Increased likelihood of Depth-loaded filters requiring more energy and resources to clean
Increased pores, dense media, and removal of the finish all aid in the development of depth-loaded filters. Like it was mentioned before this is where smaller dust particles enter deep into the media substrate causing un-reversible plugging up.
The problem is your plant still needs to get product through the baghouse. So you are forced to increase the fan speeds to accommodate the lack of air flow in the media. This is where tons of money is wasted. Here is what happens when your plant has to operate a baghouse with plugged filters.
- More energy is required by the baghouse fan (fans have to work harder and require more energy to pull the same volume of air through constricted media).
- Increased compressed air is needed to clean the dirty filters. In fact, compressed air can account for as much as 2% of your operating cost. Tighter air paths and dust that is embedded deep into the media requires additional compressed air in an attempt to clean them. More compressed air means more money spent on energy.
- Unnecessary wear and tear of the baghouse fan, and cleaning system. Both systems have to work harder to clean the filters. This may lead to costly repair bills, and increased labor to fix them.
- Dirtier facility since the baghouse is unable to work at full capacity
Poorly Performing Baghouse
Most facilities are currently operating at full capacity, but with baghouses that were never intended to run at the current levels. It is commonly referred as an “undersized baghouse” in the industry. An undersized baghouse needs every inch of a filter to be working. This is not always the case with washed filters. In fact, the moment a filter is washed it starts to undergo a process of reduced life. Everything we have discussed so far results in a filter operating at “x” reduction of air flow. The “x” varies but it is not uncommon to see 61% reduction in air flow after as little as two washes. Think about the following scenario.
ABC Almond Huller is a fast growing facility with older baghouses. The facility has increased production year after but has not updated the baghouse systems. The baghouses are now struggling to create suction at pick up points. After the end of every season ABC Almond Huller sends the filters to be washed. After two washes the amount of air that is able to go through the media has been reduced by 61%. Unknown to ABC Almond Huller the recently installed washed filters are causing the already undersized baghouse to run at 39% intended capacity at the start of the season.
While the plant name is fictional, the scenario is not. In fact, this is a common scenario happening year after year at a number of facilities. So for a facility that has an undersized baghouse and is running at capacity, giving up any reduction in air flow is costly.
Has your filter cleaning company every told you about the impact over cleaning is having on your facility?
