Numerical analysis of air filtration and pulse-jet cleaning in a dust collector

CFD technique is employed to examine pressure changes across pleated filter cartridges during pulsejet cleaning in a dust collector. The technique provides detailed information that is difficult to obtain from experimental investigation. Unsteady numerical simulation is capable of explaining how the pressure changes across the filter media with time during pulsejet cleaning, and of providing some useful guidelines for the design of a dust collector. According to the results obtained, the top location around filter surface is apt to re-deposit dust during pulsejet cleaning because of larger pressure variation, and modification of pulsejet device can improve the particle re-deposition. Because the numerical investigation is in progress, more results are expected to explain flow behavior between dust cake and filter media. Furthermore, the effect of the pleat ratio on cleaning strategy can be analyzed numerically to provide a complete study for pleated filter cartridges.