ELECTKOFIBROUS PREFILTERS FOR USE I N NUCLEAR

VENTILATION SYSTEMS*

W. Bergman, W.D. Kuhl, W.L. Russel, R.D. Taylor, H.D. Hebard,

A.H. Biermann, N.J. Alvares, D.G. Beason, and B.Y. Lum

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL),

Livermore, California
Abstract
A?
We have established a comprehensive program for the U.S. Department of Energy
to develop electrofibrous prefilters to extend the life of High Efficiency
Particulate Air (HEPA) filters that are used in the nuclear industry. We have
selected the electrofibrous filter because, compared to the mechanical fibrous
filter, it has a higher efficiency and longer lifetime. Two different
electrofibrous filters have been developed for use in nuclear ventilation
systems. One prototype is a stationary prefilter while the other is a rolling
prefilter. Both prefilters use the same basic filtering technique in which a
fibrous filter medium is sandwiched between a high voltage electrode and a ground
electrode, both electrodes having a sufficient open area to offer minimum air
resistance. The applied voltage on the electrodes generates an electric field
that polarizes the filter fibers, which then attract suspended particles via
electrostatic forces. Since a finite time is required for this electrostatic
attraction, the filter media and electrodes have been pleated to provide a
sufficiently long particle residence time.
The stationary electrofibrous prefilter has the same dimensions (610 x 610 x
305 mm) as commercially available mechanical filters that are used in ventilation
systems. However, the additional requirement of high voltage on the electrodes
has greatly increased the complexity of the electrofibrous prefilter. Laboratory
tests using DOP and NaCl aerosols in a modified ASHRAE filter test apparatus have
shown that the electrofibrous prefilter increases in efficiency from 40 to 90% as
10 kV is applied to the electrode.

The special requirement of protecting the HEPA filter from a high

concentration of smoke aerosols during fire conditions led to the development of
the rolling, electrofibrous prefilter. We established the feasibility of this
concept in a series of tests using commercially available rolling prefilters that
were modified for removing smoke aerosols. Although the rolling prefilter concept
is not a cost effective measure for the sole purpose of protecting HEPA filters
from smoke aerosols, it became cost effective when used primarily for protecting
the HEPA filters from normal production aerosols. The same piece of equipment is
then used for both normal operating conditions as well as emergency fire
conditions. Several prototype electrofibrous rolling prefilters were designed,
c built and evaluated. The filter evaluations were conducted using NaCl and DOP
* aerosols as well as smoke aerosols.

auspices o f the U. S. Department of Ener'9Y by

contract NO. W- ,7405-ENG-48.

-1 - bO(;UMiENT
 DISCLAIMER

This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an

agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States
Government nor any agency Thereof, nor any of their employees,
makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal
liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or
usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process
disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately
owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product,
process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or
otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement,
recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any
agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein
do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States
Government or any agency thereof.
 DISCLAIMER

Portions of this document may be illegible in

electronic image products. Images are produced
from the best available original document.
 I. INTRODUCTION

The HEPA filters used in the nuclear industry to remove radioactive airborne
contaminants are extremely effective and practical devices and will continue to be
so despite the large number of new control devices presently available. However,
HEPA filters generate a significant volume of radioactive waste and are costly to
purchase and operate. The actual cost of materials and labor to buy, change,
test, and dispose of a HEPA filter is several times its initial purchase price.
In an effort to reduce the HEPA's operational cost and the volume of radioactive
waste it generates, the Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Management Division of DOE
has contracted with LLNL to develop an enhanced filtration system that will extend
the service life of HEPA filters. The approach selectedlbyLLNL consists of using 4
an electrofibrous prefilter to take the load off the HEPA filter, since it appears
to have a greater potential for success than other methods, such as scrubbers and
electrostatic precipitators.
The electrofibrous filter represents the best technology for removing
airborne particles. Compared to a conventional fibrous f'ilter, the electrofibrous
filter has a much higher efficiency and significantly lower pressure drop at the
same level of particle loading. This dramatic increase iln filter performance due
to the added electrical forces has recently created a world-wide interest in this
field. A symposium on F.ibers, Electrostatics and Filters that was held in
Princeton, New Jersey in November 1979, illustrated tne diversity of techniques
used to generate electrof i brous f i 1 ters( 1.
The concepts used in our electrofibrous prefilter are not new. Electrostatics
have been used to improve the performance of fibrous filters since 1930. Although
the electrofibrous filters can have a number of different configurations, all are
based on either charging or polarizing the filter fibers,, This generates an
electrical force between the fibers and particles and reqjults in a large increase
in the filter efficiency and filter life. The primary methods for generating
electrofibrous filters include precharging the aerosols, polarizing the filter
media with electric fields, a combination of these two methods an ermanently
?
charging the fibers. These methods have been reviewed previously 27 .
LLNL has established a comprehensive program to conduct theoretical
modelling, small-scale laboratory experiments, prototype development and field
evaluations of electrofibrous prefilters. The objective of our theory and
laboratory experiments is to understand the mechanical and electrical filtration
mechanisms for both clean and clogged filters in sufficient detail to optimize the
electrofibrous filter. Although we have not yet completed this optimization
study, we have identified the important parameters in thle prototye design and have
established general design criteria.
Using these design criteria, we have been developing prototype electrofibrous
prefilters for use in radioactive gloved boxes and in nuclear ventilation
systems. The design and field evaluation our prototype filters for gloved box 'I

applications have been reported elsewhere( sf .

In this rkport we will present
the design criteria and our preliminary evaluation of prototype electrofibrous
*

prefilters for nuclear ventilation systems.

11. Desiqn Concept for Electrofibrous Filter
The design concept for the electrofibrous filter that we selected was based
upon applying an external electric field across a fibrous filter. The filter
medium in this design concept is considered to be disposable and will be replaced

-2-
 ponents o f the
d in Fig. 1. A
s separated by

s applied across the electrodes.

in this filter, it can not be used in an
h
ver Y S'nall.

Components of el ectrof ibrous pref i1 ter.

i ' .
Other concepts for onsidered but d i d not
by precharging inco
fire hazard that wo

1'

charger upstream o
' Another class o

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charged p a r t i c l e s o f r e s i n a r e s c a t t e r e d o v e r t h e s u r f a c e l o f t h e wool f i b e r s . The
r e s i n p a r t i c l e s become h i g h l y charged due t o f r i c t i o n a l cl;arging d u r i n g t h e
m a n u f a c t u r i n g process i n which t h e w o o l - r e s i n m i x t u r e i s (;:ombed on a t e x t i l e
c a r d i n g machine. S i n c e t h e r e s i n p a r t i c l e s have a h i g h r e s i s t i v i t y , t h e y can
r e t a i n t h e charge f o r l o n g p e r i o d s o f time. These h i g h l y l c h a r g e d r e s i n p a r t i c l e s
c a n a t t r a c t a e r o s o l s t h r o u g h e l e c t r o s t a t i c f o r c e s and a r e l r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t n e h i g h
e f f i c i e n c y o f tiansen f i l t e r s . U n f o r t u n a t e l y , t h e r e s i n p , ! r t i c l e s can be
d i s c h a r g e d when exposed t o i o n i z i n g r a d i a t i o n , c o n c e n t r a t e d o r g a n i c s o l v e n t s , o r
e x c e s s i v e h e a t . When t h i s happens, t h e Hansen f i l t e r bec#nes a v e r y p o o r f i l t e r .
Because o f t h e p o t e n t i a l d i s c h a r g i n g problem and t h e f l a m y a b i l i t y o f t h e wool
f i b e r s , we d i d n o t b e l i e v e t h a t t h e Hansen f i l t e r c o u l d be used i n n u c l e a r
v e n t i l a t i o n systems.

However, a new g e n e r a t i o n o f permanently charged f i l t e r s t h a t a r e based on

e l e c t r e t s appears t o s i g n i f i c a n t l y reduce t h e problem w i t 1 7 t h e f l a m m a b i l i t y and
d i s c h a r g i n g o f t h e f i l t e r . W i t h f u r t h e r improvements e i t h e r underway o r planned,
t h e e l e c t r e t f i l t e r w i l l be a v i a b l e c a n d i d a t e f o r use i n l n u c l e a r v e n t i l a t i o n
systems. E l e c t r e t s a r e t h e e l e c t r i c a l c o u n t e r p a r t s o f magnets and a r e formed b y
h e a t i n g and c o o l i n g a polymer i n an i n t e n s e e l e c t r i c f i e l h . The p i o n e e r i n g work
o f van Turnhout and h i s c o l l agu s have l e d t o t h e p r a c t i c a l a p p l i c a t i o n o f
e l e c t r e t s i n f i b r o u s f i l t e r sr 7 y 8 f . They have developed a/ new c o n t i n u o u s
c h a r g i n g method t h a t a l l o w s t h e mass p r o d u c t i o n o f e l e c t r F t f i b e r s . The 11. V .
V e r t o Company (Rotterdam, The N e t h e r l a n d s ) has used t h i s method t o produce
e l e c t r e t f i l t e r s and began m a r k e t i n g t h e f i l t e r medium in1 1979.

