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FILTERS & SCRUBBERS

Dividing the flow into small parts


and bring it in contact with large
surface area

DIVIDING COLLECTION
DEVICE
SURFACE VS DEPTH FILTRATION
A true depth filter allows particles to penetrate the filter
matrix and become captured throughout the depth of the
medium.
If the width of a passageway through a filter is smaller than
that of the particle suspended in the air stream, then the
particle will be stopped and held. If the passageways located
at the filters surface are smaller than that of the particle, the
particles will be held on the outer surface of the filter.
SURFACE FILTER
It is not easy to produce filters
with 0.1 m holes. It can be done
using an expensive process.
The resulting filters are fragile.
Therefore, not suitable for high
volume industrial air pollutant
device.
Industrial air filters have holes
bigger than the smallest particle,
but it is still able to trap smaller
particles.
Fine particles tend to get caught at the sides of the holes,
making the holes smaller.
The fine particles become a cake, that becomes the filter &
sieve. Now the original filter medium (usually cloth) only acts
as a support.
The particles are collected on the front surface of the growing
cake.
Figure 9.12 Flow through a surface filter
(de Nevers)
From 1 to 3, there is
pressure drop due to
frictional resistance.
2 resistance in series:
cake & filter media
The flow velocity in the
pores are low, the flow
is laminar.
Surface Filtration equations
For laminar flow in porous media:



V
s
is a.k.a air-to-cloth ratio, or face velocity, approach
velocity. In Fluid Mech, this is referred to superficial
velocity (indicates that is total volumetric flow rate
divided by total cross sectional area).
The velocity inside the pores is
called interstitial velocity.







AP
total
= AP
filter
+ AP
cake

x
k P
A
Q
V
s
A

A
= =

medium porous of thickness : x


medium porous of ty permeabili : k
viscosity fluid :
A

Cake and cloth resistances


The flow rate in both the cake and filter media is the same.
Rearranging the eqn,




Solving for V
s
:




x/k terms are called the cake resistance and cloth resistance.

media
s
cake
s
media cake
s
k
x
V P
k
x
V P P
x
k P P
x
k P P
V
|
.
|

\
|
A
+ =
|
.
|

\
|
A
+ =
|
.
|

\
|
A

=
|
.
|

\
|
A

=


3 1 2
3 2 2 1
filter
media cake
s
A
Q
k
x
k
x
P P
V =
(

|
.
|

\
|
A
+
|
.
|

\
|
A

=

3 1
A
x
media
x
cake
Introducing and W
The resistance of the filter medium is often assumed to be a
constant that is dependent of time, so, replace with .
If the filter cake is uniform, then its resistance is proportional to its
thickness.
The thickness is related to the volume of gas the passes thru the
cake:



W is volume of cake per volume of gas.

So,

= A
A
= =
A
m
x
x A
m
V
m
, thickness cake So,
gas
cake
cake gas
ved solidsremo
V
V
V
m
W =
|
|
.
|

\
|
|
|
.
|

\
|
=

1
W
A
Volume
x
gas
|
|
.
|

\
|
= A
EXAMPLE 9.16
A shake-deflake baghouse has 6 compartments, each with 112 bags
that are 8 in. diameter and 22 ft long for an active area of 46 ft
2
per
bag. The gas being cleaned has a flow rate of 86,240 ft
3
/min. The
pressure drop through a freshly cleaned baghouse is estimated to
be 0.5 in H
2
O and are operated until the pressure drop is 3 in H
2
O
(the time they are taken out to be cleaned). The cleaning frequency
is once per hour. The incoming gas has 13 grains/ft
3
particle loading.
The collection efficiency is 99%, and the filter cake is estimated to
be 50% solids with the balance being voids. Estimate how thick the
cake is when the bags are taken out of service for cleaning. What is
the permeability, k of the cake?
What is a Baghouse?
Baghouse is a
common term for the
collection device thats
uses fabric bags to filter
particulate out of a gas
stream


Air pollution control technology handbook by Karl B. Schnelle,Charles Arnold Brown



Baghouse Principles of Operation
1.Dust enters the
baghouse.
2.Larger particles drop
out while smaller dust
particles collect on
filter bags.
3.Clean gas out of
baghouse.
Common types of
industrial surface
filters (baghouse)
Shake-deflate
filter
Pulse-jet filter
SHAKE-DEFLATE FILTER
Large number of cylindrical cloth
bags, closed at the top like giant
socks, toe upward. Hung from a
support.
Typically 5 baghouses for a power
plant, 4 operating while 1 is
cleaned. Therefore must design so
that 4 units is adequate for the gas
flow rate.
Operates for 2 hours, cleaned for 10
minutes.

Cleaning method for shake-deflate filter
Gas flow of one unit is switched off.
The bags are shaken by the support
to loosen the collected cake.
A weak flow of gas in reverse
direction may also be added to
dislodge the cake, thus deflating
the bags.
The cake falls into the hopper,
collected & disposed of.
Detail of a
shaking lever
system
Typical Shaker
Baghouse
with Motor
Bag attachment for
shaker cleaning
baghouses
Sonic

Generally used along
with one of the other
cleaning techniques

A sound generator
level produced by the
generator is barely
discernible outside the
baghouse.

