Powder Technology 311 (2017) 522–527

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Powder Technology

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/powtec

Effective filtration area of a pleated filter bag in a pulse-jet bag house

Jeong-Uk Kim a,b, Jungho Hwang b, Hyun-Jin Choi a, Myong-Hwa Lee a,⁎
a
Thermochemical Energy System R&D Group, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, 89 Yangdaegiro-gil, Ipjang-myeon, Cheonan, Chungnam 31056, Republic of Korea
b
School of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Pleated filter bags have received a considerable amount of attention due to their higher filtration area compared
Received 26 August 2016 to that of cylindrical filter bags. They can be used to increase both the filtration efficiency and dust holding capac-
Received in revised form 24 December 2016 ity, as it is possible to decrease the filtration velocity when using the same amount of exhaust gas. However, the
Accepted 9 February 2017
effective filtration area of pleated filter bags remains uncertain, despite the fact that it is an important design pa-
Available online 13 February 2017
rameter in pulse-jet bag house systems. The effective filtration area of a pleated filter bag is determined in this
Keywords:
study by assuming the effective filtration area (50%, 60%, 70% and 100% of the theoretical filtration area) and com-
Bag filter paring its filter cleaning characteristics with those of a cylindrical filter bag.
Pleated filter The filtration characteristics of a pleated filter bag with optimal geometry were investigated under the conditions
Dead space of a filtration velocity of 1.2 m/min and a dust concentration of 10 g/m3. As a result, we found that the pleated
Effective filtration area filter bag assessed here had an effective filtration area of approximately 50 to 60%, in contrast to the theoretical
filtration area, due to the dead space caused by filter pleating. In addition, particle clogging in the outer pleating
section of the pleated filter bag significantly affected the decrease in the effective filtration area.
© 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction of pleats. They suggested an optimal pleating geometry through a filter

A bag house is widely used to remove particulate matters from the
dust-laden flue gas [1–3]. Filtration and filter cleaning are periodically
conducted processes in a bag house, as the pressure drop increases
with the degree of dust loading, resulting in increased power consump-
tion. When the pressure drop reaches the maximum allowable value in
a pulse-jet bag house, compressed air is injected into the filter bags [4].
Cylindrical filter bags are the most commonly used type of bag in a
bag house [5]. However, pleated filter bags have received much atten-
tion due to their higher filtration area than cylindrical filter bags. In
order to increase the filtration area, the filter cloth is folded to create a
certain pleat angle and pleat length [6,7]. The filter cloth can be used
to increase both the filtration efficiency and the dust holding capacity
in that it is possible to decrease the filtration velocity at the same flow
rate. In addition, an increased filtration area can lead to a decrease in
the installation space of the bag house [5,8].
Recently, Park et al. [7] optimized a geometrical structure of a
pleated filter bag by considering a variety of pleat angles, pleat lengths,
and pleat numbers. The filtration area increased with a decrease in the
pleat angle, an increase in pleat length, and an increase in the number
⁎ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: myonghwa@kitech.re.kr (M.-H. Lee).
cleaning test while also introducing the dimensionless parameter, α, re-
ferring to the ratio of the pleat height to the pleat pitch. They showed
that the filter cleaning interval was stable upon an increase in the di-
mensionless parameter, α, less than 1.8 for the tested filter. However,
this interval gradually decreased with a further increase of α. Therefore,
the pleat angle, pleat length and the number of pleats used should be
carefully determined when designing a pleated filter bag.
Although the filtration area is one of the most important parameters
determining the number of pleated filter bags in a bag house, the effec-
tive filtration area remains uncertain. Thus far, the theoretical filtration
area has been used to determine the required number of filter bags in a
bag house. Several studies have suggested an effective filtration area.
Subrenat et al. [9] analyzed the fluid stream and pressure drop in a 3-
D numerical simulation. They found that a useful zone, a preferential
flow zone, and a dead zone exist in a filter bag during filtration. The
dead zone, which has a fluid stream with a low velocity, appears in
the vicinity of a folded section. Wakeman et al. [10] demonstrated that
the pleating and bending of a filter medium can reduce the permeability
and cause a loss of the effective filtration area due to medium compres-
sion, pleat deformation, and pleat crowding. However, previous studies
to determine the effective filtration area have been limited thus far to
numerical simulations and qualitative analyses.
In this study, we attempt quantitatively to determine the effective
filtration area of a pleated filter bag by comparing the filter cleaning