111. Theory o f E l e c t r o f i b r o u s F i l i-
ter

D e v e l o p i n g an a c c u r a t e t h e o r y o f t h e e l e c t r o f i b r o u s f i l t e r i s an i m p o r t a n t
p a r t o f o u r f i l t r a t i o n program. T h i s t h e o r y w i l l be used t o o p t i m i z e t h e d e s i g n
o f o u r p r o t o t y p e e l e c t r o f i b r o u s f i l t e r s . Since a d e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n o f t h e
t h e o r y was I r e d p u b l i s h e d , we s h a l l D r i e f l y r e v i e w t h e e s s e n t i a l f e a t u r e s o f
t h e t h e ~ r y ( ~ , ~ , ~ The ~ T .dominant c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f t h e e l e c t r o f i b r o u s f i l t e r
t h a t must be t h e o r e t i c a l l y e x p l a i n e d a r e ( 1 ) t h e h i g h e r e f f i c i e n c y and ( 2 ) t h e
l o n g e r f i l t e r l i f e when compared t o a c o n v e n t i o n a l f i b r o u s f i l t e r . The i n c r e a s e d
f i l t e r e f f i c i e n c y due t o t h e a p p l i e d e l e c t r i c f i e l d was p r e v i o u s l y shown i n F i g . 1.

When an e x t e r n a l e l e c t r i c f i e l d i s f i r s t a p p l i e d t o t h e f i l t e r , t h e o n l y
c a p t u r e mechanism i s due t o t h e f o r c e s between a p o l a r i z e d f i b e r and a p o l a r i z e d
o r charged p a r t i c l e . The e l e c t r i c f i e l d i n s t a n t l y p o l a r i z e s t h e f i b e r , which t h e n
a t t r a c t s b o t h charged and p o l a r i z e d p a r t i c l e s . The charged p a r t i c l e s t h a t d e p o s i t
on t h e f i b e r t h e n g r a d u a l l y b u i l d up a f i b e r charge which i n t r o d u c e s t h e second
mechanism. T h i s mechanism i s based on t h e f o r c e between charged f i b e r s and
charged o r p o l a r i z e d p a r t i c l e s . The i n c r e a s e d f i l t e r e f f i c i e n c y i s t h u s due t o a
t i m e independent a t t r a c t i o n between p o l a r i z e d f i b e r s and a e r o s o l s , and a t i m e
dependent a t t r a c t i o n between charged f i b e r s and a e r o s o l s . An e q u i l i b r i u m charge
i s e s t a b l i s h e d on t h e f i b e r i n a dynamic process o f charge a c c u m u l a t i o n due t o t h e
p a r t i c l e d e p o s i t s and charge d i s s i p a t i o n due t o t h e f i b e r c o n d u c t i v i t y . Other
r e s e a r c h e r s have n o t c o n s i d e r e d t h e t i m e dependent mechanism i n v o l v i n g f i b e r '4
cnarge and c o u l d t h e r e f o r e n o t e x p l a i n many e x p e r i m e n t a l f i n d i n g s . 9

F i g u r e 2 i l l u s t r a t e s t h e two p a r t i c l e c a p t u r e mechanisms t h a t a r e r e s p o n s i b l e
f o r i n c r e a s i n g t h e f i l t e r e f f i c i e n c y . The l a r g e r and s m a l l e r c i r c l e s r e p r e s e n t
t n e c r o s s s e c t i o n s o f t h e f i b e r s and t h e charged p a r t i c l e s r e s p e c t i v e l y . The
s o l i d l i n e s a r e t h e e l e c t r i c a l l i n e s o f force, w h i l e theIdashed l i n e s a r e t h e
p a r t i c l e t r a j e c t o r i e s f o r t h e two c a p t u r e mechanisms. Triese c a p t u r e mechanisms
a r e due t o t h e i n t e r a c t i o n between a p o l a r i z e d f i b e r a n d l a charged p a r t i c l e , and

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 the interaction between a charged fiber and a charged particle. The same basic
mechanisms are also valid for uncharged particles, in which case, we must replace
the charged particles with polarized particles.

1.t

Polarized fiber - charged particle 1.c

(fiber polarized by electric field)
a"
Y
I
0 a
I
d

0.5

I
Charged fiber -'charged particle 0.0
(fiber charged from the deposition 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
of charged particles) Particle mass - g

Figure 2 Figure 3
Electrical capture mechanisms The appl ied electric fie1 d increases
responsible for the increased the filter service 1 ife,
filter efficiency.

The second Characteristic of electrofibrous filters is the increased service

life when compared to a conventional fibrous filter. Fig. 3 shows the pressure
drop across two similar filters operated with and without an electric field during
filter clogging. The filter operating with an applied electric field has a
considerable extension in service life compared to the conventional filter. This
extension in filter life is due to changes in the particle deposition around
inaividual fibers on a microscopic scale and changes in the particle deposition
through the filter bed on a macroscopic scale, Both of the changes in the
particle deposition are a direct consequence of the increased collection
efficiency of the individual fibers.
The extension in filter life due to the macroscopic change i n particle
deposits is primari ue to the variation in the fiber packing density within a
filter. Lamb et a1 ~ ' i l have
~ shown that the fiber packing density within most
filters vary greatly, the outer surface having a much lower density than the
interior portion. In the absence of an electric field, the particles penetrate to
a region within the filter where the packing density is higher, therefore forming
a heavy deposit within the filter volume. This type of deposit is shown
schematically in Fig. 4A. However, with an electric field, the particles are

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 c a p t u r e d by f i b e r s on t h e f r o n t f a c e o f t h e f i l t e r , where more p a r t i c l e d e p o s i t s
can be accommodated because t h e f i b e r p a c k i n g d e n s i t y is1 v e r y low. The i n c r e a s e d
f i b e r e f f i c i e n c y due t o t h e e l e c t r i c f i e l d i s r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e enhanced
p a r t i c l e c o l l e c t i o n on t h e f r o n t f a c e o f t h e f i l t e r . F i g . 4 shows t h a t t h e
p a r t i c l e d e p o s i t s on t h e f r o n t f a c e of t h e f i l t e r f o r m a~more open s t r u c t u r e ( F i g .
4B) t h a n t h e d e p o s i t s w i t h i n t h e f i l t e r volume ( F i g . 4A).
On a m i c r o s c o p i c s c a l e , t h e e f f e c t of t h e a p p l i e d e l l e c t r i c f i e l d i s t o extend
t h e p e r i o d i n which t h e p a r t i c l e d e p o s i t s a r e i n t h e f i r s t s t a g e o f f i l t e r
c l o g g i n g . Payatakes has c h a r a c t e r i z e d f i l t e r c l o g g i n g ajs a s e q u e n t i a l p
which t h e morphology o f p a r t i c l e d e p o s i t s goes t h r o u g h f o u r m a j o r stages
I n t h e f i r s t s t a g e p a r t i c l e s d e p o s i t d i r e c t l y on t h e f i b j e r and f o r m a random
c o v e r i n g o f i s o l a t e d p a r t i c l e s . I n t h e second stage, p a r t i c l e s d e p o s i t
p r e f e r e n t i a l l y on p r e v i o u s l y d e p o s i t e d p a r t i c l e s and f o r m extended p a r t i c l e c h a i n s
c a l l e d d e n d r i t e s . T h i s s t a g e o f f i l t e r c l o g g i n g i s i l l u s t r a t e d i n F i g . 5A where
t h e l a r g e and s m a l l c i r c l e s r e p r e s e n t t h e f i b e r and p a r t / i c l e d e p o s i t s
r e s p e c t i v e l y . The d e n d r i t e s i n t e r m e s h w i t h n e i g h b o r i n g d e n d r i t e s i n t h e t h i r d
s t a g e and b r i d g e between n e i g h b o r i n g f i b e r s i n t h e f o u r t l h and f i n a l s t a g e o f
f i l t e r c l o g g i n g . W i t h a superimposed e l e c t r i c f i e l d , t h e i n c r e a s e d c o l l e c t i o n
e f f i c i e n c y r e s u l t s i n a more dense and u n i f o r m s u r f a c e cloverage d u r i n g t h e e a r l y
stages o f f i l t e r c l o g g i n g as shown i n F i g . 5B. The e l e c l t r i c a l f o r c e s cause
p a r t i c l e s t o d e p o s i t on t h e downstream s i d e o f t h e f i b e q and f i l l i n t h e open
spaces on t h e upstream s i d e t h a t were i n a c c e s s i b l e t o mechanical c a p t u r e . Thus
f o r t h e same q u a n t i t y o f p a r t i c l e s t r a p p e d on a f i b e r , tihe d e p o s i t s formed due t o
e l e c t r i c a l c a p t u r e a r e i n s t a g e 1 ( F i g . 5 6 ) w h i l e t h e d e p o s i t s formed due t o
mechanical c a p t u r e a r e in s t a g e 2 ( F i g . 5A). The lower I a i r r e s i s t a n c e o f t h e
d e p o s i t s i n s t a g e 1 accounts f o r t h e decreased p r e s s u r e d r o p when f i l t e r s a r e
o p e r a t e d w i t h an e l e c t r i c f i e l d .

