m-Menardi_58-63 4/25/05 3:28 PM Page 1
Copyright, CSC Publishing, Powder and Bulk Engineering
Automatic diagnostic controls for tough
pulse-jet baghouse applications
Philip H. Raley Menardi
This article describes how equipping your pulse-jet
baghouse with an automatic diagnostic control sys-
tem can boost your bottom line in tough applica-
tions. Sections cover how the system works and how
to calculate the system’s return on investment com-
pared with standard pulse-jet filter-cleaning control
systems.
A
pulse-jet baghouse is ideal for controlling dust in
many bulk solids processing plants. In the bag-
house, rows of bag filters are suspended from a
tubesheet and cleaned at intervals by pulses of compressed
air that are directed down into each filter. The pulsing ac-
tion dislodges the dust on the filter, causing the particles to
fall into the baghouse’s hopper for collection and recy-
cling to the process or disposal. Most baghouses have one
of two filter-cleaning control systems: a pulse-on-demand
system that pulses the filters based on a preset baghouse
pressure-drop reading, or a continuous-pulse system that
activates the pulses at a timed interval. For some tough ap-
plications, however, these systems aren’t enough to keep
the baghouse operating at peak levels.
Pulse-on-demand and continuous-pulse systems don’t
base filter-cleaning frequency on the pressure drop’s rate
of change across the tubesheet, so the systems may use
more compressed-air pulses than necessary. They don’t
help diagnose the problem causing the emissions, which
means the systems can’t help the operator respond quickly
to an emergency condition, such as a bag filter leak, that al-
lows dust to escape from the baghouse. More important,
the systems can’t provide the emissions monitoring
needed to meet stringent air pollution control require-
ments in certain applications. Even when the baghouse is
equipped with a stand-alone filter leak detector, the detec-
tor isn’t integrated with the pulse-on-demand or continu-
ous-pulse system.
If your pulse-on-demand or continuous-pulse control sys-
tem isn’t providing the baghouse performance you need,
upgrading to an automatic diagnostic control system can
make sense. The upgrade can be especially helpful if any
of the following describes your application:
• Your plant emissions are subject to tight EPA air pollu-
tion control limits.
• You want to recycle dust from a high-value product back
to your process.
• Your baghouse regularly fills up with dust because you
can’t quickly detect filter failures.
The automatic diagnostic control system has a higher ini-
tial cost than the pulse-on-demand or continuous-pulse
system, but it can continuously monitor emissions and use
this information to control the filter-cleaning frequency,
minimizing compressed-air usage. The system can also au-
tomatically perform diagnostics, such as locating a row
with a leaking filter or finding a failed valve in the filter-
cleaning system. These capabilities can mean large savings
not only in compressed-air costs but in troubleshooting and
maintenance downtime and costs.
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After a brief look at how the automatic diagnostic control
system operates, we’ll discuss how to compare the sys-
tem’s costs with those of pulse-on-demand and continu-
ous-pulse systems.
How the automatic diagnostic control system works
The major components in a typical automatic diagnostic
control system are a leakage sensor, operator interface, and
controller, as shown in Figure 1. The leakage sensor is in-
stalled in the baghouse’s outlet duct to monitor dust emis-
sions and is linked to the operator interface. The operator
interface is typically an LCD display with a keypad, alarm
lights, a remote 4- to 20-milliamp transmitter, and a digital
signal processor. The controller can be a PC or PLC and is
linked to the baghouse’s filter-cleaning system. (In any bag-
house, the filter-cleaning system typically includes a header
[or manifold] connected by piping to the compressed-air
supply and to one or more solenoid valves; the solenoid
valves trigger the release of air pulses from the header
through diaphragm valves, which direct the pulses into the
bag filters.) The automatic diagnostic control system typi-
cally also includes a pressure sensor, a compressed-air sup-
ply sensor, other sensors (such as hopper-level, airflow, fan
amp, and temperature sensors) depending on the applica-
tion, various electrical inputs and outputs, cables, and re-
lated components. The system is available in various
models to suit baghouses of different sizes.
More about the leakage sensor. The type of leakage sen-
sor that’s best for your system depends on your baghouse
and outlet duct size. The sensor can be a probe or an optical
system.
The probe is a small tube containing an electronic sensing
element that detects the presence of dust particles in the
outlet duct by induction sensing: that is, each dust parti-
cle’s electrons induce small signals into the probe, and
these induced signals are transmitted to the operator inter-
Figure 1
Typical automatic diagnostic control system
for pulse-jet baghouse
Baghouse
Filter-cleaning
Operator system Outlet
interface duct
Controller Leakage
sensor
(triboelectric
probe)
face, where the digital signal processor converts them into
Copyright, CSC Publishing, Powder and Bulk Engineering
an absolute output signal proportional to the amount of
dust detected in the outlet duct. One potential problem
with the probe is that it can become covered with conden-
sation or conductive dust and fail to operate reliably. For
this reason, many automatic diagnostic control systems
use a triboelectric probe, which has a protective outer cov-
ering to prevent the probe itself from being coated with
condensation or conductive particles. The probe provides
triboelectric monitoring by combining induction sensing
with probe protection, which offers better detection than a
standard probe.
The automatic diagnostic control system’s ability to
detect and diagnose problems allows the operator to
quickly respond to bag filter leaks, valve failures, and
other problems.
Because of its limited length, some suppliers advise
against using the probe in an outlet duct larger than 12 feet
in diameter. In such a case, you can use a leakage sensor in
the form of an optical system. The optical system transmits
light across the duct and senses the transmitted (or re-
flected) light across the duct to measure the amount of
light interference caused by dust passing through it. This
light interference is converted by the digital signal proces-
sor into an absolute output signal proportional to the
amount of detected dust. One potential limitation is that
the optical system may not be able to reliably monitor
emissions in an application with dust particles of widely
varying sizes.
More about the controller. The PC or PLC that serves as the
automatic diagnostic control system’s controller can simply
provide control and data reporting for your baghouse. But if
you need to coordinate baghouse control and emissions
monitoring reporting with other control and reporting func-
tions in your plant, you can integrate the controller into your
plantwide control system. The system supplier can provide
advice on installing the controller to function as part of your
plantwide system, but check first that the new controller will
be compatible with your existing controls.
System operating details. In operation, the electrical sig-
nals from the automatic diagnostic control system’s leak-
age sensor, pressure sensor, and compressed-air supply
sensor (and other sensors, if the system is so equipped) are
sent to the operator interface, which converts the signals
and transmits them to the controller. For instance, if the
leakage sensor’s signals indicate that an excessive amount
of dust is escaping from the outlet duct, thus indicating that
m-Menardi_58-63 4/25/05 3:28 PM Page 3