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2017.02.013
0032-5910/© 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
 J.-U. Kim et al. / Powder Technology 311 (2017) 522–527
interval and filter cleaning efficiency between a cylindrical and a pleated
filter bag.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Preparation of the test filter bags
The filter cloth used here was prepared by foaming a PTFE solution
and coating it onto a glass fiber mat. A cylindrical filter bag was fash-
ioned by sewing the filter cloth into the form of an envelope with high
thermal stability and excellent mechanical properties [11]. However,
the pleated filter bag was prepared by folding the filter cloth and a
stainless-steel mesh together in a certain geometrical structure to pre-
vent morphological deformation and to maintain a constant pleating in-
terval. We determined the pleating geometry based on our previous
study, which indicated excellent filter cleaning efficiency and the proper
filter cleaning interval [7]. The geometrical and physical properties of
the test filter bag are shown in Fig. 1 and in Table 1, respectively. The fil-
tration area of the pleated filter bag was approximately fourfold that of a
cylindrical filter bag with both an identical diameter and height.
2.2. Experimental procedure
Fig. 2 shows the experimental setup for the filter cleaning test con-
ducted as part of this study. The experimental apparatus consisted of a
dust feeder, a dust collector, a filter cleaning device, a compressor, and
an induced draft fan. A custom-made dust feeder with a screw 23 mm
in diameter was used to supply the dried test particles. These particles
were dispersed in the dust collector kept under negative pressure. The
dust collector was designed to install four filter bags 115 mm in diame-
ter. During filtration, test particles were constantly provided into filter
bags, resulting in dust cake formation on the filter surface. In addition,
a constant gas flow rate was maintained by an inverter connected to a
pitot tube, regardless of the increase of pressure drop in the bag house
system. When the pressure drop across the filter medium reached 100
mmH2O, pulse-jet air with a pressure of 4 kgf/cm2 was injected into
Fig. 1. Geometrical structure of the test filters (a) cylindrical filter bag, and (b) pleated
filter bag.
523
Table 1
Geometrical configurations of a pleated filter bag.
Geometrical parameter Value
Number of pleats [−] 36
Pleat angle [degree] 18.6
Pleat length [mm] 20
Relative filtration area, Sp/Sc [times] 4.0
(※ Sp: Filtration area of a pleated filter bag, Sc: Filtration area of a cylindrical
filter bag).
the filter bags through four nozzles controlled by two solenoid valves.
Two types of filter bags (cylindrical and pleated filter bags) were used
in the test. The pressure drop over time was automatically recorded in
a data logger. All tests were repeated more than three times to ensure
repeatability.
Fly ash particles were used as the test particles. The particle size dis-
tribution of the test particles was measured by an aerodynamic particle
sizer (APS 3321, TSI Inc.). It had a geometric mean diameter of 1.07 μm
and a geometric standard deviation of 1.64.
Table 2 shows the operating conditions of the test device used to de-
termine the effective filtration area of a pleated filter bag. A constant fil-
tration velocity of 1.2 m/min, which is the velocity passing through a
filter medium, was maintained during a series of experiments. In addi-
tion, the dust concentration reflecting the assumed effective filtration
area was 10 g/m3. We assumed four different operating conditions
(dead space 0%, dead space 30%, dead space 40%, and dead space 50%)
with ratios of ineffective filtration areas and theoretical filtration
areas. A dead space of 30% means that 30% of the theoretical filtration
area is not available for filtration due to dead space. Therefore, other op-
erational parameters were determined based on the effective filtration
areas to hold the filtration velocity and dust concentration constant.
2.3. Observation of filter cleaning phenomena
Filter cleaning phenomena, referring to when a dust cake layer is de-
tached from the filter surface, were observed with a high-speed camera
(HHC X6BZ, Canadian Photonics Labs Inc.). This was done in order to
compare the filtration cleaning characteristics of a cylindrical filter bag
with that of a pleated filter bag. In addition, the partial pressure drop
of a cleaned filter medium was also measured to investigate the unifor-
mity of the filter cleaning process. Fig. 3 shows the sample preparation
method used to measure the partial pressure drop of a cleaned filter me-
dium. Cylindrical and pleated filter bags were recovered from a bag
house after the second filter cleaning process, because the pressure
drop of the filter remained stable after this second process. The recov-
ered filter bags were each spread and punched into a 47 mm circular
specimen at distances of 43.3 mm (Top), 130 mm (Middle) and
216.7 mm (Bottom) from the upper boundary in the axial direction. In
particular, pleated filter specimens were prepared to have an outer
pleat, an inner pleat, and an inclined plane. A partial pressure drop of
the 47 mm circular filter was measured at a flow rate of 0.6 lpm using
a perforated stainless steel film with a 6 mm hole. The pressure drops
obtained from more than ten experimental results were averaged and
the mean value was used as the partial pressure drop.
3. Results and discussion
Fig. 4 shows the changes in the pressure drop of a cylindrical and a
pleated filter bag as a function of the elapsed time, when considering
the effective filtration area as the theoretical filtration area. This figure
clearly demonstrates that the cylindrical filter bag has higher filter
cleaning efficiency and a longer filter cleaning interval than the pleated
filter bag. Once the effective filtration area of a pleated filter bag is iden-
tical to that of a cylindrical filter bag, the changes in the pressure drop
between the cylindrical filter bag and the pleated filter bag should be
equal. However, if the effective filtration area of a pleated filter bag is
524 J.-U. Kim et al. / Powder Technology 311 (2017) 522–527