8a Figure 5

A Schematic of
p a r t i c l e deposits
on a f i b e r ( A )
w i t h o u t an e l e c t r i c
f i e l d and (B) w i t h
an e l e c t r i c f i e l d .

A B
Figure 4
Schematic o f t h e f i l t e r c r o s s s e c t i o n B
showing t h e p a r t i c l e d e p o s i t s [A) w i t h -
o u t an e l e c t r i c f i e l d and (B) w i t h an
electric field.

I V . Desisn C r i t e r i a f o r P r o t o t w e Electrol'ibrous F i l t e r s

The d e s i g n of a p r o t o t y p e e l e c t r o f i b r o u s f i l t e r fot; n u c l e a r v e n t i l a t i o n
systems r e q u i r e s making a number o f d e c i s i o n s on key f i l l t e r parameters. The
c r i t e r i a used f o r making t h e s e d e c i s i o n s a r e summarized i n T a b l e I .

-6-
 Tab e I . Des gn c r i t e r i a f o r e l e c t r o f i b r o u s f i l t e r s

D e s i g n parameter Criterion

P hys ic a 1 d imens ion s 610 x 610 x 305 mm

K e s i stance l e s s t h a n 250 Pa
Face v e l o c i t y minimum v a l u e
F i l t e r medium minimum flammability
minimum conductivity
minimum f i b e r packing d e n s i t y
minimum compressibility
minimum water a d s o r p t i o n
High voltage electrodes maximum open a r e a
good s t r u c t u r a l s u p p o r t f o r f i l t e r medium
good e l e c t r i c a l c o n t a c t w i t h medium
optimum e l e c t r i c f i e l d [ o r i e n t a t i o n
good i n s u l a t i o n f r o m ground
high e l e c t r i c a l resistance
H i g h v o l t a g e power s u p p l y maximum d.c. v o l t a g e
automatic s h u t down d u r i n g o v e r l o a d
Efficiency maximum v a l u e
Dust h o l d i n g c a p a c i t y maximum v a l u e
cost minimum v a l u e
Waste v o i ume minimum v a l u e
Medium replacement minimum e f f o r t
Electrical safety minimum hazard

We have n o t been a b l e t o a s s i g n s p e c i f i c c r i e r i a t o t h e d i f f e r e n t parameters

because most of t h e parameters a r e i n t e r d e p e n d e n t and r e q u i r e and o p t i m i z a t i o n
study. F o r example, d e c r e a s i n g t h e f i b e r p a c k i n g d e n s i t y o f t h e f i l t e r medium
W i l l i n c r e a s e t h e d u s t h o l d i n g c a p a c i t y , b u t w i l l a l s o decrease t h e f i l t e r
e f f i c i e n c y and r e s i s t a n c e . We p l a n t o conduct t h i s o p t i m i z a t y i n t h e near
i 3: st\ flj.
f u t u r e u s i n g o u r t h e o r e t i c a l models o f e l e c t r o f i b r o u s f i l t e r s Although
we have n o t y e t e s t a b l i s h e d t h e optimum d e s i g n c r i t e r i a , we were a b l e t o s e l e c t
approximate parameter v a l u e s t h a t would r e s u l t i n a s a t i s f a c t o r y f i l t e r design,
a l t r l o u g h b y no means optimum. The s e l e c t i o n o f t h e s e parameter v a l u e s was based
on choosing a reasonable v a l u e f o r t h e most i m p o r t a n t parameters f i r s t and t h e n
a d j u s t i n g t h e r e m a i n i n g parameters a c c o r d i n g t o t h e c r i t e r i a i n T a b l e I wherever
possible.

The s t a r t i n g p o i n t f o r t h e f i l t e r d e s i g n i s t h e p h y s i c a l dimensions and t h e

maximum r e s i s t a n c e of t h e p r o t o t y p e f i l t e r , which we have chosen t o be t h e same as
t h e s t a n d a r d HEPA f i l t e r . These dimensions and f i l t e r r e s i s t a n c e have become an
i n t e r n a t i o n a l s t a n d a r d i n h i g h e f f i c i e n c y f i l t r a t i o n systems. M a i n t a i n i n g t h e
same parameter v a l u e s would a l l o w t h e e l e c t r o f i b r o u s p r e f i l t e r t o be e v a l u a t e d and
used i n any e x i s t i n g f i l t e r h o l d e r f o r HEPA f i l t e r s .

-7-
 After the physical dimensions,
the most important design parameter
is the f.ilter face velocity, which
should h(;ve a minimum value. A lower
face velocity will decrease the
filter resistance and increase the
filter efficiency and dust holding
capacity, Figure 6 illustrates the
increased filter efficiency for
electrofibrous filters due to a
decreased face velocity. This figure
shows the efficiency as a function of
the applied electric field for the
same filcer operated at three
0 0.16 m/s different face velocities. A lower
0 0.32m/s face velocity produces a higher
filter efficiency because the
A 0.65 m/s electricdl forces have a longer time
to attract particles to the filter
fibers. The most common technique
for decreasing the face velocity is
to increase the filtering area by
pleating the filtering element; the
0.5 1.o 1.5 number o f pleats being governed Dy
the thickness of the filtering
Electric field, MV/m element and the ease o f r e p l a c i n g t h e
Figure 6 filter medium.

Filter efficiency as a function o f electri'c The next important design

field for two layers of AF-18 tested at parameter to be resolved is the
different f l o w velocities. selection of a filter medium thdt
meets the criteria listed i n
Table I. The criterion for a niaximum
resistance of 250 Pa eliminated the
fabric media that is typically used in bag nouse filters. These filters generally
have resistances that greatly exceed our criterion. We, therefore, selected the
deep bed fibrous media for our electrofibrous filters. The medium should be
nonflammable to avoid potential fires in the ventilation system. It snould have a
minimum conductivity to prevent short circuiting the hign voltage electrodes. A
medium With lower conductivity also increases the filter collection efficiency due
to the charged fiber mechanism shown in Fig. 2. Filters with high conductivity
will not be able to maintain a large fiber charge because the charge will bleed
away. Unfortunately real materials do not generally nieet both of these criteria.
For example, glass fibers are nonflammable but are moderately conductive. In
contrast, plastic fibers have very low conductivities, but are flammable.
The criterion for the filter medium to have a minimum fiber packing
density was established to increase the filter dust holding capacity. Lamb et
a1 have shown that electrofibrous filters with a low fiber packing density
than filters with a high fiber packing density W).
have a significantly lower increase in pressur rop during filter clogging
Unfortunately, this
lower pressure drop increase is obtained at the expense of a decreased filter
efficiency. This undesirable effect can be minimized by designing a filter
medium with a graduated fiber packing density. Most filter media already have
a significant gradation in the fiber packing density because of the
manufacturing techniques used to make the media. Lamb et a1 nave shown that
this gradation is a major factor contributing to the lower pressure drop of

-8 -
 I 1 I I C
electrofibrous filters during filter
12 I clogging. However, we believe that
0 Clean 8 Clogged far better results can be achieved by
designing a filter with the optimum
gradation in fiber packing density.
Another property of the filter
medium that is closely related to the
fiber packing density is the
compressibility of the filter mat.
Since compressing the filter mat will
increase the fiber packing density and
consequently the pressure drop, we

LL
want to have filter media that has a
0 minimum compressibility. Figure 7
0 20 40 60 80 100 shows the filter compression that
Velocity , cm/s occurs due to the air flow through the
media. We have plotted the filter
Figure 7 thickness as a function of the air
velocity for clean and clogged AF-4
Filter thickness as a function of air and AF-18 filters. We see that the
f l o w velocity for clean and clogged AF-18 medium is only moderately
AF-4 and AF-18 filters. compessed compared to the AF-4
medium. Figure 7 also shows that
there is an additional compression due
to the particle deposits in clogged
filters. Althouqh this additional
compression is insignificant for the AF-18 medium, it is very large for the AF-4
riiedium. The increased compression for the AF-4 medium is due to the smaller
diameter fibers that are easier to bend. The AF-4 filter has a median fiber
diameter of 0.73pm while the AF-18 filter has a median fiber diameter of
3.5 p m .
The final criterion listed in Table I for the ideal filter medium is a
minimum water adsorption. It is a well established phenomenon that water
adsorbed on an insulator will dramatically increase the surface conductivity. For
exa ple, the surface conductivity of soda lime glass increaf73)from 10-l' to
lo-' mhos as the relative humidity increases from 40 to 90% . This
i n c r e a s e d c o n d u c t i v i t y w i l l lead t o an increased c u r r e n t flow and e v e n t u a l l y s h o r t
circuiting across the high voltage electrodes.
This phenomenon is illustrated in Fig. 8 which shows the filter efficiency and
the electrode current as a function of the relative humidity. The data was
obtained using an AF-18 medium sandwiched between two electrode screens as shown
in Fig. 1. Since sodium chloride aerosols are hygroscopic, we used DOP aerosols
generated Dy nebulizing a solution o f DOP in alcohol. Efficiencies were
determined using a Sinclair-Phoenix light scattering photometer. Figure 8 shows
that the filter efficiency witn and without an applied voltage remains constant
over the relative humidities tested. Below 70% relative humidity, the electrode
current i's less than 0.5 PA. However, beyond 80% relative humidity, the current
rapidly increases until there is a snort circuiting across the electrodes at 90%
relative humidity. Since the water adsorption is much less for most plastics than
for glass (e.g., polypropylene absorbs about 0.02% water compared to 0.3% for
glass), we would expect that electrof brous filters made from plastic fibers can
operate at a much higher relative hum dity.

