Capability Development

There is a general awareness being created on impact of environmental degradation on our day-to-
day life. We understand that we need to live in harmony with nature. The importance of cleaner and
greener technologies is need of the hour. Countries around the world are making emission standards
stricter and many are exploring alternative energy.

With increased local and global attention being given to the control of air pollution, containment of
nuisance dust in all industrial applications is becoming increasingly important. This calls for the
proper design, installation, operation and maintenance and most importantly awareness of dust
collection equipment. Since its inception, the fabric style dust collector (Bag house) has offered the
world the ability to effectively capture airborne particulate from an air stream. Whether toxic or not,
containment of particulate is necessary to provide a healthy and clean work environment.

To meet emission norms & to provide cleaner working environment it is need of the hour to keep bag
filters perfectly maintained. Hence it is high time to develop general awareness and best
maintenance practices to run bag filter Its highest efficiency.

This study material ‟An Insight Into Bag Filters” will be helpful in upgrading our knowledge on
maintenance & operation aspects of bag houses.

Prepared by Approved by
Gaurav Sharma Mr A K Sharma
Hemant Sarna Head Maintenance Training

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Sl. No. Topic Page

1. Introduction 3

2. Overview & Type of Bag Filter 4-5

3. Working of bag filter 6

4. What is bag filter, principal & filter cloth 7-10

5. Selection criteria & design 10-12

Different cleaning mechanism, types & manufacturing

6. 13-15
method

7. Surface finishing & precoating 15-16

8. Bag Filters in TATA STEEL JSR Works 17-19

9. Maintenance Standards for different equipment parts 19-26

10. A typical checksheet for a Bag Filter 27-29

11. Trouble Shootings guide 30

12. Operating problems, Advantages & Disadvantages 31

13 Definition of some related terms 32-34

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Introduction:
Bag filters are also commonly called fabric dust collectors that are used in large industrial
units for separating dust particles from dusty gases. These types of bag filters can achieve
efficiency level of almost 99% for collection of very fine particulates. Dust laden gases enter
the structure of Bag Filter and passed through fabric bag that acts as a filter. Bag filters are
the most efficient and cost effective type of industrial dust collectors. Bags used in bag filters
are made using different kind of fabrics like cotton, synthetic or glass fibre material. The
shape of the bag is either like a tube or an envelope.

A bag filter consists of numerous vertically hanging, tubular bags, 12 to 40 cm in diameter

and 2 to 10 m long. • They are suspended with their open ends attached to a manifold. The
number of bags can vary from a few hundreds to a thousand or more depending upon the
size of the bag filter. Houses are constructed as single or compartmental Bag units. In both
cases, the bags are housed in a shell made of rigid metal material.

Fig-1: Typical view of a Bag House

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OVER VIEW OF A Bag Filter

Fig-2: Various Components a Bag House

Types of Bag Filters

Broadly, there are four types of Bag Filters:

a) Shaker type :
It is the oldest design filter. Bags are shaken manually or by a motor thru eccentric
cam, to dislodge the dust from the filter bags. Very rarely used option in view of its
bigger size compared to other designs, high cost of maintenance and batch operation.

b) Pulse Jet type :

The most commonly used design covering major application areas today. The
advances in non-woven type filter media have made this type of bag filter replace
shaker type. A metered burst of high pressure compressed air is pulsed in the filter
bags for a predetermined short period controlled by remote timer, making bag shake
and expand, helping the dust fall down in the hopper.

c) Reverse air bughouse:

Here the filtered air coming out is again purged back in the filter bag with the help of
blowers instead of compressor. Some dusts like carbon black, dust emitting from
furnaces are extremely fine, in submicron range.

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d) Off-line cleaning:

Here the is normally split in no. of compartment i.e.4,6 or 8,out of which one
compartment is always under cleaning cycle and others are under filtration cycle. The air
flow to the compartment under cleaning cycle is stopped, when cleaning is taking place.

Filter Types and Filter Cleaning Methods

1. Shake/deflate systems

Fig-3

2. Pulse-jet cleaning

Fig-4

3. Reverse air cleaning

Fig-5

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WORKING OF A BAG FILTER UNIT

Fig-6

 The dust-laden air enters the bag filter.

 The dust /powder separates inside the bag air filter chamber.

 The air is uniformly distributed avoiding channelling while the powder is separated.

 Initially a coat of material forms on the bags. Subsequently, the coat acts as the
filtering medium.

