ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF INDUSTRIAL BAG FILTERS & CARTRIDGE FILTERS

Advantages and Disadvantages of Industrial Bag Filters & Cartridge Filters

Woodworking shops and bakeries are just some of the commercial facilities that are dealing with dust pollutant in the air on a daily basis. Those dust pollutants can cause numerous ill effects on the workers. This is where dust extraction systems come in play. The sole purpose of those systems is to extract the dust particles out of the air, filtrate them and return clean air back in the facility or discharge it outside.

Today we are going to look at the filters used in such dust extraction systems. What materials are used and what pros and cons the most common dust extractor filters have.

Common dust extractor filter types

The filters used in dust extractor systems are two types. Cartridge air filters and dust extractor filter bags. They both have ups and downs and as with any other filter solutions you need to be well informed in order to do the right choice. We are always here to aid you through this process, and as always, we would like to share some experience and knowledge in the rows below. Of course, you can ask our sales representative any additional questions you may have that we have not covered in this piece.

What is a cartridge filter

This type of filters is usually made in a cylindrical form. There is some type of casing which houses a filter media. The air passes through that media and particles are being captured in its fibres. There are two types of dust filter cartridge:

Surface filter: Surface filters capture the pollutants at the very surface of the filtration media and don’t allow them to travel through. However, in time the surface is being blocked with particles and this restricts the proper flow of air through the filter, which can cause malfunctions and even damage to the system. It is important to replace such filters often, to keep the system working at optimal levels.

Depth filters: Depth filters allow for particles to pass through the filtration media. The layers are gradually denser, capturing finer particles deep within the filter. This type of cartridge filters have a longer life, therefore do not need to be swapped so often as the surface filters.

Advantages and disadvantages of a cartridge filter

Dust cartridge filters are preferred for their simple maintenance. There are self-cleaning options on the market that will automatically remove particles from the filtration media via jet-stream or counter flow. But even if you go for a simpler system, you can easily clean a cartridge filter manually, again using pressurised air.

So, the biggest advantage of cartridge filters would be the fact that they are easy to maintain and replace. The disadvantage of this type of filters is that they can’t handle continues work, especially if your system is not self-cleaned. If your production process is constantly emitting dust particles, a cartridge filter system will not be efficient in dealing with the large volume of pollutants.

Keep in mind that manually cleaning filters can only happen during downtime, meaning that the production processes that generate dust must stop while you clean or exchange the filters.

What are dust extractor filter bags

Bag filters are the most used filters in HVAC systems. They are often placed in exhaust systems and fresh air intake systems before the air handling units, in order to protect them from pollutant. The multi-pocket design, commonly known as baghouses, uses synthetic media to achieve maximum efficiency, with minimal air resistance.

Types of fabrics used to make bag filters:

Standard polyester;
Antistatic;
Universal Chemical Finish;
Nomex.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Dust Extractor Filter Bags

Bag filters are used in commercial facilities that are constantly generating large quantities of dust particles. The movement of the bags within a baghouse helps with removing the dust that built upon the surface of the filter, which helps with keeping the optimal airflow. Bag filters are also more durable than cartridge filters while dealing with abrasive dust particles. In essence, they require less cleaning and are replaced after a prolonged period of time. However, this all depends on the amount of abuse your business is putting them through and the materials you are working with.

The main disadvantage of dust extractor filter bags is that they generally have lower filtration qualities in comparison with cartridge filters. On top of that, when it is time to change bag filters, the task is more time consuming than switching a cartridge filter.

It is worth to mention that recent developments in the industry brought to us pleated bags, available for many baghouses. This type of bags have higher filtration efficiency and some models come with “snap-fit” options, which makes replacement a lot easier and faster.

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