Sonic
vibrations
Reverse Air Baghouse
Reverse Air Baghouse
PULSE-JET FILTER
Another widely used system.
Bags end open at the top.
Bags are supported by
internal wire cage.
Bags are cleaned by
intermittent jets of
compressed air that flow into
the inside of the bags to
blow the cake off.
Bags are often cleaned while
in service.

Typical pulse-jet
baghouse with
pulsing air supply
Figure 6.6 Cooper and Alley
Dust accumulates on
the outside
surfaces of the bags
Pulse-jet baghouse
Pulse-Jet Cleaning
System
Figure 6.3 Cooper and Alley
Particle capture mechanisms
Hole size in filter medium typically much larger than
particles that are efficiently collected (Fig6.1 Cooper
and Alley)
Mechanisms that contribute to particle capture:
Impaction
interception
diffusion
At high velocities the last mechanism is ineffective,
pinholes may form in the cake that correspond to the
openings in the filter medium (Fig 9.16 de Nevers)
Figure 6.1 A new clean woven filter
cloth. Cooper and Alley
A new, clean, woven
filter cloth
Types of the filterbag
Tubular Filter
Bag
Multipocket
Filter bag
Envelope
Filter bag
Filterbag Material
The Pros and Cons
Pros
High collection efficiency even for small particles
Can operate on a wide variety of dust types
Modular in design
Can operate over an extremely wide range of volumetric flow rates
Require reasonably low pressure drops

Cons
Require large floor space
Fabric can be harmed by high temperatures or corrosive gases
Cant operate in moist environments
Potential for fire or explosions
Baghouse Collection Efficiency
Collection efficiency is generally not a concern in the design of a
baghouse
A well designed, well maintained fabric filter that is operated
properly generally collects particles from 0.5 to 100 um at
efficiencies of greater than 99%
The remaining design involves optimizing filtering velocity to
balance capital costs vs operating costs
Figure 2.5 Cooper and Alley
Typical cost
relationships for
fabric filters
Pinholes
When superficial velocity increases, its
efficiency falls (See Figure 9.15).
The particles escapes thru pinholes
(regions where cake did not establish
properly).
Pinholes are about 100 m in dia.
More pinholes form when Vs is high.
Bernoullis eqn applies.

Pinhole crater
Pinhole leaks in surface filters
Example 9.17
Estimate the velocity through a pinhole in a filter with a pressure
drop of 3 in of water.
Another class of filters that does
not form a cake, but collects
particles through the entire filter
body. (also called Filterbed
filters)

DEPTH FILTERS
Figure 9.17 de Nevers
Flow of gas and particles around a cylindrical fiber
(cross section of a fiber).
Much denser particles hit the target, and adhere to it
by impaction (~ 1 m particle) or interception
(smaller particle, graze at the sides of the fiber).
Much smaller particles adheres to the target by
Brownian motion (diffusion).

Dr. Joseph Brink and Monsanto developed the first fibre bed
mist eliminator back in 1959-60. The original applications were
developed to solve air pollution issues for Monsanto's own
phosphoric and sulphuric acid plants.
Target (collection) efficiency
Figure 9.18: To find target efficiency.
It is a function of separation number, and shape.
target) the o straight t went particles all if
collected be d that woul particles of (number
collected) particles of (number
= q
Figure 9.18 de Nevers
Target (collection) efficiency
Separation number (a.k.a. impaction parameter,
inertia parameter) :




Stokes stopping distance:







18
2
0
_
D V
x
stopping Stokes
=
diameter target :
tan _ _
b
b
ce dis stopping Stokes
s
D
D
x
N =
Example 9.18
A single cylindrical fiber 10 m in diameter is placed perpendicular
to a gas stream that is moving at 1 m/s. The gas stream contains
particles that are 1 m diameter and the particle concentration is 1
mg/m
3
. What is the rate of collection of the particles on the fiber?
Solution: Calculate N
s
, then refer to Figure 9.18 to get target
efficiency, then multiply by the maximum possible rate.
b
s
D
VD
N

18
2
=
= 0.617
Max possible rate = VD
b
c
Rate of collection =
Max rate
target
Example 9.19
A filter consists of one row of parallel fibers across a flow as
described in previous example. The center-to center spacing of the
fibers equal to five fiber diameters. What is the collection
efficiency?
Collection efficiency =
target
percentage blocked
Example 9.20
A filter consists of 100 rows of parallel fibers as described in
Example 9.18, arranged in series. They are spaced far enough apart
that the flow field becomes completely uniform between one row
and the next (i.e. the rows do not interact). What is the collection
efficiency of the entire filter?
( )
n
individual overall overall
p p = = 1 1 q
The previous 3 example show ideal in idealized
form, what goes on within the filter depth.
In reality, filters do not have orderly array of
parallel fibers, but consists of jumbled up fibers.
But the examples gives good approximation for
collection by impaction.