 The dust is accumulated on filter elements while the air passes through the filter bags
from outside to inside.

 The accumulated powder is dislodged from the bags by reverse pulsejet air
intermittently.

 The dislodged powder falls on bottom cone and is discharged through powder
discharge valves,

 The dust free air is sucked by induced draft fan and is exhausted to atmosphere.

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What is bag filter

Filtering apparatus with porous cloth or felt bags through which dust-laden gases are sent,
leaving the dust on the bags.

Fig-7: Filter Media

BAG FILTER CROSS SECTION

Equal top & bottom

Woven base layers of fibers
scrim covering the woven
base scrim

In a non-
symmetric felt,
Woven base there are more
scrim fibres on the
collection side,
with lesser fibres
on back side.

Fig-8

How filter bag works

Bag filter works on depth filtration principle. Depth filters are the variety of filters that use a
porous filtration medium to retain particles throughout the medium, rather than just on the
surface of the medium. These filters are commonly used when the fluid to be filtered contains
a high load of particles because, relative to other types of filters, they can retain a large mass
of particles before becoming clogged.

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Fig-9: Filtration Process

Filtration Mechanisms in Fabric filter•

Interception occurs when a large
particle,because of its size, collides with
a fiber in the filter that the air stream is
passing through

Impaction occurs when a particle

traveling in the air stream & passing
around a fiber,deviates from the air
stream & collides with a fiber

•Diffusion occurs when the random

motion of a particle causes that particles
to contact a fiber

•Electrostatic attraction the fourth

mechanism, also plays a minor role in
mechanical filtration. After fiber contact is
made, smaller particles are retained on
the fibers by a weak electrostatic force

Filter media:

The filter medium is the all-important central feature of any dust collector operating on the
filtration principle.Woven and felted materials are used to make bag filters.

• Woven filters are used with low energy cleaning methods such as shaking and reverse air.

• Felted fabrics are usually used with low energy cleaning systems such as pulse jet
cleaning.

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Fig-11

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Surface morphology of new fiber at 3,000x magnification Surface morphology of used fiber at 3,000x magnification

Surface morphology of new fiber at 7,500x Surface morphology of used fiber at 7,500x magnification
magnification
Fig-12

Selection Criteria
The filter medium is all –important central feature of any dust collector operating on the
filtration principle. With correct or incorrect choice of the filter material, the whole dust
collection operation will stand fall in actual practice important selection criteria are

• Filter type, particular cleaning principle

• Moisture

• Gas temperature ( average and peak)

• Composition and chemical properties of the gas

• Raw gas dust load, particle size

• Particle abrasiveness

• Allowed dust load in the clean gas, emission level , mg/M3

• Physical and chemical properties of the dust

Furthermore, the filter medium must satisfy the following conditions

• High air permeability ( low pressure loss)

• Good mechanical strength

• Good thermal stability at operational temperature

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• Good dimensional stability at operational temperature

Fig-13

Design
The air-to-cloth ratio (A/C ratio) is simply a mathematical expression used to measure the
amount of filtering cloth area available to filter a given volume of air at a given flow rate.

1. Air-to-Cloth Ratio :-

The air-to-cloth ratio is defined as the ratio of gas filtered in cubic feet perminute (cfm) to
the area of filtering media in square feet.The formula used to express filtration velocity is:

Where:
Vf = filtration velocity, ft/min (meters/min)
Q = volumetric air flow rate, ft3/min (m3/min)
Ac = area of cloth filter, ft2 (m2)
(ft3/min)/ft2 or (m3/min)/m2

2.Net area of bags of bags = Q/Air to cloth ratio

3. Area of one bag = ∏ x D x L

L=length of bag D= Dia of bag

4. No of bags = Net area / area of one bag

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Different Filter Cleaning Mechanism

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)
a, b: manual or
Vibrator mechanical, by
rapping or shaking

c: mechanical, by
vibrating

d: pneumatic, by
reverse air flow
(often combined
with shaking or
vibrating)

e: pneumatic, by
compressed air
(pulse-jet)

Fig-14

Different types of bags and their properties

Table-1

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How filter bag felt is manufactured

Filter bags are made from non-woven needle felt.

Nonwoven fabric is a fabric-like material made from long fibres, bonded together by chemical,
mechanical, heat or solvent treatment. The term is used in the textile manufacturing industry
to denote fabrics, such as felt, which are neither woven nor knitted. Nonwoven materials
typically lack strength unless densified or reinforced by a backing.

