Development and evaluation of a cleanable high efficiency steel filter

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:6945667

Bergman, W; Larsen, G; Weber, F; Wilson, P; Lopez, R; Valha, G; Conner, J; Garr, J; Williams, K; Biermann, A; Wilson, K; Moore, P; Gellner, C; Rapchun, D ^[1]; Simon, K; Turley, J; Frye, L; Monroe, D ^[2]

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1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
2. Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

We have developed a high efficiency steel filter that can be cleaned in-situ by reverse air pulses. The filter consists of 64 pleated cylindrical filter elements packaged into a 6l0 [times] 6l0 [times] 292 mm aluminum frame and has 13.5 m[sup 2] of filter area. The filter media consists of a sintered steel fiber mat using 2 [mu]m diameter fibers. We conducted an optimization study for filter efficiency and pressure drop to determine the filter design parameters of pleat width, pleat depth, outside diameter of the cylinder, and the total number of cylinders. Several prototype cylinders were then built and evaluated in terms of filter cleaning by reverse air pulses. The results of these studies were used to build the high efficiency steel filter. We evaluated the prototype filter for efficiency and cleanability. The DOP filter certification test showed the filter has a passing efficiency of 99.99% but a failing pressure drop of 0.80 kPa at 1,700 m[sup 3]/hr. Since we were not able to achieve a pressure drop less than 0.25 kPa, the steel filter does not meet all the criteria for a HEPA filter. Filter loading and cleaning tests using AC Fine dust showed the filter could be repeatedly cleaned by reverse air pulses. The next phase of the prototype evaluation consisted of installing the unit and support housing in the exhaust duct work of a uranium grit blaster for a field evaluation at the Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge, TN. The grit blaster is used to clean the surface of uranium parts and generates a cloud of UO[sub 2] aerosols. We used a 1,700 m[sup 3]/hr slip stream from the 10,200 m[sup 3]/hr exhaust system.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 6945667
• Report Number(s): UCRL-JC-109769; CONF-920823--8; ON: DE93008024
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420200 -- Engineering-- Facilities
Equipment
& Techniques
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
AEROSOLS
AIR FILTERS
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
ALLOYS
CHALCOGENIDES
CLEANING
COLLOIDS
CONTROL
COST
DISPERSIONS
DUCTS
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
EFFICIENCY
EQUIPMENT
EVALUATION
FILTERS
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
HIGH ALLOY STEELS
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
POLLUTION CONTROL
POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT
PRESSURE DROP
PULSES
REMOVAL
SOLS
STAINLESS STEELS
STEELS
TESTING
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM OXIDES