Filtration of ultrafine metallic particles in industry

Thermal metal spraying, metal cutting and arc welding processes generate large quantities of ultrafine particles that cause the irreversible clogging of industrial filters. The aim of the study performed was to identify the causes of the clogging of cartridge filters and investigate other paths for cleaning them. This study required the development of a test bench capable of reproducing a thermal spraying process to test the performances of different filtration techniques. This test instrument first, permitted the precise characterization of the aerosol generated by the process and, second, defined the clogging and cleaning conditions for filters. Several parameters were tested: the type of filter, online and off-line cleaning, pre-coating, cleaning by jets of high-speed compressed air via a probe.