-9-
100 - 200

80 - = O r + : 150
5
c,
-
E
aJ
L
60 L
3 Figure 8
V
100
-0 F i l t e r e f f i c i e n c y and
0
L
40 c, e l e c t r o d e c u r r e n t as a f u n c t i o n
u o f re1,ative humidity f o r
50 EI
Q,
.
e l e c t r o f ib r o u s f i 1t e r
20

0 0

A l t h o u g h we have n o t y e t conducted an e x t e n s i v e searc.h o f t h e a v a i l a b l e media

f o r use i n o u r e l e c t r o f i b r o u s f i l t e r s , we have made a t e o t a t i v e s e l e c t i o n based on
t h e c r i t e r i a d i s c u s s e d above. We chose a g l a s s f i b r o u s f L i l t e r p r i m a r i l y because
i t i s nonflammable and has r e a s o n a b l e v a l u e s f o r t h e c o n d u c t i v i t y , f i b e r p a c k i n g
d e n s i t y , c o m p r e s s i b i l i t y and w a t e r a d s o r p t i o n . Moreover, t h e s e f i l t e r s a r e
i n e x p e n s i v e and a v a i l a b l e i n l a r g e q u a n t i t i e s . The most f r e q u e n t l y used medium i n
o u r p r o t o t y p e f i l t e r s i s t h e AF-18 f i l t e r o b t a i n e d f r o m Johns M a n v i l l e . We have
a l r e a d y i l l u s t r a t e d t y p i c a l performance d a t a f o r t h e i n c r e a s e d e f f i c i e n c y , t h e
increased s e r v i c e l i f e ( F i g . 3), t h e e f f e c t o f f a c e v e l o c i t y ( F i g . 6), t h e
c o m p r e s s i b i l i t y ( F i g . 7 ) , and t h e e f f e c t s o f w a t e r a d s o r p t i o n ( F i g . 8 ) .

Once we have s e l e c t e d t h e p r o p e r f i l t e r medium, we m i s t d e t e r m i n e t h e optimum

d e s i g n f o r t h e h i g h v o l t a g e e l e c t r o d e s based on t h e c r i t e r i a i n T a b l e I . These
e l e c t r o d e s must have a maximum open a r e a t o m i n i m i z e t h e a i r r e s i s t a n c e and t o
p r e v e n t b l i n d i n g t h e f i l t e r medium. We f o u n d t h a t t h e f r o n t e l e c t r o d e can b l i n d
o f f a m a j o r f r a c t i o n o f t h e f i l t e r s u r f a c e and t h e r e b y a c c e l e r a t e t h e c l o g g i n g
process. To p r e v e n t t h e b l i n d i n g problem on t h e f r o n t e l e c t r o d e , we s e l e c t e d a
w i r e screen e l e c t r o d e w i t h o v e r 90% open area. Moreover,, s i n c e t h e f r o n t
e l e c t r o d e does n o t s u p p o r t t h e f i l t e r medium i t does n o t have t o have a r i g i d
construction. I n contrast, t h e major c r i t e r i o n f o r t h e r e a r e l e c t r o d e i s t o
p r o v i d e a good s t r u c t u r a l s u p p o r t f o r t h e f i l t e r medium. The r e a r e l e c t r o d e can
have a r e l a t i v e l y s m a l l open a r e a s i n c e i t can n o t b l i n d t h e f i l t e r medium and
adds v e r y l i t t l e r e s i s t a n c e . We t h e r e f o r e s e l e c t e d a p e i c f o r a t e d m e t a l sheet w i t h
a 40% open a r e a f o r o u r r e a r e l e c t r o d e .

One o f t h e most i m p o r t a n t c r i t e r i a f o r t h e d e s i g n o f t h e h i g h v o l t a g e
e l e c t r o d e s i s a good e l e c t r i c a l c o n t a c t w i t h t h e f i l t e r medium. We have shown
t h a t i f t h e f i l t e r medium does n o t have good e l e c t r i c a l c o n t a c t W i t h t h e
e l e c t r o d e s , t h e e l e c t r o f ' b r us f i l t e r w i l l have t h e same performance as a f i l t e r
w i t h no a p p l i e d v o l t a g e.7'9'( T h i s phenomenon o c c u r s bec,:ause t h e f i b e r charge
m i g r a t e s across t h e f i l t e r bed and accumulates n e x t t o t h e e l e c t r o d e s i f t h e y a r e
n o t i n c o n t a c t w i t h t h e medium. The accumulated charge c r e a t e s an e l e c t r i c f i e l d
w i t h i n t h e f i l t e r medium t h a t c a n c e l s t h e f i e l d produced b y t h e h i g h v o l t a g e
e l e c t r o d e s . However, i f t h e e l e c t r o d e s a r e i n c o n t a c t w i t h t h e medium, t h e f i b e r

-1 0-
charge that migrates to the electrodes is neutralized and therefore can not reduce
the electric field generated by the electrodes. One of the primary causes for
losing electrode contact with the medium is the compression due to air flow as
seen in Fig. 7.
The criterion for designing the high voltage electrode for the optimum
electric field orientation is.not well established. All of our studies have been
conducted with the electric field either parallel or anti parallel to the air
flow. No change in the filter efficiency was observed with either orientation.
We chose to apply high voltage to the rear electrode in our prototype filters to
minimize the possibility of particle deposits creating a leak path or even a short
circuit between the high voltage and the grounded filter housing. Grounding the
front electrode also provides an additional safety feature against accidental
short circuits and electric shock hazard.
Lamb et a1 have performed a series of experimen n the effect of the
electric field orientation on the filter efficiencylf4?. They concluded that
the electric field perpendicular to the air flow produced a much higher filter
efficiency than the field parallel or anti parallel to the air flow.
Unfortunately the electrodes were not contacting the filter medium in the
experiments with the parallel and anti parallel configuration, thereby
invalidating the conclusions. The optimum field orientation for the maximum
filter efficiency must still be determined.
The criterion for having electrodes with a high electrical resistanc
established to minimize the potential for sparking across the electrodes h sa:
Sparking across the electrodes is undesirable because of the potential fire hazard
ana the decreased voltage a r s the electrodes which decreases the filter
efficiency. Thompson et a1 f1'7 have shown that the use o f high resistance
electrodes can significantly reduce the potential for sparKing across the
electrodes. High resistance electrodes also reduce the probability for accidental
short circuits and electric shock hazards. We should also point out that the high
resistance electrodes will not reduce the electric field compared to highly
conductive electrodes at the same applied voltage. However the high resistance
electrodes must have a sufficient conductivity to pass the currents due to the
particle c h a r g e ~ ( ~ 9 ~ ) .
In our design concept we considered the electrodes to be a permanent part of
the filter unit and the filter medium as a disposable element. We should point
out that the electrodes can also be fabricated as an integral part of the filter
medium. In this case the electrodes and filter medium are discarded as an
integrdl unit wnen the medium becomes clogged. Including the electrodes as part
of the filter medium will increase the cost o f the medium but will also reduce the
cust and coniplexity of trre filter housing. A variety of different mesh electrodes
can be used for this purpose. For example, the glass fiber scrim that is
routinely sewn over the glass fiber media in commerc filters can have a
conductive coating applied and serve as an electrode?f% . We should emphasize
tnat the criteria listed in Table I for the electrodes also apply for the case
where tne electrodes are an integral part of the filter medium.
The final component of the.electrofibrous filter that must be specified is the
high voltage power supply. Our previous studies have shown that much h
filter efficiencies can be obtained using d.c. rather than a.c. voltageiy;g.
The decreased filter efficiency with a.c. voltage i s due to the elimination of the
charged fiber mechanism (Fig. 2) that results from the periodic reversal of the
electric field. The power supply must be capable of delivering the maximum d.c.
electric field that can be applied across the filter medium without shorting. The

-11-
e l e c t r i c f i e l d e q u a l s t h e a p p l i e d v o l t a g e d i v i d e d by t h e d i s t a n c e between t h e
e l e c t r o d e s . F o r t h e same e l e c t r i c f i e l d , t h e maximum ),oltage w i l l De low f o r
e l e c t r o d e s c l o s e l y spaced and h i g h f o r e l e c t r o d e s spaced f a r a p a r t . A compromise
must be reached between t h e g r e a t e r i n s u l a t i o n r e q u i r e i i e n t s a t h i g h e r v o l t a g e and
t h e i n c r e a s e d t o l e r a n c e r e q u i r e d f o r c l o s e l y spaced e l t x t r o d e s . We s e l e c t e d 10 mm
as t h e minimum e l e c t r o d e s e p a r a t i o n t h a t we c o u l d main1;ain a t r e a s o n a b l e
t o l e r a n c e s . A t t h i s s e p a r a t i o n , s p a r k i n g o c c u r s acres:: t h e e l e c t r o d e s a t 14-15 kV
d.c. w i t h t h e AF-18 medium.