Fig-15: Various Non-Woven Fabric

• What is Needle Felt?

• The mechanical bonding of staple textile fibers onto a woven base fabric (also known
as “Scrim”) by means of “barbed” needles on sophisticated equipment known as a
“needle loom”, hence “needle felt” !!

• These barbed needles transport fibres in the direction of their travel & bond fibres
among themselves.

• The type of needle used consists of its gauge, number of barbs, depth of penetration,
speed of penetration, passage speed of the web etc. are very crucial settings & which
are prime factors determining felt design.

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Bag Felt Production

Cutting of
bag
Measure
length of bag

Tubing

Sewing snap
band tape

Bag ready
for
dispatch
Sewing on
bottom

Cutting of
bag

Measure
length of bag

Tubing

Sewing snap
band tape

Bag ready
for dispatch

Sewing on
bottom
Fig-16: Production Process of Bag Filter

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Fig-17

This graphic shows needles in action and how they penetrate the fibre mass to form a “felt”.
The next pictures actually show how the needles work to produce the felt.

Theoretically, the spiral needle when punched through the felt would eliminate the „straight‟
passage of air through the felt. The curvature would drag down the fibers from the top in a
curved and somewhat circular form.

SPIRAL NEEDLE

Fig-18

Surface finish of finished felt

Card
A machine designed to separate fibers from impurities, align and deliver them to be laid down
as a web or to be further separated and fed to an air laid process. The fibres in the web are
aligned with each other predominantly in the machine direction. The machine consists of a
series of rolls and drums that are covered with many projecting wires or metal teeth.

Carded web
A web of fibres produced by carding.

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PRECOATING OF BAG FILTER BEFORE COMMISSION

PRECOATING
Precoating is appropriate for bag
or cartridge filters in applications
handling particles smaller than 10
microns and particularly those 0.5
microns or smaller. (Precoating
isn‟t typically required for filters
with Teflon,
polytetrafluoroethylene [PTFE],
GORE-TEX, and similar
treatments because of their ability
to resist blinding by small
particles.) The pore openings in
bag filter media are usually larger
than in cartridge filter media, so
precoating is required more
commonly for bag filters than for
cartridge filters. For instance, the
mean pore openings in a 16-
ounce polyester bag filter are
19.675 microns, significantly
larger than the 10.253-micron
mean pore openings in a
comparable 80-20 polyester blend
(80 percent cellulose, 20 percent Fig-19
polyester) cartridge filter.

PRECOATING OF BAG FILTER

dust cake

micro fibre flue gas side construction

scrim

standard fibre clean gas side

Fig-20: This picture shows the Dust cake acting like a

pre-filter to the bag .This is very important to understand
and implement as this would increase filtration
efficiency.

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Bag filters in Tata Steel JSR Works

Process Bag Filters: This Bag Filters are primarily installed to handle the waste gas
generated during processes and any s/d, breakdown of this equipment has direct impact on
process line availability. Bag used for this s are high end bags.
Fugitive Bag Filters: These bag filters are primarily installed to handle the dust generated at
different junction points during transportation or handling of Bags used for these s are
normally low end bags.

Maintenance:
Maintenance is broadly classified into two categories namely
Inspection Program: A typical program consists of a schedule for periodic inspections that
are performed on a daily, weekly, monthly, semi-annual and annual basis. When a bag filter
is not periodically inspected, the effectiveness of its operation can be adversely affected.
Subsequently, the bag filter may not meet the outlet emissions / fugitive emission level for
which the bag filter is
Repair Program: Repair program is primarily derived from abnormalities observed during
the inspection process. Also a scheduled monthly/half yearly / annual program for repair /
replacement of different equipment based on the OEM recommendation and actual
experience of the equipment performance is essential.

