The development of a HEPA filter with improved dust holding characteristics
A limitation of the HEPA filters used in the extract of nuclear facilities is their relatively low capacity for captured dust. The costs associated with the disposal of a typical filter means that there are clear incentives to extend filter life. The work described in this report are the initial stages in the development of a filter which incorporates a medium which enhances its dust holding capacity. Experimental equipment was installed to enable the dust loading characteristics of candidate media to be compared with those of the glass fibre based papers currently used in filter construction. These tests involved challenging representative samples of the media with an air stream containing a controlled concentration of thermally generated sodium chloride particles. The dust loading characteristics of the media were then compared in terms of the rate of increasing in pressure differential. A number of {open_quotes}graded density{close_quotes} papers were subsequently identified which appeared to offer significant improvements in dust holding. In the second phase of the programme deep-pleat filters (1,700 M{sup 3}h{sup {minus}1}) incorporating graded density papers were manufactured and tested. Improvements of up to 50% were observed in their capacity for the sub-micron sodium chloride test dust. Smaller differences (15%) were measured when a coarser, carbon black, challenge was used. This is attributed to the differences in the particles sizes of the two dusts.
- Research Organization:
- USDOE Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety, and Health, Washington, DC (United States). Office of Environmental Guidance; US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Washington, DC (United States). Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research; International Society of Nuclear Air Treatment Technologies, Inc., Batavia, OH (United States); Harvard Univ., Boston, MA (United States). Harvard Air Cleaning Lab.
- OSTI ID:
- 95648
- Report Number(s):
- NUREG/CP-0141; CONF-940738-; ON: TI95007828; TRN: 95:018811
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 23. DOE/NRC nuclear air cleaning and treatment conference, Buffalo, NY (United States), 25-28 Jul 1994; Other Information: PBD: Feb 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings of the 23rd DOE/NRC nuclear air cleaning conference; First, M.W. [ed.] [Harvard Univ., Boston, MA (United States). Harvard Air Cleaning Lab.]; PB: 820 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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