a bag filter is leaking, the controller can send a signal to the pressure change, the controller can alert the operator

Copyright, CSC Publishing, Powder and Bulk Engineering

operator interface and trigger an alarm to alert the operator
or, depending on how the system is equipped, can auto-
matically locate the row with the leaking filter and alert the
operator via the operator interface. If the pressure sensor’s
signals indicate that the pressure drop varies widely dur-
ing baghouse operation, which can cause the baghouse to
plug or can reduce its filtration efficiency, the controller
can automatically adjust the filter-cleaning cycle timing to
maintain a consistent pressure drop. If signals from the
compressed-air supply sensor indicate an unexpected
through the operator interface that a solenoid valve or di-
aphragm valve in the filter-cleaning system is leaking and
that the valve must be repaired or replaced.
The automatic diagnostic control system’s ability to detect
and diagnose problems allows the operator to quickly re-
spond to bag filter leaks, valve failures, and other prob-
lems. This helps prevent unexpected shutdowns and

Table l

Filter-cleaning control systems’ annual compressed-air usage costs

Annual compressed-air usage costb,c

Diaphragm valve For pulse-on- For continuous- For automatic diag-
(orifice size in inches)a demand system pulse system nostic control system
3/4 $220 $659 $190
1/8
1 $419 $1,256 $361
1 1/2 $730 $2,192 $630
2 $1,005 $3,015 $867
Notes: a Calculations based on these diaphragm valves: 3⁄4 inch is ASCO model 8353C33 with Cv = 10.5, 11⁄8 inch is ASCO model 8353G41 with Cv = 20, 11⁄2 inch is ASCO model 8353G1 with Cv =
35, and 2 inch is ASCO model 8353G61 with Cv = 48. (Cv is a flow factor based on reducing all variables to a common denominator called the flow coefficient; for more information con-
tact ASCO Valves at 800-972-2726 [www.ascovalve.com].)
b Compressed-air usage is calculated for valves operating at 15.5°C, at the listed valve Cv, and at 90-psi header pressure for 20 hours per day, 5 days per week, and 52 weeks per year.
Calculations are based on a 10-cents/kWh energy cost, 95.8 percent compressor efficiency, and 4-scfm/hp compressor delivery rate. The header pressure directly affects compressed-air
costs as shown: the cost of compressed air used by a 3⁄4-inch valve at 90-psi header pressure is $659 per year; at 70-psi header pressure, the cost is $513 per year ($659 x [70/90]).
c Pulsing times for typical 10-row baghouse:

• For the pulse-on-demand system, valve on time is 0.01 second, off time is 10 seconds, and the filters are cleaned 20 minutes per hour (119 pulses per hour).
• For the continuous-pulse system, valve on time is 0.01 second, off time is 10 seconds, and the filters are cleaned 60 minutes per hour (356 pulses per hour).
• For the automatic diagnostic control system, valve on time is 0.01 second, off time is 35 seconds, and the filters are cleaned 60 minutes per hour (103 pulses per hour).
More information on the tested filter-cleaning control systems is available from Menardi, Trenton, S.C.