Fig. 2. Experimental apparatus for the filter cleaning test.

less than the theoretical area, a higher dust concentration compared to
that of a cylindrical filter bag will appear in the pleated filter bag. There-
fore, it is certain that the effective filtration area of a pleated filter bag is
less than the theoretical filtration area.
In order to determine the effective filtration area of a pleated filter
bag, we assumed the dead space to be 0, 30, 40, and 50% of the theoret-
ical filtration area. Fig. 5 shows the filter cleaning intervals over time for
the cylindrical filter bags and pleated filter bags when considering these
assumed amounts of dead space. Each experiment was carried out sev-
eral times and plotted in the graph. As shown in the figure, the filter
cleaning interval decreased over time and became shorter with a de-
crease in the assumed amount of dead space of a pleated filter bag. In
addition, the filter cleaning interval when the assumed filtration area
was 40 to 50%, was similar to that of a cylindrical filter bag. Therefore,
we can determine that the effective filtration area is approximately 50
to 60% of the theoretical filtration area.
The residual pressure drop is also a critical operating parameter in a
pulse-jet bag house. Fig. 6 shows the residual pressure drop after the fil-
ter was cleaned. The residual pressure drop was relatively stable during
operation with the cylindrical filter and the pleated filters with dead
space levels of 30, 40 and 50%. However, the residual pressure drop in-
creased with the operation time only when using the pleated filter with
the theoretical filtration area.
Fig. 7 shows the filter cleaning efficiency of a cylindrical and a
pleated filter bag as a function of the elapsed time. The filter cleaning ef-
ficiency is defined as the ratio of the decreased pressure drop due to the
cleaning of the filter and the difference between the maximum
allowable pressure drop and the initial pressure drop as shown in
Eq. (1),
ΔP Hi −ΔP Li
ϵd ¼  100 ð1Þ
ΔP Hi −ΔP L0
where ΔPLo is the initial pressure drop of a fresh filter bag, ΔPLi is the re-
sidual pressure drop directly after the cleaning of the filter, and ΔPHi is
the maximum allowable pressure drop, i.e., 100 mmH2O. As shown in
the figure, the filter cleaning efficiency of a pleated filter bag rapidly de-
creases with an increase in the assumed filtration area (i.e., a decrease in
the dead space). This can be attributed to the fact that test particles with
a high concentration were introduced to maintain a same dust concen-
tration identical to that of a cylindrical filter bag. Therefore, it is conceiv-
able that the filter cleaning efficiency of a pleated filter bag is similar to
that of a cylindrical filter bag, when we consider the dead space of a
pleated filter bag to be 40 to 50% of the theoretical filtration area.
It is necessary to observe the filter cleaning phenomena in both a cy-
lindrical and a pleated filter bag so as to understand the filter cleaning
characteristics in both cases. Figs. 8 and 9 show the dust behavior as
the filter is cleaned in a cylindrical and a pleated filter bag, respectively.
The white line shows the boundary layer of the dust cake at the maxi-
mum allowable pressure drop of 100 mmH2O. The dust cake layer ex-
panded until approximately 10 ms due to the pulsing air and then
became detached in the form of agglomerates from the filter surface
in the cylindrical filter bag. In addition, the boundary layer moved to
the left side of the white line due to the detachment of the dust cake

Table 2
Operating conditions in the test device to determine the effective filtration area of a pleated filter bag.