For much smaller particles
Impaction is negligible, collection is due to
interception and diffusion.
Eqn 9.46:
2 / 3 2 / 1
2 / 1 2
2 / 1 6 / 1
3 / 2
arg
3 6
b b
et t
D
V D
V D
Diffusion
u u
q + =
Diffusional
Interception
Example 9.21
Repeat Example 9.18 for particles with diameter 0.1
m. Take into account impaction, diffusion and
interception.
2 / 3 2 / 1
2 / 1 2
2 / 1 6 / 1
3 / 2
arg
3 6
b b
et t
D
V D
V D
Diffusion
u u
q + =
A device that collects particles by
contacting dirty gas stream with
liquid drops.
SCRUBBERS
Scrubbers
Bring the flow of gas in contact with a large number of
liquid droplets representing a large surface area
Natural occurrence: rainfall
A space with dimensions x, y, z. Concentration c.
Let one spherical water drop of diameter D
D
pass thru
this space. How much PM will be transferred into the
water?

Figure 9.21 de Nevers
Rainstorm mass balance.
Volume of space swept out is the cylinder.
z D
drop
A =
|
|
.
|

\
|
2
4 rain of drop by
swept volume
t
Eqn 9.48:






Target Efficiency from Fig 9.18.

( )( )
t drop p
C z D m q
t
|
.
|

\
|
A =
|
|
.
|

\
|
|
|
.
|

\
|
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
|
|
|
.
|

\
|
2
4
efficiency
target
ion concentrat
particle
rain of drop by
swept volume
rain of drop one
by collected
mass particle
Removal of particles from a volume of air
during a rainstorm
For the region x, y, z we wish to know how the
concentration of the particles changes during a
rainstorm. From the material balance, we can say that:
( )( )
|
|
.
|

\
|
A A
=
A A A
A
=
|
|
.
|

\
|
|
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
y x
N
c D
z y x
N zc D
dt
dC
dt
dC
D
t D
D t D
q
t q t
2
2
4
4 /
air of volume
unit time per
drops of number
rain of drop one
by collected
mass particle
Multiply top and bottom with the volume of a sphere, gives:






( )
( )
( )
t
A
Q
D c
c
p
A
Q
D
c
dt
dC
A Q
y x
D N
D
c
D
D
y x
N
c D
dt
dC
L
t
D
L
D
t
L
D D
D
t
D
D D
t D
A = =
|
.
|

\
|
=
|
|
.
|

\
|
A A
=

|
|
.
|

\
|
A A
=
q
q
t q
t
t
q
t
5 . 1
ln ln
: gives integrate & Rearrange
5 . 1
, / is term rightmost The
6 /
5 . 1
6 /
6 /
4
0
3
3
3
2
Removal of particles from a volume of air
during a rainstorm
mm/hr e.g. area, unit per rate rainfall :
5 . 1
exp
0
A
Q
A D
t Q
C C
L
drop
L t
|
|
.
|

\
|
A
=
q
Example 9.22
Use eqn:
|
|
.
|

\
|
A
=
A D
t Q
C C
drop
L t
q 5 . 1
exp
0

e.g. Q/A = 0.1 inches in 1 hr, D
drop
= 1 mm
d
particle
= 3 m, C
0
= 100 g/m
3

q
t
~ 0.22 (N
s
= 0.23)
Rainfall collects large particles well, but poorly for smaller
particles.
If we calculate for 1 m particles, the N
s
would be smaller,
t

becomes zero.
To get good removal efficiency of smaller particles, we must
increase Ns to get higher target efficiency.
We will consider different geometries to see the possibilities.
Several types of scrubber geometries:
Cross-flow




Counter- flow
Co-flow
Removal of particles in a crossflow scrubber
(Fig. 9.22 de Nevers)
Make D
drop
small,
and/or Az large
Both measures
would result in
some liquid droplets
being carried out of
the scrubber
|
|
.
|

\
|
A
=
G drop
L t
Q D
z Q
C C
q 5 . 1
exp
0
Removal of particles in a counterflow scrubber
(Fig. 9.23 de Nevers)




As V
t
V
G
, C 0
But, this means droplets are
nearly stationary with respect to
the container
flooding
|
|
.
|

\
|

A
=
) (
5 . 1
exp
0
G t
t
G drop
L t
V V
V
Q D
z Q
C C
q
Removal of particles in a co-flow scrubber
(Fig. 9.24 de Nevers)

We need high relative velocity between gas and
droplets without loosing the droplets or flooding the
equipment.
IDEA: Introduce the water droplets at right angles to
gas but let them go out with the gas, then separate
them in a cyclone.
This is in effect a modification of the way a cross-flow
scrubber is operated.
Figure 9.24 de Nevers
Co-flow scrubber
Removal of particles in a co-flow scrubber





Integration difficult because V
G
, V
rel
, q
t
all change
with x (Fig. 9.25 de Nevers)
D
drop
is non-uniform, and not constant with x
dx
V V
V
Q
Q
D C
dC
rel G
rel
G
L
t
drop
) (
5 . 1

= q
Figure 9.27 de Nevers
Pressure drop and
aerodynamic cut
diameter for a typical
venturi scrubber

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