Fabric filters s generally have the following parts

1. Clean plenum
2. Dusty plenum
3. Bag, cage, venturi assembly
4. Tubeplate
5. RAV/SCREW
6. Compressed air header
7. Blow pipe
8. Housing and hopper
9. Inlet and outlet ducts
10. Fan
11. Auxiliaries like cyclone separator, spark arrestor etc.
12. Technological structures

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Inspection check list of Bag Filters

Following inspection points to be developed into tabular form with limiting values specified by
OEM (wherever applicable) for a particular. (A typical check list for the Bag Filter is
attached in Annx 1).
A. Daily
 Record Differential Pressure
 Is timer sequencing, row by row?
 Are solenoids operating?
 Are diaphragm valves firing?
 Hopper discharge device (RAV, telescopic chute) operating?
 Any visible stack emissions?
 Drain compressed air line at different locations
 Compressed air pressure
 Damper condition ( open / close)

B. Weekly
 Record compressed air pressure.
 Clean compressed air filter trap.
 Check that hopper is empty.

C. Monthly
 Are there leaks in access doors?
 Check door seals for deterioration.
 Check air lines & fittings for leaks.
 Blow out DP gauge lines.
 Check all damper operations
 Check fan base bolts, casing etc.
 Check and note DP across bag after one complete cleaning cycle.

D. Semi-Annually
 Record pulse duration.
 Record pulse delay.
 Check pulse pipe alignment.
 Check fan, belt tension, vibration etc.

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E. Annually
 Check bag condition (dirty side).
 Check case/support for corrosion.
 Inspect technological structures of s.
 Check all bolts and welds of plenum plates and casings .
 Check ductwork for buildup of dust.
 Do Bag dye penetrate test.
 Check Fan impeller for any deposition, corrosion.
 Check Fan alignment or balancing if required.
 Do Cyclone separator or spark arrestor internal inspection (if available in circuit).
 Check Compressed air supply pipe lines for any damage, pipe thickness, corrosion..
 Remove one used bag and send for testing the permeability and other parameters.
 Calibrate instruments.
 Select 20% cages in random from each compartment and inspect for rust, bent or any
physical damage

Lubrication of bearings, reducers, etc. should be done periodically and per specific
Manufacturer's O & M manuals recommendation.

Schedule maintenance and/or repair of any malfunctioning components, excessive

corrosion or parts' replacement specific to your .

Maintenance Standards to be followed for different equipment parts.

A. Pulse pipe

Make sure your pulse pipes are aligned properly over filter bags to prevent
velocity damage and loss of cleaning effectiveness.

Pulse pipes can be knocked out of position during installation of replacement bags,
during routine maintenance, or even when pipes were initially installed. Any of these
errors could result in internal velocity abrasion and premature bag failure.

B. Hopper

Keep hoppers clean and unobstructed.

Blocked hoppers cause a back-up of dust leading to velocity abrasion and premature bag
wear. High dust levels in the hopper can cause high pressure drop from re-entrainment.

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High pressure drop results in higher energy costs, frequent cleaning and shorter bag life.
Hoppers should be continuously evacuated and not used to store materials. If needed,
install hopper level alarms or perform preventative maintenance on existing alarms to
ensure proper function.

C. Bag

Make sure bags used in the s are as per recommendation of bag filter CCT team.

A comprehensive study of all process bag filters are done through CCT initiative and
bags are recommended for each of the application. Procurement of bags are to be done
based on the new UMCs created for all these applications.

Make sure bags and cages are optimally sized & constructed.

A mismatch between bag and cage sizes or between cage construction and stress points
can cause premature failure due to localized wear points on the bag.

While ordering the bag to a vendor for the first time, make sure correct cage dimensions
are given to the vendor. Preferably check the bag fitting correctness on a cage with a
sample bag.

Perform a pinch test while fitting the bag on the cage. A perfect fit will give a ½ inch
looseness during pinch test. This is important to take care of any heat shrinkage during
operation. Also too much looseness is not desired as it may cause localised stress
during deep suction or DP is high.

Clean the bags with pulse air jet for 15 minutes or until bags are cleaned once in a
month.

In monthly s/d pulse air jet may be kept on keeping the ID fan stopped. It will clean the
bags to regain its recommended DP. This may be done if bags are choked and DP across
the bags are very high during operation.

Precoating of new bag during installation.

Start-Up Procedures: Proper start-up procedures will help to extend the life of new filter
media in a dust collector. What is generally accepted as "Start-Up" procedures is the
process designed to intentionally develop a dust cake on the bags. This is referred as
precoating or seasoning or conditioning of the filter media.

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Seasoning of a collector's filter bags is one of the most important procedures that is
required to be performed. In a fabric filter dust collector, the filter media is used to support
a dust cake. A dust cake is the porous layer of collected particulate that develops during
the conditioning period of new collector bags, and following each cleaning cycle. The
process can be accelerated in many installations by introducing a precoat material such
as agricultural lime into the system. Commercial precoats are also available.