I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e maximum o u t p u t v o l t a g e , we a l s o l n e e d t h e maximum e l e c t r o d e
c u r r e n t f o r s e l e c t i n g t h e p r o p e r power supply. A s see$ i n F i g . 8, t h e e l e c t r o d e
c u r r e n t i n c r e a s e s s i g n i f i c a n t l y above 80% r.h. u n t i l tl?e e l e c t r o d e s s h o r t c i r c u i t
a t 90% r.h. Below 70% r . h . t h e e l e c t r o d e c u r r e n t i s lflss t h a n 0.5 P A . Based o n
t h e s e c u r r e n t and v o l t a g e r e q u i r e m e n t s we s e l e c t e d a Spellman m i n i a t u r e d.c. power
s u p p l y t h a t was r a t e d up t o 15 kV a t 75 PA. However, t o p r o v i d e f o r a
s u f f i c i e n t s a f e t y f a c t o r a g a i n s t s h o r t i n g , we o n l y a p p l y 10 kV t o t h e h i g h v o l t a g e
e l e c t r o d e s i n o u r p r o t o t y p e f i l t e r s . We a l s o added a n l a u t o m a t i c s h u t - o f f d e v i c e
t o t h e power s u p p l y d u r i n g o v e r l o a d c o n d i t i o n s as an a d d i t i o n a l s a f e t y measure.

The r e m a i n i n g d e s i g n parameters l i s t e d i n T a b l e I d e s c r i b e t h e performance and

I
o p e r a t i n g c h a r a c t e r i s i t c s o f t h e e l e c t r o f i b r o u s f i l t e r . The performance
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s have been f i x e d by t h e c r i t e r i a e s t a b l i s h e d f o r t h e p h y s i c a l
dimensions, f a c e v e l o c i t y , f i l t e r medium, h i g h volage e l e c t r o d e s and t h e power
supply. These component parameters d e t e r m i n e t h e f o l l c ~ i w i n gf i l t e r parameters f o r
t h e p r o t o t y p e e l e c t r o f i b r o u s f i l t e r : e f f i c i e n c y , d u s t h o l d i n g c a p a c i t y , c o s t , and
waste volume. The success o f t h e e l e c t r o f i b r o u s p r e f i l l t e r i n meeting i t s
o b j e c t i v e t o reduce t h e f i l t r a t i o n c o s t and volume o f r a d i o a c t i v e waste depends on
t h e s e f i l t e r parameters. A l t h o u g h t h e a d d i t i o n o f a p r e f i l t e r w i l l g e n e r a l l y
e x t e n d t h e l i f e o f t h e HEPA f i l t e r , i t does n o t guarantee an o v e r a l l r e d u c t i o n i n
t h e f i l t e r c o s t o r t h e volume o f r a d i o a c t i v e waste. The added c o s t and waste due
t o t h e p r e f i l t e r may o f f s e t t h e s a v i n g s made i n t h e HEPA f i l t e r .

The d e s i g n parameters t h a t we d i s c u s s e d so f a r have a l l d e a l t w i t h t h e

performance o f t h e e l e c t r o f i b r o u s f i l t e r . A l t h o u g h d e s i g n i n g t h e f i l t e r t o meet
t h e performance c r i t e r i a i n T a b l e I i s a necessary conl.lition, i t i s n o t s u f f i c i e n t
f o r a widespread use i n n u c l e a r v e n t i l a t i o n systems. I n a d d i t i o n t o . g o o d
performance, t h e e l e c t r o f i b r o u s f i l t e r must be easy t o o p e r a t e and m a i n t a i n b y
maintenance p e r s o n n e l . T a b l e I l i s t s two i f t h e s e o p e r a t i o n a l and maintenance
items. The f i l t e r medium must be easy t o r e p l a c e and t h e h i g h v o l t a g e must n o t
c r e a t e a hazard t o e i t h e r p l a n t o p e r a t i o n o r p e r s o n n e l . The f i l t e r d e s i g n must be
capable o f m a i n t a i n i n g t h e d e s i g n performance i n a p l a n t environment w i t h minimum
maintenance. A more d e t a i l e d e v a l u a t i o n o f t h e p r a c t i c a l o p e r a t i o n o f t h e s e
e l e c t r o f i b r o u s f i l t e r s must a w a i t o u r f i e l d e v a l u a t i o n s .

V. Stationary Electrofibrous P r e f i l t e r

We have designed s e v e r a l p r o t o t y p e f i l t e r s f o r use i n n u c l e a r v e n t i l a t i o n

systems based i n t h e d e s i g n c r i t e r i a l i s t e d i n T a b l e I. Our f i r s t a t t e m p t a t
c r e a t i n g a p l e a t e d e l e c t r o f i b r o u s p r e f i l t e r i s shown i n F i g . 9. T h i s u n i t
c o n s i s t s o f two c o n t i n o u s , p l e a t e d e l e c t r o d e s w i t h t h e AF-18 medium sandwiched
between. The c o n t i n u o u s p l e a t s a r e r e a d i l y seen i n F i g . 9 where t h e s i d e panel
has been removed. The f r o n t e l e c t r o d e i s a s t a i n l e s s s t e e l screen w i t h 70% open
a r e a w h i l e t h e r e a r e l e c t r o d e i s a p e r f o r a t e d aluminum sheet w i t h 40% open area.
As shown i n F i g . 5, t h r e e i n s u l t a t e d spacer b a r s (one # i n t h e c e n t e r and one a t
b o t h ends) p r o v i d e t h e necessary s t r u c t u r a l s u p p o r t t o , m a i n t a i n t h e shape o f t h e
f r o n t e l e c t r o d e . W i t h o u t t h i s s u p p o r t , t h e e l e c t r o d e would behave l i k e a s p r i n g
and pop o u t o f t n e housing. Three a d d i t i o n a l i n s u l a t e d spacer b a r s ( n o t shown)

-1 2 -
 were used in a similar fashion t o
maintain the shape of the rear
electrode, Pushing in the spacer bars
would press the electrodes together
and make -a good contact with the
f i l t e r medium, A 10 rntn separation was
maintained between the front and r e a r
electrodes by three s t r i p s of rubber
t h a t were attached t o the rear
electrode.
The major d i f f i c u l t y i n t h i s
design i s I~iaintaining the proper
distance between the two electrodes t o
prevent sparking. This problem i s
i l l u s t r a t e d in Fig. 10 which s h o ~ san
enlarged view of the f i l t e r element.
B o t h of the electrodes would d i s t o r t
and buckle as the unit was assembled.
Although we t r i e d a riumber o f
different schemes t o maintain tne
proper electrode spacing, we were only
able t o a p p l y 6kV before sparking
occurred.
Anot~erprobletii with the design
i s the d i f f i c u l t y i n replacing the
f i l t e r medium. To remove the f i l t e r
medium, we have t o f i r s t reiiiove b o t h
s i d e panels, take o u t the three spacer
bars, gently pull o u t the f r o n t
electrode and f i n a l l y p u l l a u t the
~tiediurn. I t i s very d i f f i c u l t t o pull
o u t the front electrode because the
screen tends t o expand like a spring.
The rear electrode i s p e ~ i ~ a ~ i e n t l y
fastened t o the nousiig. Inserting a
new f i l t e r medium requires the reverse
of these steps, a l t h o u g h the process
i s more d i f f i c u l t . The f i l t e r mediui~i
f i r s t has t o be cdrefully tucked i n t o
a l l of the deep pleats, Inserting the
f r o n t electrode screen i s especially
d i f f i c u l t becpuse the screen does n o t
maintajn i t s form a n d tends t o behave
like an accordian. The f i l t e r med~ur~i
would frequently t e a r in t h i s step.
Thk-entire process f o r replacing t h e
f i l t e r mediuin takes up t o four hours,
~ r u g ~ l with
i n ~ minor design
nients t o reduce the Sparking
probleq and make the riredia r e p l a ~ e ~ ~ n ~
Figure 10 easier, we fina?ly ~ b a n d ~ n etdh e
design.
Enlarged view o f the pleated f i l t e r
element.

-1 3-
 . - "_ "._.,..,.* ".. .x.. I ill

. . %We then evaluated the

to the ASHRAE

rs and instruments for

g air flow, filter

ciency, dust holding capacity,

contolled laboratory conditions.
As previously discussed, these
es are necessary to determine
the cost benefit of the
Figure 13 rous prefilter in
he cost and radioactive
uc lear vent i 1at ion
Stationary electrofi brous prefilter
the modular ground electrode partia
* .
So far w e have only
he filter efficiency as
removed from the filter housin n of applied voltage at
(1000 cfrn) using
sodium chloride aerosols (MMAD =
l.@m and ag = 2.0)
d voltage for the
grades of filter media.
ich decreases in sequence
f o r the AF-18, AF-4 an
smaller fiber diameter
with larger fioer diameters
ncreases from 313.1

our maximum
filter.

e lectrof i b r o

-1 5-
 100

80
M

>,
. Figure 1 4
0
c 60
a
.r Filter efficiency o f the
V
-l-
0 AF-3 AP=431Pa stationary electrofibrous
re
w 40 a AF-4 AP=229Pa I prefil ter as a function
Q-

o f the applied voltage

for AF-3, AF-4 -and AF-18
20 d
A AF-18 AP=60Pa media.

