optimizing filter bag cleaning in your Pulse-Jet Baghouse.

Media/finish is selected for specific application, operating conditions, and specific particle containment characteristics. Various media have different air cleaning and airflow resistance efficiencies. The Micronics Engineered Filtration Group works with each OEM and end-user to determine the best filter media for your particular baghouse. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.

Contact us so that our team can assist you with Filter Media Selection.

There are many factors that contribute to shorter than desirable filter bag life. These include the design and operating conditions of the dust collector, type of dust, an improperly selected bag fabric, and many more factors. Just as there are many factors that contribute to shortening bag life, there are almost as many solutions to improving bag life. Since each process is unique, it is best to contact us.

Our trusted experts at the Micronics Engineered Filtration Group and leading brands – NFM, Filterfab, SFM, CPE, and UPC – will be pleased to develop recommendations to improve your baghouse operation.

The PM 2.5 standard measures airborne dust particles that are 2.5 microns in size or larger. PM 2.5 is often referred to as fine particulate matter and includes inhalable particles small enough to penetrate the thoracic region of the respiratory system. According to extensive research and data, smaller particles are the ones that pose the greatest health risks.

For over 30 years, the use of sound (acoustic) vibrations produced by sonic horns has been a well-accepted, effective practice for fluidizing unwanted dust and agglomerated particulate in industrial pollution control & process equipment. In Reverse Air baghouse cleaning systems, the cleaning action is gentler as compared to Pulse-Jet systems. As a result, the dust will sometimes bridge in the bag and not drop to the hopper; the vibrating effect of the sound waves on the filter medium (bags) can prevent this from occurring. Contact us to see if sonic cleaning is the right solution for your Reverse-Air system.

Yes, Shaker Baghouse cleaning systems are gentler, as compared to Pulse-Jet dust collectors. During cleaning, the dust will sometimes bridge in the bag and not drop to the hopper. The vibrating effect of the sound waves from the sonic horns on the bags can prevent this from occurring. In some instances, such as if the original shaker baghouse OEM is no longer in business or repair parts for the shaker cleaning assembly are no longer available, the Micronics Engineered Filtration Group has been successful in tensioning the bags very tightly and using just the Sonic Horn to clean the bags. Contact us to learn more about whether sonic horns may be a useful adjunct to your baghouse operation.

Differential Pressure or pressure drop is the resistance of airflow; it may refer to the pressure differential across the entire system, across the entire baghouse, or just across the bags. For this question, we are referring to the pressure drop across the bags. When new bags are installed the bags are open and the differential pressure is typically ~ .5”-1” water gauge. As the dust cake/filter cake builds, the differential pressure starts to climb. Depending on the design of the system, pressure should stabilize ~ 4”-7” water gauge. The higher the differential pressure, the more likely you are to blind/plug the bags or cause the dust to bleed through.

Contact us to discuss concerns in your baghouse and explore our range of solutions for measuring differential pressure.

We are happy to provide samples for you to try for fit for an initial evaluation in your baghouse. However, please recognize that since air goes the route of least resistance, if you install a couple of samples in a baghouse full of dirty bags, the majority of the air will rush to the clean bags until they become loaded with dust and they equalize in pressure with the rest of the bags in the house. For this reason, in order to get accurate test data, we typically recommend that you run a full baghouse of test bags. Contact us to learn more about trial evaluations.

PPS or Polyphenylene sulfide is a polymer used for various high-performance baghouse filter media applications such as in coal-fired power plants.

Contact our experts to see whether PPS is suited to your particular application and operating conditions including temperature, presence of corrosive chemicals, etc.

Denier is a unit of measure for the linear mass density of yarns or filaments. It is defined as the mass in grams per 9000 meters of fiber.

The term microdenier is used to describe filaments that weigh less than one gram per 9000 meters. Micro-denier fabric is either a homogeneous blend of standard denier and microdenier fibers or a standard denier base fabric with a micro-denier cap. This creates smaller air passages without affecting airflow, which in turn allows for smaller dust particles to be collected on the surface rather than penetrating into the depths of the felt. SFM is pleased to work with you on evaluating whether microdenier fabrics are right for your application and operating conditions. Contact us to learn more.

ACFM is an Airflow Measure and stands for Actual Cubic Feet of Air Per Minute. It is utilized to calculate Air-to-Cloth (A/C) Ratio, which is the volumetric flow rate of air flowing through a dust collector’s inlet duct divided by the total fabric area in the filters. The right Air-to-Cloth Ratio is important for the efficient functioning of your Dust collection system.

Air-to-Cloth is expressed in units of velocity (ft/minute) and will depend on the dust loading. The A/C ratio will be a function of many factors including the type of dust collected, fabric type, and the bag’s cleaning mechanism, to name just a few factors. Reverse-air fabric filters have the lowest A/C ratios, as a rule of thumb. Shaker systems typically have a higher A/C than reverse-air systems with pulse-jet baghouses having the highest A/C ratio.

Gross Air-to-Cloth Ratio = ACFM/Total Cloth Area (ft2)

Net Air-to-Cloth Ratio = ACFM/Total On-Line Cloth Area (ft2)

Contact us for assistance in optimizing cloth selection for your baghouse. Having the right Air-to-Cloth ratio will help you meet your air quality goals and requirements!