Table ll

Costs resulting from one undetected failed diaphragm valve

Cost (in compressed-air usage) of one undetected failed diaphragm valveb

Diaphragm Daily Weekly Yearly
valve
(orifice size 10 percent 90 percent 10 percent 90 percent 10 percent 90 percent
in inches)a failure failure failure failure failure failure
3/4 $26 $234 $128 $1,152 $6,643 $59,787
1 1/8 $49 $441 $243 $2,187 $12,686 $114,174
1 1/2 $85 $765 $425 $3,825 $22,100 $198,900
2 $117 $1,053 $584 $5,256 $30,447 $274,023
Notes: a Calculations based on these diaphragm valves: 3⁄4 inch is ASCO model 8353C33 with Cv = 10.5, 11⁄8 inch is ASCO model 8353G41 with Cv = 20, 11⁄2 inch is ASCO model 8353G1 with Cv
= 35, and 2 inch is ASCO model 8353G61 with Cv = 48.
b Compressed-air usage calculations are based on the assumption that a punctured or frozen diaphragm valve results in an airflow coefficient equal to either 10 percent or 90 percent of
the normal flow through the valve. (Other assumptions are based on the valves operating at 15.5°C, at the listed valve Cv, and at 90-psi header pressure for 20 hours per day, 5 days
per week, and 52 weeks per year, with a 10-cents/kWh energy cost, 95.8 percent compressor efficiency, and 4-scfm/hp compressor delivery rate.)
m-Menardi_58-63 4/25/05 3:28 PM Page 4
minimizes the downtime required for replacing filters and
valves. In many applications, the system’s major benefit is
minimizing the baghouse’s compressed-air usage. It
achieves this in two ways: by helping the operator opti-
mize the filter-cleaning cycle so that it releases com-
pressed-air pulses only when the filters need to be cleaned,
and by helping the operator quickly repair or replace leak-
ing valves to minimize compressed-air leaks.
Calculating potential return on investment
If it sounds like an automatic diagnostic control system can
improve your baghouse performance, you need to deter-
mine whether the system’s higher initial cost is worth it in
your application. You can get an idea of each system’s re-
turn on investment by comparing the initial equipment
costs and relative compressed-air costs of pulse-on-de-
mand and continuous-pulse filter-cleaning control systems
with those of the automatic diagnostic control system.
Let’s start with approximate initial equipment costs for
each system, not counting installation costs, based on a
baghouse with 10 rows of bag filters:
• A typical pulse-on-demand system has an initial cost of
about $700.
• A typical continuous-pulse system has an initial cost of
about $300.
(To provide emissions monitoring, a baghouse using a
pulse-on-demand or continuous-pulse system can also be
equipped with a stand-alone filter leak detector. Typically,
such a detector has a basic equipment cost of just under
$2,300.)
• A typical automatic diagnostic control system has an ini-
tial cost of about $5,100.
Now let’s compare potential payback, both short and long
term, for these systems based on compressed-air usage. In
Table I, the annual compressed-air usage costs for typical
pulse-on-demand, continuous-pulse, and automatic diag-
nostic control systems are shown for common diaphragm
valve sizes in a baghouse with 10 rows of bag filters. The
automatic diagnostic control system with its optimized fil-
ter-cleaning cycle uses substantially less compressed air
Copyright, CSC Publishing, Powder and Bulk Engineering
than the other systems over 1 year, quickly recouping the
system’s higher initial cost in lower compressed-air costs.
The automatic diagnostic control system’s capability to di-
agnose valve failures also reduces compressed-air usage.
In Table II, the daily, weekly, and yearly costs for one unde-
tected failed diaphragm valve in a 10-row baghouse with-
out an automatic diagnostic control system are shown.
(Here, the costs are in terms of compressed-air usage based
on the assumption that a punctured or frozen diaphragm
valve results in a valve airflow coefficient equal to either 10
percent or 90 percent of the normal flow through the valve.)
Equipping the baghouse with an automatic diagnostic con-
trol system can prevent compressed-air costs from snow-
balling in this way, because the system can quickly identify
a failed valve and alert the operator to repair or replace it
before a substantial amount of air is wasted.
Making your choice
Rationally assigning dollar values to the costs of running
a baghouse can help you determine what kind of filter-
cleaning control system will provide the best long-term re-
turn for your application. A sophisticated control system
with a high initial cost isn’t suitable for every application.
But if your application has to meet strict air quality control
requirements or other tough demands, spending more
money up front for a more capable baghouse control sys-
tem can save you much more money in the months and
years to come. PBE
For further reading
Find more information on baghouses, filter-cleaning sys-
tems, and emissions control in articles listed under “Dust
collection and dust control” and “Air pollution control” in
Powder and Bulk Engineering’s comprehensive article
index at www.powderbulk.com and in the December 2004
issue.
Philip H. Raley is technical director at Menardi, One
Maxwell Drive, Trenton, SC 29847; 803-392-1244, fax
803-663-1992 (praley@menardifilters.com). He holds a
bachelors degree in chemical engineering from Georgia
Tech in Atlanta.