Following installation of the filter bags and inspection of the related auxiliary equipment,
the exhaust fan can be started. However, it is extremely important that the new filter bags
are not exposed to the full volume (ACFM) of the fan. A reduced volume is recommended
during the seasoning process. Close the fan damper (or inlet dampers) to one half open
until the monitoring gauge reads approximately 50 to 65% of the manufacturer's
recommended maximum flange to flange differential pressure. Once at this level, fully
open the damper and continue to monitor the pressure drop. At roughly 75% of the
manufacturer's recommended differential pressure, the cleaning system can be initiated.

Normal operation and periodic cleaning will bring the pressure drop to a calculable and
historically stable level. Depending upon the application, development of this differential
pressure may take a number of hours. This is necessary to ensure that the new filter
media is exposed to low filtering velocities of dust laden air. Reducing the volume
decreases the airstream's velocity (air-to-cloth ratio) protecting the virgin bags from high
velocity impingement of dust. Should the bags be exposed to the fan's full volume, fine
particles may embed themselves into these inner fibers of the bags and begin a "blinding"
condition. This can also damage the fibers of the media which will reduce the life of the
bags.

D. Cages

Cages should not be bent; there should not be any welding burr and broken ribs

Bent cages may cause touching of bags at the bottom. This may result in localised
abrasion and damage of bags.

Broken ribs and welding burrs may cause local stress concentration on the bags and bags
may get damaged at those points resulted in high dust emission.

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E. Duct

Maintain proper insulation on duct work wherever it is recommended by OEM

Duct of s operating at highly reactive gas temperatures (250°F (121°C) and higher) should
be insulated to prevent moisture and acid condensation on steel walls which causes
corrosion and dust build-up problems.

Periodically inspect the entire length of ductwork for dust accumulation

Standard practices suggest a minimum airstream velocity within any duct of 16-18 meter
per sec(mps), and between 20-22 mps for heavier dusts, such as sand. Should the dust
travel at lower than adequate velocities, it will tend to settle and accumulate in the ducts
choking the system. This restriction of flow will increase the pressure drop in the system,
and the energy required to induce the air to move. The resultant will be reduced
ventilation air at the pickup points. It is advisable to periodically inspect the entire length of
ductwork for dust accumulation.

F. Exhaust Fan

ID fan should not have loose or worn belts or an imbalanced impeller,

In a dust collection system, an exhaust fan is needed to accelerate ventilation air from the
point of pick-up, through the ductwork and filter media, and out the exhaust stack. A fan
is selected to accommodate each application with respect to volume (ACFM) and
pressure drop throughout the system. This pressure drop is calculated by evaluating the
static resistance of the bag filter, all ductwork and pickup points/hoods.

Should an exhaust fan experience loose or worn belts or an imbalanced impeller, it will
not exhaust the volume of air it was originally designed to handle. Without adequate
ventilation air, a dust collection system will not operate effectively. Thorough fan
inspections are to be performed on a semi-annual basis. However, any time unusual
vibration, squealing, or other obvious variances from standard operation is observed,
immediate containment action is to be taken.

ID fan internals needs to be checked periodically to trace any sign of wear and tear.

G. Structural Integrity:

All technological structures, casing, plenum, hopper body of bag filters should be
checked annually for any damage, deformation and corrosion.

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The structural integrity of equipment can not only affect its performance, but cause health
and housekeeping concerns, and reduced equipment life. An overall inspection should be
done annually. It is suggested that the welds, joints and flange seals be inspected. Any
leaks in the collector must be sealed either mechanically or by using silicone caulking. In
a negative pressure system, a breach in a seal or weld will introduce ambient air into the
collector. With this air, moisture and contaminants can find their way into the collector. In
a positive pressure system, dust will blow out of the collector causing environmental
problems and a potential health hazard to employees exposed to the dust. Look for the
obvious. Check the structural support members for signs of fatigue and excessive
corrosion. Be certain that all fasteners are in place and tightly secured, especially on the
ladder and access platform. Replace any missing bolts, clean and re-weld any cross
bracing or gussets that may have cracked welds. Look closely at the filter's external walls
for corrosion or signs of bowing. Clean and repaint where necessary. Repair any holes
that may have developed in the dust collector walls or hopper(s).