Filter type Effective filtration area [m2] Filtration velocity Gas Dust concentration Dust
[m/min] flow rate [g/m3] feed rate
[m3/min] [g/min]

Cylindrical filter bag 0.376 1.2 0.451 10 4.51

Pleated filter bag 50% 0.749 0.899 8.99
dead space
40% 0.899 1.078 10.78
dead space
30% 1.048 1.258 12.58
dead space
0% 1.498 1.797 17.97
dead space
 J.-U. Kim et al. / Powder Technology 311 (2017) 522–527 525

Fig. 3. Sample preparation to measure the partial pressure drop of a cleaned filter medium.

Fig. 4. Changes in the pressure drop of a cylindrical and a pleated filter bag when regarding Fig. 6. Residual pressure drops of a cylindrical filter bag and a pleated filter bag considering
the effective filtration area as the theoretical filtration area. the amount of dead space.

Fig. 5. Comparison of the filter cleaning interval between a cylindrical filter bag and a Fig. 7. Comparison of the filter cleaning efficiency between a cylindrical filter bag and a
pleated filter bag considering the amount of dead space. pleated filter bag considering the amount of dead space.
526 J.-U. Kim et al. / Powder Technology 311 (2017) 522–527

Fig. 8. Dust behavior when cleaning the filter in a cylindrical filter bag.

layer at the final stage of filter cleaning. However, the dust behavior
when the filter was cleaned in the pleated filter bag was quite different.
The particles deposited in the filter were scattered by the pulsing air and
the boundary layer was similar to that in the initial stage. Several re-
searchers have noted that the fabric movement, adhesion force between
the particles, and the medium were all important factors when remov-
ing the dust cake layer and determining the cleaning properties [12–14].
Table 3 shows the partial pressure drop at a filtration velocity of
2.1 m/min in a cylindrical and a pleated filter bag. The effective filtration
area of the pleated filter bag in this experiment was assumed to be the

Fig. 9. Dust behavior when cleaning the filter in a pleated filter bag.
 J.-U. Kim et al. / Powder Technology 311 (2017) 522–527 527