01 I I I I I 1
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Appl ied Voltage, kV
VI. Rolling Electrofibrous Prerfilter
One of the most serious accidents that can occur i n a nuclear facility is a
fire. A critical factor that increases the severity of! a fire is the potential
loss of the ventilation system due to the plugging of tlEPA filters by smoke
aerosols. A recent report by Alvares et a1 summarizes the results of a ten year
study to develop o ntermeasures to protect HEPA filters from heat and smoke
generated by f iref7r. They identified the following three countermeasures to
mitigate the problem:
materials management to reduce the quantity of' combustible materials,
1)
conventional fire detection and fire suppression techniques,
2)
Smoke removal or treatment in the ventilation duct upstream of the HEPA
3)
filter.
Alvares et a1 concluded tnat facilities having a molderate quantity of
combustible material and conventional fire management systems would be adequate to
prevent the plugging of HEPA filters during potential fires. They also concluded
that an in-duct countermeasure is necessary in facilities hav ng a high fire risk.
We became interested in the smoke problem as an extension of our program to
develop electrofibrous prefilters for prolonging the l.ife of HEPA filters.
Although we were primarily concerned with protecting the HEPA filter from the
aerosols generated during normal operations, we could not ignore the problem of
smoke aerosols plugging the HEPA filter. Since our program was just beginning a
hardware development phase in 1978, we initiated a joint program with Alvares and
his collegues to develop a prefiltration system that hIid the potential for
effectively removing normal production aerosols as well as fire generated smoke
aerosols. The difficulty of the task had been well established in various
attempts to remove the smoke aerosols. Among the variyus hods examined were
wet scrubbers, afterburners, granular beds and prefi l t w s (T'j. Although
efficient prefilters appeared to stop the smoke aerosoils, they were also rapidly
plugged. Because of the tar like property of the smoke aerosols, cleanable
prefilters, like those used in bag houses, would not o,ffer any benefit. Once the
smoke aerosol deposited on a filter, the particle depo!;it could not be removed.

-1 6-
 It became very for removing smoke
g the prefilter once
it had plugged. Two gene roaches can be taken for replacing the plugged
filter; replacing individ ter units in a batch'process or replacing the
filter medium in a continuous process. Since the filter industry had nothing
available fur replacing individual filter units but had an extensive selection of
rolling filters, we selected the rolling prefilter (KPF) concept for further
development. Two preliminary experiments were conducted to examine the
feasibility of the concept. Gaskill et a1 had previously evaluated the RPF
concept using three la of cheese cloth that were pulled across the ventilation
duct with a hand cranky7'8j. Although the smoke concentration was very low, the
test demonstrated the cycle of increasing and decreasing pressure drop across the
prefilter as the medium would be periodically advanced. Alvares et a1 conducted a
more string t evaluation using an automated RPF that was rented from t h e Andersen
CorporationTy9). This evaluation confirmed that the KPF concept was capaclle of
protecting the HEPA filter from extreme smoke concentrations. Unfortun~tely,
using the Andersen unit as a prefilter t o HEPA filters would require the
installation of hign pressure blowers and associated hardware, and therefore was
not considered practical for use in nuclear ventilation systems.
Our objective was to establish the feasibility of a RPF that could operate in
nuclear ventilation systems with a low pressure drop and still protect the HEPA
filter from plugging due to smoke aerosols. Since there were no commercial RPFs
that nad the required high efficiency and low pressure drop, our strategy was to
idodify the filter housing and filter media of commercial units until the desired
results were obtained. The modifications made to the filter housing corisisted of
removing sharp edges that could tear the filter media, sealing minor leak paths in
the reservoirs holding the filter supply and take-up spools, adding an additional
rear screen to support the filter tnedium and extending the blinders used to
prevent edge leakage(l7). Figure 15 shows the inlet side of the rolling filter
purchased froin American Air Filter after these modifications were made for our
evaluation.

Figure 15
Commercial roll ing
pref i 1ter ( R P F )
modified f o r h i g h
effi c i en cy.

-1 7-
Lami na ted f i 1

-
 r 1 1
\ 1 I 1 L
1
fu 1 1- Baseline - no RPF
3.0 -
n 4
3i 4 2- RPF
n
m
3 3- AF-18 + W F
0
L 4 - AF-18 + AF-18 + RPF L Figure 17
U 5- AF-18 + AF-4 + E F
aJ
L
J
v)
m
C9 m l e n g t h )
6- AF-18 + AF-4 + FG'F - Effect of filter media
on the RPF's ability
aJ (18 m l e n g t h )
L to protect the HEPA
p. -. fi 1 ter from pl ugging
2 by smoke aerosols.
w
I -
6 -
0, I I L I I 1 1
4

RPF H EPA
1 I 1
ORPF Pressure drop - 600
1.2 O H E P A Pressure drop

i
l
u
CL
r:
a
m
0.8 400
0
L
U
01
L
1
v)
v)
aJ 0.4 200
L
e

0 I I 10
0 1 2
time, ks

Figure 18 Operating parameters for the RPF-HEPA filter system

as a function o f exposure time to smoke aerosols.

supply spool so that it could accommodate 18 m of laminated media. The results,

shown as test number 6., indicate that the RPF is able to protect the HEPA filter
from plugging for the duration of a fire. The fire had self extinguished and was
reduced to a smoldering condition at 3600 seconds, at which time we terminated
the test. During this test we had used 12 m o f prefilter media and the pressure
drop across the HEPA filter increased from

-1 9-
 250 Pa t o 400 Pa. A more e x t e n s i v e a n a l y s i s o f experim$nt number 6 i s shown i n
F i g . 18. T h i s f i g u r e shows t h e p r e s s u r e d r o p across the; HEPA f i l t e r and p r e f i l t e r
and t h e t o t a l a i r f l o w r a t e d u r i n g t h e f i r s t 2400 seconc,ls o f t h e burn. The
o s c i l l a t i o n s i n t h e p r e s s u r e d r o p across t h e p r e f i l t e r y e due t o r e p e a t e d c y c l e s
o f f i l t e r p l u g g i n g and f i l t e r advancement. Note t h a t tile p r e s s u r e f l u c t u a t i o n s
across t h e p r e f i l t e r a r e a l s o r e f l e c t e d i n t h e f l o w r a t e and t h e p r e s s u r e d r o p
a c r o s s t h e HEPA f i l t e r .

A l t h o u g h we have shown t h a t t h e s i n g l e pass RPF i s iin e f f e c t i v e means f o r

p r o t e c t i n g HEPA f i l t e r s f r o m smoke a e r o s o l s , i t s e x c l u s - i v e use as an emergency
f i r e p r o t e c t i o n d e v i c e i s n o t c o s t e f f e c t i v e . However,,.if t h e RPF were designed
t o a l s o f u n c t i o n as a p r e f i l t e r t o extend t h e l i f e o f HEiPA f i l t e r s under normal
o p e r a t i n g c o n d i t i o n s , t h e n t h e RPF would become a c o s t f ; f f e c t i v e device. The o n l y
d i f f e r e n c e between normal and emergency o p e r a t i o n s woulcj be t h e i n d e x i n g f r e q u e n c y
o f t h e p r e f i l t e r media, which i s c o n t r o l l e d by i t s pres!;ure d i f f e r e n t i a l .

U n f o r t u n a t e l y , t h e s i n g l e pass d e s i g n o f t h e RPF ca(inot be used f o r a

c o n v e n t i o n a l p r e f i l t e r t h a t o p e r a t e s under normal condi.tions because o f t h e
e x c e s s i v e p r e s s u r e d r o p t h a t would be encountered. Forlexample, t h e i n i t i a l
p r e s s u r e d r o p across t h e RPF t h a t was used t o generate .the d a t a i n F i g . 18 i s
200 Pa a t 260 t / s . However, s i n c e s t a n d a r d v e n t i l a t i o n l d u c t s have f l o w r a t e s o f
472 2 / s ( l W c f m ) , t h e c o r r e s p o n d i n g p r e s s u r e d r o p f o r t h e RPF would be 363 Pa.
A p r e f i l t e r w i t h such a h i g h p r e s s u r e d r o p would n o t b e l a c c e p t a b l e i n t h e n u c l e a r
i n d u s t r y . The c o n v e n t i o n a l method f o r r e d u c i n g t h e p r e s s u r e d r o p i s t o i n c r e a s e
t h e f i l t e r s u r f a c e a r e a by p l e a t i n g t h e medium. We were t h e r e f o r e l e d t o t h e
concept o f a p l e a t e d r o l l i n g p r e f i l t e r . I n keeping w i t h o u r t e r m i n o l o g y f o r t h e
s i n g l e pass RPF, we s h a l l d e s i g n a t e t h i s p l e a t e d f i l t e r a m u l t i - p a s s RPF.