H. Auxiliary Equipment:

Aside from the itself, a thorough inspection of any system will include a periodic check of
all miscellaneous complimentary equipment. Some of these items may include the
Cyclone separator, Spark arrestor, rotary airlock valve, telescopic chute, screw conveyor,
inlet and/or outlet dampers, etc. It is very important that any ancillary equipment be added
to the Inspection Log.

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

Following safety measures must be taken while working inside s. These precautions,
while not representing an exhaustive list of all necessary safety protocols, are vital to
ensure worker safety when servicing bag house equipment.

 Positive isolation of all All Equipment Operations

Before nearly all maintenance work on any particular bag house can be performed, a total
shutdown and lockout/tagout must be put in place. This ensures that the bag house is not
activated or energized by mistake while the technician is performing his duties.

 Ensure a Safe Working Environment though Atmospheric testing and heat

reduction.

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Prior to any maintenance work that requires entrance into the bag house, make certain
that a safe environment exists within the collector. The internal atmosphere should be
tested to ensure there are no harmful ambient levels of gases/particles such as SO2, CO,
NO2 or any other specific compounds that the plant process is known to produce, e.g.
lead, dioxins, etc.

Testing also should confirm that there is a sufficient level of breathable oxygen (OSHA:
19.5 percent). However, if the level is below normal air concentration of 20.8 percent, it is
a good idea to investigate as to why that is before any confined space entry.

Many bag houses process gas streams above ambient temperature. Even when the
process does not produce higher-than-ambient temperatures, maintenance personnel still
must ensure that temperatures within the bag house are sufficient for a safe working
environment. In some cases (such as in power plants), cooling the bag house to safe
levels maybe require hours offline with all access ports (such as doors and hatches) open
to increase ventilation. This process cannot be hurried and should not be overlooked.
Disorientation within the bag house due to atmospheric conditions can lead to impaired
judgment, which in turn can lead to falls, trips or even to toxic exposure, heat stroke and
eventually death.

 Necessary Confined Space clearance must be obtained

The inside of a bag house is always classified as a “confined space” for safety reasons.
With this in mind, confined standard of Tata Steel must be followed. In case of any job to
be done inside the bagfilter casing and hopper , proper confined space clearance
(refer to standard SS-PRO-01 ) must be taken.

Some important points are as follows,

Safety Watch – Posting a responsible watchman at the entrance point is the best
protection against the unique safety hazards associated with confined spaces. The watch
should keep track of all those who enter, fill out entrance forms/permits and supervise
general safety conditions involving the project. At no time should the watch leave his or her
post while workers are inside.

Entrance Permits – Permits ensure that all members of management know what work is
being done, where, and at what time.

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Communication – Establish a reliable method of communication with those working within

the confined space, e.g., voice, radio, signal, etc., that does not require the watchman to
enter the hazardous confined space.

Retrieval Plan – Formulate a retrieval plan in case of problems. The plan should not
involve the watchman entering the confined space. If something goes wrong and the
watchman enters, there will be a greater potential loss of life since the watchman also may
be in jeopardy.

 Dust Explosion Prevention

Most dusts have a high potential for exploding when dispersed into the air. These dangers
should not be overlooked when performing maintenance inside and/or near the bag house.
All hot work (welding, acetylene cutting, grinding, etc.) should be performed away from the
collector if possible.

Maintenance personnel also must ensure that power tools and impact hand tools (such as
hammers, chippers, etc.) that could present a sparking hazard are not used in high dust
concentrations. When such work is being performed on the structure itself, make certain
the dust concentrations within the enclosure are well below combustible levels. Even if the
air inside is clear, excessive vibration may dislodge elevated deposits of dust that can then
lead to a conflagration.

Finally, employees should refrain from smoking while performing all work.

 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Workers always should employ all necessary PPE when performing bag house
maintenance. In most cases, this includes basic protection such as safety glasses, gloves
and earplugs, but also includes job-specific PPE such as protective coveralls (Tevek suits)
and respirators with the proper filter type. In certain situations, full-face respirators may be
necessary.

Before entry into the bag house, all PPE should be checked. This includes fit checking
respirators, cleaning all glasses and checking for damage on any and all equipment.

