Are You Using Bag Filters to Control Dust Emissions?

Power plants, cement plants, steel plants, smelters, asphalt plants, incinerators, food manufacturers, chemical producers, pharmaceutical producers, and other industrial companies are widely using bag filters to control dust emission. Moreover, in some applications, bag filters are also employed to capture other products coming out of mills, such as cement, coal, and other raw materials.

Fabric filters are, without doubt, an extremely efficient pollution control device with the ability to capture over 99% of dust collected from process gas. However, they have one drawback: they are prone to leaks.

To maintain ongoing performance, periodic filter bag replacement, as well as filter inspection and monitoring, is crucial. The optimum timing for a filter bag replacement should maximize the bag’s lifespan while taking place before a significant leak event occurs. Such a leak could result in exceeding emission limits and cause the process to stop.

An accurate prediction for bag replacement can be achieved with the aid of a continuous leak detection system. The advantage of this system is that the replacement or maintenance of a bag filter can be routinely planned, rather than having to stop a process due to the immediate necessity to replace a filter bag. This can result in significant cost savings, particularly when capturing products.

CODEL’s ET301 Triboelectric Sensor has been successfully applied to numerous bag filter leak detection applications. For instance, six ET301 sensors were installed on six modules of semi-dry NID™ FGD. Each module consists of an FGD reactor and a fabric filter, which serve as the final pollution control device. Outlet ducts from the six FGD modules merge into one duct before entering the stack.

CODEL ET301 sensors are fitted on the outlet from each module, allowing independent monitoring of the bag filters. Consequently, this enables operators to schedule maintenance more effectively and isolate leaking bags without stopping the plant.