However, b e f o r e p r o c e e d i n g w i t h t h e development o f t h e m u l t i - p a s s RPF, we must

e s t a b l i s h t h a t i t can a l s o p r o t e c t HEPA f i l t e r s f r o m smoke a e r o s o l s . A l t h o u g h we
have a l r e a d y e s t a b l i s h e d t h i s f a c t f o r t h e s i n g l e pass :IPF, t h e l o w e r f a c e
v e l o c i t y i n t h e m u l t i - p a s s RPF may r e s u l t i n a lower e f f i c i e n c y . We t h e r e f o r e
e v a l u a t e d t h e s i n g l e pass RPF a t
a face velocity t h a t i s
comparable t o t h a t i n a
T
I 1 I I 1.
m u l t i - p a s s RPF. F i g u r e 19 shows
the r e s u l t s o f t h i s evaluation

200 - Base1 ine RPF

- t h a t was conducted a t 47 !L/s
(100 cfm). T h i s f l o w r a t e
corresponds t o a f a c e v e l o c i t y o f
20 cm/s t h r o u g h t h e RPF. F i g u r e
19 shows t h e p r e s s u r e drop a c r o s s
l
a t h e HEPA f i l t e r as a f u n c t i o n o f
n
- t h e t i m e exposed t o smoke
a e r o s o l s . The b a s e l i n e t e s t w i t h
no RPF shows t h a t t h e HEPA f i l t e r
p l u g s a t a p p r o x i m a t e l y t h e same
t i m e a’s seen i n F i g . 17 f o r t h e
Ln
In media removed h i g h e r f l o w . We t h e n i n s t a l l e d
aJ t h e RPIF w i t h t h e l a m i n a t e d media
ko; I I I 1 1 c o n s i s t i n g o f AF-18, AF-4 and t h e
RPF me,dium. F i g u r e 19 shows t h a t
t h e RPlF was v e r y e f f e c t i v e i n
p r o t e c t i n g t h e HEPA f i l t e r f r o m
F i g u r e 19. P r e s s u r e d r o p a c r o s s t h e HEPA pluggilng up t o 2300 seconds i n t o
f i l t e r a t a r e d u c e d f l o w as a t h e burn. A t t h i s time, we
f u n c t i o n o f exposure t i m e t o removed t h e f i l t e r media f r o m t h e
smoke a e r o s o l s w i t h and w i t h o u t
a RPF.

-20-
RPF, t h e r e b y exposing t h e HEPA f i l t e r d i r e c t l y t o t h e smoke a e r o s o l s . The r a p i d
p l u g g i n g o f t h e HEPA f i l t e r a t t h i s t i m e c o n f i r m s t h a t t h e RPF i s a l s o v e r y
e f f e c t i v e a t low f a c e v e l o c i t i e s . These t e s t s demonstrate t h a t t h e m u l t i - p a s s RPF
s h o u l d a l s o be v e r y e f f e c t i v e i n p r o t e c t i n g HEPA f i l t e r s f r o m smoke aerosols.

Develoment o f t h e K o l l i n a E l e c t r o f i b r o u s P r e f i l t e r

We have a l r e a d y s t a t e d t h a t t h e development o f a m u l t i - p a s s RPF t h a t o p e r a t e s

under normal c o n d i t i o n s as an o r d i n a r y p r e f i l t e r and under f i r e emergency
c o n d i t i o n s as a f i r e p r o t e c t i o n d e v i c e i s c o s t e f f e c t i v e . However, s i n c e t h e
p r o b a b i l i t y o f h a v i n g a f i r e i s v e r y low, t h e m u l t i - p a s s RPF would f u n c t i o n
p r i m a r i l y as a s t a t i o n a r y p r e f i l t e r . From an o p e r a t i o n a l p o i n t o f view, t h e R P F
would reduce maintenance c o s t s assocated w i t h r e p l a c i n g s t a t i o n a r y p r e f i l t e r s , b u t
would a l s o have a lower performance, r e q u i r e more space, and c o s t more t h a n o u r
s t a t i o n a r y e l e c t r o f i b r o u s p r e f i l t e r . C o n v e r t i n g t h e RPF t o e l e c t r o s t a t i c
o p e r a t i o n would make t h e RPF performance comparable t o t h e s t a t i o n a r y
e l e c t r o f i b r o u s p r e f i l t e r w i t h o u t r e q u i r i n g a s i g n i f i c a n t i n c r e a s e i n space
requirements o r c o s t . The a p p l i c a t i o n o f t h e e l e c t r o f i b r o u s RPF i n a n u c l e a r
v e n t i l a t i o n system would have t o be determined on t h e b a s i s o f a c o s t - b e n e f i t
s t u d y and a r i s k analyses o f t h e f i r e hazard. F o r a p p l i c a t i o n s where t h e
maintenance c o s t i s v e r y high, t h e RPF would be j u s t i f i e d i n a c o s t b e n e f i t s t u d y
even i f t h e f i r e r i s k i s v e r y low. I n t h i s case, t h e savings i n maintenance c o s t s
w i l l o f f s e t t h e c a p i t a l c o s t o f t h e RPF. The RPF would a l s o be j u s t i f i e d i n
v e n t i l a t i o n systems t h a t have h i g h f i r e r i s k s even though t h e maintenance c o s t s
a r e v e r y low. However, i f a g i v e n v e n t i l a t i o n system has a low maintenance c o s t
and a low f i r e r i s k , t h e n t h e use o f a RPF would n o t be j u s t i f i e d .

Our approach f o r d e v e l o p i n g an e l e c t r o f i b r o u s RPF i s t o b e g i n w i t h t h e

s i m p l e s t d e s i g n and i n c r e a s e t h e c o m p l e x i t y as r e q u i r e d . The s t a r t i n g p o i n t i n
o u r d e s i g n was t h e s i n g l e pass RPF t h a t was s u c c e s s f u l i n p r o t e c t i n g HEPA f i l t e r s
from smoke aerosols. The key design f e a t u r e o f t h e s i n g l e pass RPF t h a t was used
i n o u r f i r s t p r o t o t y p e was p u l l i n g t h e f i l t e r medium o v e r a f i x e d s u p p o r t i n g
screen. The p u l l i n g f o r c e was p r o v i d e d by t h e t a k e up r e e l which was powered b y
an e l e c t r i c motor. However, f o u r o t h e r d e s i g n f e a t u r e s o f t h e s i n g l e P d S S RPF
were changed i n b u i l d i n g t h e e l e c t r o f i b r o u s KPF shown i n F i g . 20. The most
d r a m a t i c change was r e p l a c i n g t h e s i n g l e pass d e s i g n w i t h a p l e a t e d d e s i g n t o
reduce t h e f a c e v e l o c i t y . I n s t e a d o f a s i n g l e s u p p o r t i n g screen across t h e d u c t
opening, o u r p r o t o t y p e f i l t e r had f o u r screen segments t h a t were connected t o f o r m
two V-shaped p l e a t s . These screen segments would serve as t h e n i g h v o l t a g e
e l e c t r o d e . We a l s o had t o add a m a t i n g ground e l e c t r o d e .

We a l s o r e p l a c e d t h e t h i c K , l a m i n a t e d f i l t e r media shown i n F i g . 16 w i t h a
t h i n n e r media o f equal e f f i c i e n c y . T h i s change was r e q u i r e d t o p r o v i d e a s t r o n g
e l e c t r i c f i e l d w i t h o u t t h e need f o r e x c e s s i v e l y h i g h v o l t a t g e s . The compromise
between f i l t e r t h i c k n e s s and h i g h v o l t a g e requirements was p r e v i o u s l y discussed i n
S e c t i o n I V o f t h i s r e p o r t . We were a b l e t o reduce t h e f i l t e r t h i c k n e s s by
e l i i n i n a t i n g t h e coarse RPF mdium w i t h o u t a f f e c t i n g t h e f i l t e r e f f i c i e n c y .
However, i n o r d e r t o make up f o r t h e l a s t t e n s i l e s t r e n g t h o f t h e RPF medium, we
had t o sew a l a y e r o f s c r i m m a t e r i a l o v e r t h e two r e m a i n i n g f i l t e r l a y e r s . The
s c r i m m a t e r i a l i s a v e r y t h i n c l o t h t h a t i s commonly used i n t h e f i l t e r i n d u s t r y
t o add s t r e n g t h t o f i b r o u s bag f i l t e r s . U n f o r t u n a t e l y , t h e s t r e n g t h of t h e
r e i n f o r c e d media i s s t i l l n o t comparable t o t h e KPF media.