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 Welding and gas cutting

Adequate care and protections to be taken if any welding and gas cutting jobs are taken in
any of the bag filters. Additional safety precautions is most important for coal mill s. ( refer
to safety standard SS/ENG-05)

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ANNX #1
A TYPICAL CHECK SHEET FOR A BAG HOUSE

Dept :

no: Date :

A. Daily

Area of inspection Standard Actual Remarks

Record Differential Pressure 80 -120 mmwc

Yes (All row sequencing one by

Is timer sequencing, row by row?
one)

Yes (check actuator is

Are solenoids operating?
magnetised)

Are diaphragm valves firing? Yes( Feel the sound)

Hopper discharge device ( RAV,

yes(Check visually )
telescopic chute ) operating?

Any visible stack emissions? No ( check visually)

Drain compressed air line at different All drain points till water
locations exhausted)

Compressed air pressure 5-7 bar

Damper condition ( open / close) Close

B. Weekly

Check telescopic chute alignment Straight( check visually)

Clean compressed air filter trap. Clean all

Check that hopper is empty. Empty ( Check visually)

C. Monthly

Are there leaks in access doors? Zero leak ( hear the sound)

Check door seals for deterioration. No damage (Check visually)

Check air lines & fittings for leaks. No leak

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Blow out DP gauge lines. All gauges

Check all damper operations Operate manually

Check fan base bolts, casing etc. All Tight

Check and note DP across bag after

70-90 mm wc
one complete cleaning cycle.

Check the fan impeller No deposit/ damage

D. Semi-Annually

Record pulse duration. …. Msec

Record pulse delay. …. Sec

Check pulse pipe alignment. Verical to bag

15mm
Check fan belt tension,
(if pulleys are 500- 800 mm)

Chk fan vibration 2-4 mm/sec

E. Annually

Check bag condition (dirty side). No visible damage

Check case/support for corrosion. No visible corrosion

Inspect technological structures of s. Technological insp report

Check all bolts and welds of plenum

All bolts tight
plates and casings .

No cracks at random checks by

Check all weld joints of plenum
DP test

Check ductwork for build-up of dust. No abnormal dust deposition

Check Fan impeller for any deposition , No damage

corrosion. (Clean and check throughly)

Check Fan alignment or balancing if

As per standard
required.

Do Cyclone separator or spark arrestor

internal inspection ( if available in No visible damage
circuit).

Check Compressed air supply pipe

lines for any damage, pipe thickness, No visible damage
corrosion..

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Remove one used bag and send for

permeability , tensile strength,
testing the permeability and other
thickness, visual damage,
parameters.

Calibrate instruments. All gauges and transmitters

Select 20% cages in random from

No bent, no burr, no damage /
each compartment and inspect for
broken ribs
rust, bent or any physical damage

Checked by approved by

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Troubleshooting Guide

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Operating Problems
a) Cleaning - At intervals the bags get clogged up with a covering of dust particles that
the gas can no longer pass through them. At that point, the bags have to be cleaned
by rapping, shaking or by reverse air flow by a pulse jet.

b) Rupture of the cloth - The greatest problem inherent in cloth filters is the rupture of
cloth, which results from shaking. It is often difficult to locate ruptures and when
they‟re found the replacement time is often considerable

c) Temperature- Fabric filters will not perform properly if a gross temperature overload
occurs. If the gas temperature is expected to fluctuate, a fiber material that will sustain
the upper temperature fluctuation must be selected. Also, whenever the effluent
contains a reactive gas like SO2 which can form an acid whenever the temperature in
the falls below the dew point it can create problems.

d) Bleeding - This is the penetration of the fabric by fine particles, which is common in
fabric filtration. It can occur if the weave is too open or the filter ratio is very high. The
solution is to use a double layer material or a thick woven fabric.

Humidity - This is a common and important problem, especially if the dust is

hygroscopic. It would therefore be advisable to maintain moisture free conditions within
the , as a precautionary measure.

e) Chemical attack - This is another problem associated with fabric filters. The
possibility of chemical attack due to corrosive chemicals present in the effluent. A
proper choice of fabric filter will avoid this problem.

Advantages of Bag Filter

i) High collection efficiencies for all particle sizes, especially for particles smaller than
10micron in diameter.
ii) Simple construction and operation.
iii) Nominal power consumption.
iv) Dry disposal of collected material.

Disadvantages of Bag Filter

i) Operating limits are imposed by high carrier gas temperatures, high humidity and
other parameters.
ii) High maintenance and fabric replacement costs. Bag filters are difficult to maintain
because of the difficulty in finding and replacing even a single leaking bag. Also as
general rule, about 1/4th of the bags will need replacement every year.
iii) Large size of equipment.
iv) Problems in handling dusts which may abrade, corrode, or blind the cloth.

