5/20/2019 Indian Cement Review Magazine | Filtration: Filter media selection

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FILTRATION: FILTER MEDIA

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GUEST ARTICLES  /  AUG 2013
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An understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the bres

available for ltration is key to their successful application in any
given process, writes KN Lakshmipathy.

Dust emissions are a natural result of the cement production

process and the means by which they are controlled can be
varied with commonly applied fabric lters. With regard to the
fabrics employed in these systems, their construction is largely
based on the cleaning system used.

Bag design and construction apart, the bres employed in the

lter fabric are selected on the basis of the chemical and
thermal conditions in which the lter bags are to operate, along
with their ability, when converted into lter fabrics, to deliver
the requisite level of ltration e ciency.

Additional consideration is given to the characteristics of the

dust itself and the performance level required with respect to
particulate emissions and lter bag life. As one might expect,
the dusts to be handled during each stage of the cement
production process di er signi cantly and pose their own
speci c challenges. Equally, the gas chemistry and operating
temperatures of these processes vary greatly and heavily
in uence the selection of the lter fabric to be used.

A thorough understanding of the process itself is vital if an

informed lter fabric selection is to be made.This would include:

Understanding of the process.

Operating temperature (normal and maximum).

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5/20/2019 Indian Cement Review Magazine | Filtration: Filter media selection

Filter velocity (air-to-cloth ratio).

Gas composition (O2, H2O, NOx, SO2, SO3, HCl, HF, etc).

Dew points - water and acid.

Inlet dust loading.

Dust characteristics.

Particle size distribution.

Performance expected (life - emissions - DP).

The speci c operating parameters for any given process will

vary from plant to plant so each application must be considered
on a case-by-case.

Kilns / raw mills

A number of media options are available for the high

temperature kiln processes. Many systems today utilise woven
breglass lter bags which display excellent thermal resistance
capability; woven glass, when laminated with an ePTFE
(expanded Polytetra uoroethylene) membrane, is able to
deliver exceptional ltration e ciency and cleanability and is
ideally suited to the chemical environment found in most
cement kiln/raw mill systems. Continuous operation at
temperatures up to 260oC is possible and, whilst it should be
noted that a strong understanding of the requirements of
woven glass lter bags is required in order to apply glass
successfully, good practice and sound application can see lter
bags in woven glass with ePTFE membrane providing a life of up
to six years.

Cleaning imparts the greatest mechanical stresses on the lter

media and those lter bags which experience fewer cleaning
cycles invariably display a higher residual strength over longer
periods of operation. Excessive dust loads naturally result in
aggressive cleaning regimes. Beyond woven glass, the
conditions seen in kiln/mill systems often permit the
employment of high temperature polymers such as Polyimide
bre (P84«). In addition to its strong mechanical resistance
properties, its ability to withstand elevated temperatures of up
to 230oC on a continuous basis (gas conditions permitting) and
excellent chemical resistance capability, the multi-lobal cross-
sectional structure of P84 bre increases the e ective surface
area of the lter media, thus allowing for a more stable dust
cake to be maintained on the surface of the lter bags, in turn
enhancing ltration e ciency and operational performance.

With a reduced temperature capability to the above-mentioned

fabrics, both Polyphenylene Sulphide (PPS) and Homopolymer
Acrylic bre have, to a lesser extent, been applied in cement kiln
processes.

Coal mills

Coal remains the fuel of choice for many cement kiln systems
around the world and on-site milling of coal for kiln fuel is still a

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5/20/2019 Indian Cement Review Magazine | Filtration: Filter media selection

common process. Coal dust, being potentially explosive, must

be processed with due care. It is possible for static electrical
charge to build up on and within the lter cakes that accumulate
on lter bags and such charges must be able to dissipate rapidly
to limit the potential for explosion which thereby requires the
lter bags and media employed in these systems to be
inherently conductive. The addition of a proportion of stainless
steel bres into the bres of a felted media and/or the use of
support scrims which incorporate steel bres can signi cantly
enhance the conductivity of a lter fabric. As per the
requirements of DIN54345-1 and DIN54345-5, lter media for
use in potentially explosive environments must display a
maximum resistance of 1x108 Ohms (surface and volume).

Operating temperatures in coal mill lters tend to be lower,

minimising explosion risks, and typical lter media employed
are Polyester and Homopolymer Acrylic or often blends of these
two bres; conductive properties can be added to a variety of
lter fabrics to suitably reduce their electrical resistance.

Clinker coolers

The use of ESPs is still common for the exhausting of clinker

coolers, but as with the kiln process, the use of fabric lters is
on the increase. Exhaust temperatures from the cooler will
typically be between 200 and 450oC and it will often be
necessary to cool the gases down prior to their being cleaned in
the lter. Dust loads are generally low and commonly around
10g/Nm3. A wide variety of lter fabrics are employed in clinker
cooler systems, polyester, homopolymer acrylic, aramid, P84,
and breglass, have all been applied successfully on clinker
cooler systems. Attention should be given to gas velocities given
the particularly abrasive nature of clinker dust.

Finish mills

The fabric lters employed on nish mills often become a

bottleneck in the cement production process; with high dust
loads, the lters employed on these systems are often pushed
beyond their design capacity so the ability of the lter bags to
perform e ectively under such demands is of critical value.

Temperatures within nish mill lters are typically below 150oC

with humidity being the primary gaseous concern which, with
temperature, will in uence the lter media options available for
such systems. Polyester is commonly employed, but where
levels of humidity and temperature are su ciently high, it may
be necessary to consider homopolymer acrylic or PPS bres.
Blends of polyester and acrylic are increasingly common and a
variety of uorocarbon treatments can be employed to a ord
the lter media enhanced water repellency, dust release and
chemical resistance properties.

The use of grinding aids/agents in nish mills can cause some

problems for the lters. As the dust becomes less agglomerative
so conventional felts, whose e ciency is generally reliant on
lter cake formation, can struggle to function e ectively; as it
becomes di cult to maintain a stable lter cake on the surface

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5/20/2019 Indian Cement Review Magazine | Filtration: Filter media selection

of the lter bags, ne particles are more able to penetrate into

the structure of the lter fabric, increasing a pressure drop and
leading to higher particulate emissions.

In such cases, it may be necessary to consider alternative media

constructions and/or nishes better able to handle such
situations. P84 bres can again be utilised to enhance the
ltration e ciency of lter fabrics and it is possible to apply a
layer of such bre to the ltration surface of a felt to assist in
the maintenance of a stable lter cake. Fine and microdenier
bres have been shown to be better able to collect ne free-
owing dusts with needle felts manufactured from such bres
inhibiting the penetration of ne dust into their structure.

Whilst the selection of high performance, high quality lter

media and bags can enhance fabric lter performance, a full
system approach is recommended - many factors in uence
lter operation and minor modi cations often bring about
signi cant operational bene ts and savings. Andrew Industries
(India), a part of the Andrew Industries (UK) group of companies,
is well-placed to provide the products and support services to
meet the ltration requirements of the cement industry.

KN Lakshmipathy, is Chief Executive O cer, Andrew Industries

(India). Email: lpathy@andrewindia.com

TAGS CLOUD

INDIAN CEMENT REVIEW ANNIVERSARY ISSUE FILTRATION

DUST EMISSIONS CEMENT PRODUCTION EPTFE FILTER MEDIA

POLYPHENYLENE SULPHIDE CEMENT KILN SYSTEMS

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