Table 3 detaching by the filter cleaning process. The effective filtration area,
Partial pressure drop in a cylindrical and a pleated filter bag. i.e., the most important design parameter in relation to filtration, was
(unit: mmH2O) also investigated experimentally by comparing the filter cleaning inter-
Cylindrical filter bag #1 #2 #3 Average val and filter cleaning efficiency of a cylindrical and a pleated filter bag.
Top 8.42 8.84 8.93 8.73 The pleated filter bag had lower filter cleaning efficiency and a shorter
Middle 7.53 7.93 7.47 7.64 filter cleaning interval than the cylindrical filter bag at the same filtra-
Bottom 8.25 8.55 7.99 8.26 tion velocity when we considered the effective filtration area as the the-
Average 8.07 8.44 8.13
oretical filtration area. This outcome can be attributed to an incorrect
Pleated filter bag Outer pleat Inclined plane Inner pleat Average assumption of the effective filtration area. We found that the filtration
characteristics of the pleated filter bag used in this study were similar
Top 9.57 6.26 6.81 7.55
Middle 9.11 5.18 6.23 6.84
to those of the cylindrical filter bag when we considered the effective fil-
Bottom 9.49 5.38 6.74 7.20 tration area as 50 to 60% of the theoretical filtration area. Even with a de-
Average 9.39 5.60 6.60 creased filtration area in the pleated filter bag due to a clogged filter, we
could still utilize twice the filtration area comparing to the usable
amount in the cylindrical filter bag.
theoretical filtration area. Although the deposited particles were partial-
ly detached from the filter surface during the sample preparation,
resulting in lower pressure drops as compared to the values in Fig. 4, Acknowledgments
we noted that patch cleaning phenomena arose on the filter medium.
The partial pressure drops in the cylindrical filter bag were relatively This work was financially supported by the Eco-Innovation Project
constant in the radial direction at different positions (#1, #2, and #3). (Project Number: E316-00011-0603-1) through the Ministry of the En-
However, there was a slight difference among the axial positions (top, vironment, Republic of Korea.
middle and bottom). The partial pressure drop in the middle position
was lower than those at other positions, stemming from the high filter References
cleaning efficiency in the middle of the filter bag. However, we noted [1] K. Schulz, M. Durst, Advantages of an integrated system for hot gas filtration using
a different tendency in the pleated filter bag. The partial pressure rigid ceramic elements, Filtr. Sep. 31 (1994) 25–28.
drops at the axial positions were relatively constant. However, those [2] K.-J. Jeon, Y.-W. Jung, A simulation study on the compression behavior of dust cakes,
Powder Technol. 141 (2004) 1–11.
at the radial positions showed considerable differences among the posi- [3] J.-H. Choi, S.-J. Ha, H.-J. Jang, Compression properties of dust cake on fine fly ashes
tions (outer pleat, inclined plane and inner pleat). The particles depos- from a fluidized bed coal combustor on a ceramic filter, Powder Technol. 140
ited on the inclined plane and inner pleat in the pleated filter bag (2004) 106–115.
[4] L.-M. Lo, D.-R. Chen, D.-Y. Pui, Experimental study of pleated fabric cartridges in a
were easily detached during the filter cleaning process. However, the
pulse-jet cleaned dust collector, Powder Technol. 197 (2010) 141–149.
particles deposited nearby the outer pleat remained. In other words, [5] B.H. Park, Y.M. Jo, S.B. Kim, M.-H. Lee, Filtration characteristics of fine particulate
the pulse-jet air could easily pass through the inclined plane and inner matters in a PTFE/glass composite bag filter, Aerosol Air Qual. Res. 12 (2012)
pleat, which undergo a relatively low pressure drop in the filter bag [9]. 1030–1036.
[6] L.-M. Lo, S.-C. Hu, D.-R. Chen, D.-Y. Pui, Numerical study of pleated fabric cartridges
In summary, particle clogging in the outer pleat region of a pleated during pulse-jet cleaning, Powder Technol. 198 (2010) 75–81.
filter bag strongly influenced the decrease in the effective filtration area. [7] B.H. Park, M.-H. Lee, Y.M. Jo, S.B. Kim, Influence of pleat geometry on filter cleaning
in PTFE/glass composite filter, J. Air Waste Manage. Assoc. 62 (2012) 1257–1263.
[8] D.-R. Chen, D.-Y. Pui, B.Y.H. Liu, Optimization of pleated filter designs using a finite-
4. Conclusion element numerical model, Aerosol Sci. Technol. 23 (1995) 579–590.
[9] A. Subrenat, J. Bellettre, P. Le Cloirec, 3-D numerical simulations of flows in a cylin-
The dust behavior and partial pressure drop on the filter surface drical pleated filter packed with activated carbon cloth, Chem. Eng. Sci. 58 (2003)
4965–4973.
when the filters were cleaned in a cylindrical and in a pleated filter [10] R. Wakeman, N. Hanspal, A. Waghode, V. Nassehi, Analysis of pleat crowding and
bag were investigated in this study. The resulting dust cake layer was medium compression in pleated cartridge filters, Chem. Eng. Res. Des. 83 (2005)
expanded by pulsing air and detached itself in the form of agglomerates 1246–1255.
[11] B.H. Park, M.-H. Lee, S.B. Kim, G.S. Kim, Y.M. Jo, Preparation and characterization of
from the filter surface in the cylindrical filter bag. However, this layer porous composite filter medium by polytetrafluoroethylene foam coating, J. Air
was scattered in the form of particles in the pleated filter bag. This ten- Waste Manage. Assoc. 60 (2010) 137–141.
dency influenced the filter cleaning efficiency of both the cylindrical and [12] R. Allen, H. Goyder, K. Morris, Modelling media movement during cleaning of pulse-
jet fabric filters, Chem. Eng. Res. Des. 77 (1999) 223–230.
the pleated filter bag. The partial pressure drop on the filter surface of
[13] X. Simon, S. Chazelet, D. Thomas, D. Bémer, R. Régnier, Experimental study of pulse-
the cylindrical filter bag was relatively uniform. However, we found jet cleaning of bag filters supported by rigid rings, Powder Technol. 172 (2007)
that the pressure drop on the folded section in the pleated filter bag 67–81.
was higher than that on the inclined flat surface. This difference may [14] Y. Qian, Y. Bi, M. Zhang, H. Chen, G. Xu, Effect of filtration operation and surface
treatment on pulse-jet cleaning performance of filter bags, Powder Technol. 277
have been due to patch cleaning by the dead zone. The particles depos- (2015) 82–88.
ited on the folded section in the filter remained without becoming