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 Capability Development

Applications of a fabric filter

• Fabric filters find extensive application in the following industries and operations:

i) Metallurgical industry ii) Foundries iii) Cement industry iv) Chalk and lime plants
v) Ceramic industry vi) Flour mills

Definition of some terms

What is scrim-Scrim is the base, horizontally-oriented woven fabric, which provides

mechanical strength to the fiber mass which is vertically oriented.

Warp and Weft-

The terms warp and weft are used in
reference to textiles, specifically those
which are woven. The warp is the tightly
stretched lengthwise core of a fabric,
while the weft is woven between the
warp threads to create various patterns.
Some people also call the weft the “filler”
thread, since it fills in the design, and the
archaic “woof” is also used instead of weft
in some regions.

Dirty Air Plenum

The bag house area through which gases are directed. Located on the dirty side of the filter
bags.

Differential Pressure

The change in pressure or the pressure drop across a device (bag house) located within an
airstream. The difference between static pressures measured at the inlet and outlet of a
device. (See Pressure Drop)

Dust Cake

A dust buildup on the filter bags that increases the efficiency of the filter media.

Dust Loading

The weight of solid particulate suspended in an air stream, usually expressed in mili grams
per cubic meter.

Emissions

Particulate that escapes through or around a bag house into the atmosphere.

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Filter Media

The permeable barrier utilized in a fabric style dust collector on which the dust cake is
supported (bag).

Interstitial Velocity

Velocity of a gas as it passes between a compartments of filter bags calculated at its

highest value.

Can Velocity

Can Velocity is measured in feet per minute (fpm).

Determined by dividing the volume of dust-laden air entering the bag house chamber by the
net flow area available in the airflow direction.

Where Air Volume is in (cfm) (cubic feet per minute)

Net flow area = Total cross-section area of bags minus total cross-section area of bag
chamber

Permeability -A measure of fabric porosity of openness, expressed in cubic feet of air per
minute per square foot of fabric at a 0.5" w.c. pressure differential.

Precoat

Material added to the air stream at start-up to aid in establishing the initial dust cake on the
filter bags.

Pressure Drop

A measure of the resistance the gas stream encounters as it flows through the bag house. It
may refer to pressure differential across the media, across the bag house, or the pressure
drop across the entire system, depending upon the points of measurement.

Pulse Cycle

The interval of time between pulsing one row of bags and pulsing that same row again.

Pulse Duration (On-Time)

The length of time a pulse lasts, generally described as the length of time the electrical
signal holds the solenoid pilot valve open.

Air to cloth ratio (ACR)

It is defined as the ratio of gas filtered in cubic feet perminute (cfm) to the area of filtering
media in square feet.It is measured ft/min Or m/min.

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 Capability Development

Pulse Delay (Off-Time)

Elapsed time between pulses in a dust collector cleaning system.

Pulse Clean Bag house

A bag house using short intermittent pulses of compressed dry air to clean dust from the
filter bags.

Reverse Air Bag house

A dust collector where cleaning is accomplished by mechanically, and temporarily, preventing

the dirty gas flow into a compartment or group of filter bags while blowing low pressure
cleaning air through these "off-line" bags in the opposite direction of typical air flow, to
dislodge the accumulated dust cake.

Rotary Airlock Valve

Device having a star wheel (rotor) designed to provide an air tight seal between the negative

or positive pressures of the collector and the outside atmosphere.

Screw Conveyor

A revolving screw operating in a fixed trough for conveying material from one point to
another. Note: Should a screw conveyor be used in a dust collector system, an airlock is still
required to ensure ventilation air does not bypass through the conveyor.

Solenoid Valve

An electromechanical plunger device that is either "normally open" or "normally closed". In

use with a bag house, it is for the relief of air pressure to activate a compressed air device
such as a diaphragm valve.

Timer, Sequential

An electrical mechanism that activates a dust collector's cleaning system.

Tubesheet (Dust Wall)

A steel plate to which the open end of the filter bags are connected. This wall separates the
clean air and dirty air plenums of the bag house.

Venturi

A cone-shaped device located at the top of a tubular filter bag in a pulse-jet dust collector
which creates a negative pressure at the top of the venturi for pulling additional air down into
the filter elements during pulsing.

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