Influence of Aging Time on Filtration Performance of P84 Filter Media with Seam

Although the area with the seam is approximately 4% of the total area of an industrial filter bag, a more extensive investigation of the influence of this region on surface filtration is necessary since the small seam holes can be a conduit for the passage of fine particles even after a certain time of use of the filter bag. Therefore, this work aimed to assess the influence of aging time on the filtration performance of P84 filter bags (samples without and with seam) used in an industrial bag filter, regarding tensile mechanical properties, air permeability, fractional separation efficiency, and filtration cycles. The particulate matter applied (sinter dust) to evaluate the efficiency and to perform the cycles was collected in the hoppers of an industrial bag filter installed in the primary dedusting system of a sinter plant in the steel industry. The results showed that the filter bag aged for 10 months presented a fractional separation efficiency of almost 100%, even for the samples with a seam, suggesting that the seam holes were sealed by the powder in the industrial installation. As for the tensile mechanical properties, the tests showed that the aging of the filter bag caused a reduction in the tensile strength of the filter medium. With respect to air permeability and filtration cycles, the longer the aging time of the filter bag, the more similar was the filtration performance of the samples without and with seam.