‘The Increasing Use of Ceramic

Filters in Air Pollution Control

Applications
nvironmental legis- eration, non-ferrous metal often precede more expen- cess of removing solid or
lation enacted as a processing, chemicals sive technologies in the gas liquid particulates from a
result of govern- manufacture, fluidised cleaning line. gas stream by contact with
ment policy has compelled beds, coal processing, ce- a liquid. Wet scrubbing can
Electrostatic precipitators
many industry segments ment manufacture and con- also be applied to trace gas
Electrostatic precipitators
and individual process op- taminated soil remediation. removal. Scrubbers can
(EP) consist of a series of
erators to consider and in- therefore be versatile when
high voltage electrodes and
stall pollution abatement collector electrodes. Parti- applied to multiple pollutant
PARTICULATE
equipment. There are many ABATEMENT TECHNIQUES cles are charged and sepa- removal.
companies in the environ- rated from the gas stream Venturi scrubbers are
mental industry supplying a It is worth reviewing the under the influence of the the most efficient scrub-
wide range of pollution con- four established technolo- bers for collecting sub mi-
electric field generated be-
gies and their respective cron particles the penalty
trol technologies and in the tween the electrodes.
being a larger plant which
area of particulate emis- strengths and weaknesses EPs benefit from low
is more costly to run. Wet
sion control there are per- and in this light evaluating operating costs and oper-
scrubbers also generate a
haps four principal the benefits of this emer- ate with a relatively low
contaminated effluent
abatement techniques - gent technology. pressure drop. However
stream which requires
cyclones, electrostatic pre- the space requirement is
Cyclones treatment or disposal.
cipitators, wet scrubbers The cyclone is an inertial high as are initial capital
and fabric filters. A rela- costs. This is especially Barrier Filters
gas cleaning device which
tively new technology but true where a high efficiency In order to meet the de-
operates by the application
one which is being increas- mands of tightening envir-
of centrifugal force to the is required since the emis-
onmental legislation
ingly broadly applied in air particles in a gas stream. sion from an EP is linked to
process operators and
pollution control (APC) and Cyclones are relatively its efficiency. EPs are not
equipment specifiers are
other areas is the use of cheap, simple and compact suitable where gas flow-
increasingly turning to bar-
low density ceramic filters and are suitable for parti- rates and process condi-
rier filtration methods to
in filter plant. Gary Elliott cles of > 10 pm. The effi- tions are variable.
treat off gas streams. This
and Andy Startin from Cerel ciency of cyclones is poor
Wet scrubbers is particularly true for the
Ltd, UK discuss the use of for finer particles and they Scrubbing refers to the pro- removal of partidulates.
this medium, in particular
Cerafip (Figure 1) which is
marketed by Scapa Filtra-
tion Europe.

Low density ceramic’ filter

elements offer a number of
significant benefits to the
end user- temperature re-
sistance, corrosion resis-
tance, high efficiency, the
ability to operate under
highly variable conditions
and operational reliability.
They have generally been
applied to processes
where the off gas stream
is at an elevated tempera-
ture and where low emis-
sions from the filter plant
are required. They are also
particularly applicable to
processes which generate
fine, sub-micron particulate
which can be difficult to
control efficiently and eco-
nomically using estab-
lished techniques such as
the cyclone or electrostatic
precipitator. Applications
to date include waste incin-
High removal efficiency, highly aggressive applica-
r
espectiiily of fine particu- tions such as combined
l‘at6, is most readily cycle power generation
achieved with a filtration where the filtration is car-
medium. ried out at high temperature
and pressure.
Fabric filters
Low density ceramic fil-
Fabric filter units, otherwise Dinxtion
ter elements such as Cer-
known as bag houses, col- of
lect particulate matter in the afip offer an effective and Gas flow

form of a dust cake on the economically viable alter-

outside of woven or felted native to the traditional
filter bags (or other geome- abatement technologies.
try). The dirty gas being Cerafil elements have been
cleaned is usually drawn successfully applied to par- .: .;f::Y\ ResiM dust layer
j::.‘.. : :
through the bags by a fan ticulate abatement duties i .:.I ensures “cl penetration
at a pre-determined velo- on a wide range of indus-
city. The bags are cleaned trial processes. I
by mechanical shaking, re- Figure 2: Schematic representation of cleaning mechanism
verse flow or pulse jet. PROPERTIES OF LOW
Fabric filter technology DENSITY CERAMIC FILTER
is well established and can ELEMENTS TABLE 2: FILTRATION EFFICIENCY OF LOW DENSITY CERAMIC
deliver good filtration effi-
FILTER ELEMENTS TESTED USING THE BS 3928 TEST METHOD
ciency at low pressure drop. Low density ceramic filter
Fabric filters are however elements are fibrous, highly Media Treatment FaceVelocity Filtration
limited in terms of tempera- porous (around 86%) and Efficiency
ture capability and face ve- rigid. The majority of the cm/s %
locity, thus unit size can elements available are
be large. monolithic and are based Polyester needlefewirgin 4 30.0
on an alumino silicate com- Cerafil S-1000 Virgin 4 97.6
Ceramic filter elements Cerafil S-100&e-conditioned 4 99.3
position.
Ceramic filter elements for Certil S-1000 Used* 4 99.9
Low density ceramic fil-
air pollution control (APC)
ter elements offer four prin-
applications are rigid in * Pilot plant on solvent waste incinerator filtering sub-micron sodium
cipal benefits when
form and there are two compared to traditional fab-
principal types: ric media:

l dense granular ceramic 1. The ceramic fibre compo-

4. A purely cake filtration mechanism of reverse
filters; sition imparts refractori-
l low density ceramic mechanism yields a high pulse cleaned fabric bags.
ness and fire and spark
filters. filtration efficiency. When a fabric bag is
resistance. In combination reverse pulse cleaned the
with high porosity that also Operating temperature of
filtration media pressure of the pulse ex-
Dense granular ceramic fil- yields excellent thermal
The upper continuous oper- pands the bag away from
ters are generally manufac- shock properties.
ating temperature limit for the support cage. At the
tured from silicon carbide 2. The inert nature of the
polymeric fabric materials point of maximum expan-
granules and have a material also ensures that
is limited to around 260’C sion the inertia of the filter
layered structure. The body ceramic elements are resis-
which can be achieved with cake has a tendency to
of the element is con- tant to attack from acid and
throw it away from the sur-
structed from bonded sili- alkali species. PTFE. (Low density) cera-
face of the bag such that the
con carbide grit which 3. The rigidity of ceramic mic elements can operate
cake is removed almost
supports a “filtering surface filter elements ensures in- at temperatures of up to
completely. The bag then
layer” composed of fibres complete cake removal on 9OO’C. In practical terms
snaps back onto the cage
and fine silicon carbide cleaning which means that the maximum temperature
and again the inertia of the
granules. The elements high filtration velocities are is often restricted to around
remaining cake has a ten-
are relatively expensive achievable without the risk 45O’C - the upper limit
dency to drive particles into,
and tend to be applied in of long-term blinding. for mild steel construction
and through, the body of the
(Table 1).
filter medium. This phenom-
Cleaning mechanism enon can lead to long-term
During reverse pulse clean- blinding and “puffing”
ing the dust cake built up on (emission spikes) during
TABLEl: OPERATlNGTEMPERATUREOFFllTRATlON MEDIA the surface of an element is cleaning.
removed in the form of The benefits which result
Continuous (“C) Surge(T) patches (Figure 2). The from the cleaning mechan-
patches fracture away from ism of low density ceramic
Polypropylene 100 110 the cake within the depth of filter elements are:
Acrylic: Copolymer 120 140 the dust layer, rather than at
Acrylic: Homopolymer 130 140 the element surface, thus o High filtration efficiency;
Polyester 150 180 ensuring that a protective e Ability to accept variable
Sulfar (Ryton) 180 200
dust layer is always present operating conditions;
Aramid 200 240
on the element surface. 0 Long-term pressure
Polyimide (P84) 240 260
This cleaning mechanism drop stability;
PTFE 260 280
Glass 260 300 results from the rigidity of l No emission spikes/
Low Density Ceramic 900 900 the elements and is quite “puffing” during clean-
different from the cleaning ing.
i i
 sults achieved from actual heat exchanger or by dilu-
plants. In practice the pene- tion. These techniques are
tration through Cerafil ele- generally not necessary
ments is not proportional to with low density ceramic
the inlet dust load. Emi$- filter elements yielding a
sions of less than 2 mg/m , simpler and more reliable
and in many cases less than filtration process. Conse-
1 mg/m3, are the norm quently the majority of the
irrespective of the inlet applications of low density
dust burden. ceramic filter elements are
for elevated temperature
duties. Table 3 shows the
APPLICATIONS OF LOW
current applications for Cer-
DENSITY CERAMIC FILTER
afil media and the corre-
ELEMENTS
sponding off gas
characteristics based on
The key markets for low
density ceramic filter ele- the listing above.
ments are for filtration pro- Table 3 clearly shows
cesses with: how the current applica-
tions for low density cera-
1. High and variable mic filter elements exploit
temperatures the properties of the med-
2. Variable flow rates ium. All of the applications
3. Variable dust load listed operate at an ele-
4. High efficiency vated temperature which in
requirements many cases is also vari-
5. Sub-micron dusts able, thus utilising the tem-
6. Possible liquid and acid perature capability of the
dew point problems elements. Similarly for all
7. Dual dust control and of the applications listed the
acid scrubbing needs filtration plant are required
8. Intermittent operation to deliver a low emission
due to current or impending
Filtration efficiency ~ The results illustrate the The overall economics of a legislation (Figure 3).
laboratory results excellent filtration efficiency filtration solution based on The majority of the ap-
The results shown in Table of Cerafil elements even in low density ceramic ele- plications listed serve pro-
2 refer to the testing of the virgin condition. The ments is particularly favour- cesses which generate a
Cerafil S-7000 elements efficiency rises when a dust able when the duty has a variable dust load in the off
using the BS 3928 test cake is present to a level number of the characteris- gas stream, the particulate
method. The test involves which is not readily avail- tics listed above. Process itself having a substantial
challenging the filter med- able from other media at a off gases with a high and
sub-micron component.
ium with a sodium chloride comparable face velocity. variable temperature can
Neither of these factors af-
test aerosol with a size be difficult to handle with
Filtration efficiency - in fect the ability of low density
range from 0.02-2 pm and traditional fabric media of-
plant results ceramic filter elements to
a mass median particle size Laboratory figures have ten necessitating the need
deliver a low, stable emis-
of 0.6 pm. to cool the off-gases using a
been supported by the re- sion rate.
Low density ceramic
elements offer a viable
particulate removal solu-
tion to a broad and growin,g
range of processes which
can utilise the benefits of
the technology. It is pru-
dent for the process opera-
tor, seeking to install
abatement equipment, to
consider all of the various
schemes available on the
market and that should in-
clude ceramic filters.

Scapa Filtration Europe

Cerel Office
Swan House
Bosworth Hall
The Park
Market Bosworth
Warwickshire
CV13 OLJ
UK

Tel: + 44 1455 292930

Table 3: Current applications for low density ceramic filter elements Fax: +44 1455 292931