The f i n a l change i n t h e e l e c t r o f i b r o u s RPF i n F i g . 20 was t h e edge s e a l i n g

mechanism. The seal i s p r o v i d e d by t h e t o p and bottom edges o f t h e h i g h v o l t a g e
and ground e l e c t r o d e s t h a t compress t h e f i l t e r medium. The compressed f i l t e r

-21 -
 ototipe of the screen
rof i brous pref i
1

the P l e x i g l a s t o p i

nonconduct i ve
in the insulat
t h i s u n i t because we
f i l t e r s from smoke ae
s e l e c t the optimum e l
... . . .. .... ... .~ . . . -. .-.
applying high vol taye
insure adequate
s insulated from the
s p e c i a l l y cut grooves
nsulatioD, a l l
s, a r e made from
he chain becoming jammed
t h e grooved track a f t e r
caused by t h e chain
thereby*creating a k i n k in the chain as i t
n t o this-problem was t o recess t h e groove
allow t h e chain t o straighten out.
RPF i s shown i n Fig. 2 2 w i t h a roll of AF-18
round electrode i s not i n s t a l l e d i n
anted to,demonstrate the RPF's a b i l i t y t o protect HEPA
, Since we assumed t h a t t h e h i g h acid and water
c i r c u i t the electrodes a s seen i n F i g . 8, a l l o f
hout the ground electrode. However, once the
evaluate a fixed and r e t r a c t a b l e design and then
 We t h e n conducted a s e r i e s of f i r e t e s t s t o e v a l u a t e i t h e a b i l i t y o f t h e RPF t o
p r o t e c t HEPA f i l t e r s f r o m smoke a e r o s o l s . F i g u r e 2 3 shoh;s t h e RPF i n s t a l l e d i n
t h e v e n t i l a t i o n system o f LLNL's f i r e t e s t f a c i l i t y . Rellroducible f i r e s are
generated i n t h e f i r e t e s t c e l l which i s shown on t h e l e f l t s i d e o f F i g . 2 3 . The
smoke f r o m t h e f i r e t e s t c e l l i s exhausted t h r o u g h t h e v c ; n t i l a t i o n d u c t and i s
f i l t e r e d f i r s t by t h e KPF and t h e n by t h e HEPA f i l t e r , ncit shown i n F i g . 2 3 . We
have conducted many f i r e t e s t s on t h e RPF t h a t i s shown i;n F i g . 2 2 , b u t have n o t
been a b l e t o d u p l i c a t e t h e s u c c e s s f u l r e s u l t s achieved wi,th t h e s i n g l e pass RPF.
The s t r a t e g y used i n o u r e v a l u a t i o n program was t o i d e n t - i f y t h e causes o f t h e t e s t
f a i l u r e s , make t h e a p p r o p r i a t e m o d i f i c a t i o n s t o c o r r e c t t h e problems and t h e n
e v a l u a t e t h e e f f e c t i v e n e s s of t h e m o d i f i c a t i o n s . T h i s c j k l e would be r e p e a t e d
u n t i l a l l t h e problems were e i t h e r e l i m i n a t e d o r m i t i g a t < ! d and a s u c c e s s f u l f i r e
t e s t was o b t a i n e d . The m o d i f i c a t i o n s made t o t h e RPF weire g e n e r a l l y d i c t a t e d by
t e s t r e s u l t s o b t a i n e d i n o u r s m a l l - s c a l e l a b o r a t o r y experriments u s i n g sodium
c h l o r i d e aerosols.

We began o u r e v a l u a t i o n w i t h a s e r i e s o f f i r e t e s t s $ s i n g a s i n g l e l a y e r o f
HF-4 medium t h a t was 13 mm t h i c k and had r e i n f o r c i n g scr-im o r n e t t i n g on b o t h
s i d e s . L a b o r a t o r y t e s t s w i t h sodium c h l o r i d e a e r o s o l s i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h i s medium
should be a t l e a s t 85% e f f i c i e n t . The f i l t e r medium w a s i c u t e x t r a wide so t h a t
t h e edges would p r e s s a g a i n s t t h e f i l t e r housing, therebly p r e v e n t i n g e x c e s s i v e
edge leakage. No o t h e r edge s e a l i n g mechanism was used 'in t h e s e i n i t i a l t e s t s .
A l t h o u g h t h e RPF f u n c t i o n e d v e r y smoothly i n t h e s e t e s t s ' , t h e HEPA f i l t e r was
plugged i n n e a r l y t h e same t i m e as i n t h e b a s e l i n e t e t s t i t h no RPF. We b e l i e v e d
t h a t t h e primary cause of t h e poor r e s u l t s was t h e inadecjuate e f f i c i e n c y o f t h e
f i l t e r media. We i n c r e a s e d t h e f i l t e r e f f i c i e n c y by u s i n g two l a y e r s o f f i l t e r
media i n s t e a d o f one. V a r i o u s c o m b i n a t i o n s o f AF-18, AF-4 and AF-3 f i l t e r media
were used, b u t w i t h o u t success. D u r i n g t h i s phase o f o u r e v a l u a t i o n , s e v e r a l t e s t s
were p r e m a t u r e l y t e r m i n a t e d because t h e d r i v e mechanism c o u l d n o t advance t h e
screen b e l t i n g . The problem was caused by t h e f a i l u r e of t h e screen b e l t i n g t o
s u p p o r t t h e more e f f i c i e n t media d u r i n g f i l t e r c l o g g i n g . A t i n c r e a s i n g p r e s s u r e
drop, t h e screen b e l t was s l i g h t l y d e f l e c t e d , and, o c c a s i o n a l l y , one o f t h e
s u p p o r t i n g r o d s would p u l l o u t f r o m t h e c h a i n l i n k s . The c h a i n l i n k would t h e n be
f r e e t o move and would become jammed i n t h e i n s u l a t i n g t r a c k . T h i s problem was
corrected by welding t h e supporting rods t o t h e chain l i n k s .

Another problem t h a t developed w i t h t h e use o f two l d y e r s o f h i g h e f f i c i e n c y

media was an i n c r e a s e d tendency f o r t h e media t o s t i c k t o t h e screen b e l t i n g . The
i n c r e a s e d s t i c k i n g tendency was due t o t h e i n c r e a s e d p r e s s u r e d r o p p u s h i n g t h e
f i l t e r media f i r m l y a g a i n s t t h e screen. T h i s i s an u n d e s i r a b l e c o n d i t i o n s i n c e
t h e f i l t e r media would e i t h e r t e a r as i t was p u l l e d away f r o m t h e screen o r jam
between t h e screen and t h e f i l t e r housing. One source o f t h e s t i c k i n g problem was
due t o t h e s t a n d a r d i n d u s t r y p r a c t i c e o f u s i n g an adhesive when sewing t h e s c r i m
m a t e r i a l on t h e f i l t e r medium f o r added s t r e n g t h . When exposed t o t h e h i g h e r
temperatures encountered d u r i n g a f i r e , t h e adhesive wouild m e l t and b i n d t h e f i l t e
medium t o t h e screen. The f i l t e r medium c o n s e q u e n t l y toire when i t was p u l l e d away
f r o m t h e screen a t t h e e x i t o f t h e RPF. We c o r r e c t e d t h l i s problem b y s p e c i f y i n g
t h a t no adhesives be used when sewing t h e s c r i m m a t e r i a l on t h e f i l t e r media. The
o t h e r source o f t h e s t i c k i n g problem was due t o t h e smoke a e r o s o l s . A t t h e h i g h
p r e s s u r e drop, t h e f i l t e r medium would compress as shown i n F i g . 9. The l i q u i d
smoke a e r o s o l s would t h e n t e n d t o s a t u r a t e t h e f i l t e r r a l t h e r t h a n c o v e r i n g t h e
f i l t e r s u r f a c e . A good analogy would be p o u r i n g t h e same q u a n t i t y o f water o v e r a
compressed and an uncompressed sponge. The s o l u t i o n t o t h i s s t i c k i n g problem i s
t o have t h e h i g h e f f i c i e n c y and e a s i l y compressed f i l t e r , media be separated f r m
t h e screen by a f i l t e r l a y e r t h a t w i l l n o t s t i c k t o t h e s c r e e n b e l t i n g . The t h i c k
KPF mediuni ( F i g . 19) p r o v i d e d t h i s f u n c t i o n f o r o u r f e a s ' i b i l i t y d e m o n s t r a t i o n . We
a l s o demonstrated t h a t a C l o t h media would f u n c t i o n j u s t as w e l l .

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Figure 24. Experimental deflection Figure 25. F i l t e r media reinforced w i t h
plates used t o reduce a cloth enve ope,
the leak p a t h s around
the f i l t e r edges.

The most serious problem t h a t we encountered durinq our eva u a t i o n was

reducing the leak p a t h s around the f i l t e r edges. Our i n i t i a l t e s t s with one and
t w o layers of f i l t e r media were made with the m
Although we recognized t h a t we had edge leakage

t o edge leakage,
Our f i r s t attempt a t
the screen belt
filter nousing onnected t o the
move unobstructed
was quickly fab
performance. T
f 1 1 t e r med iurn" ag
made an i~nprov~m The deflection plate
Other t e s t s
showed t h a t

~ e ~ ~w ni i c~h ikept
$ t h e f i l t e r media under s l i g n t compression. W
e repeated the DOP
leak t e s t s ana f o u n d t h a t the leaks were eliminated along the s t r a i g h t parts b u t
Here s t i l l substantial along the curved portions. We were n o t aole t o m a i n t a i n a
~ o ~ ~ p r e s s iseal
o n around the curved p o r t i o n of the f i l t e r p a t h because tne media

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mechanism. An integral

er media awa

I
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 .

Figure 28 Lami na.ted fi 1 ter Figure 29 ,Second generation of the

the smoke deposit roll ing el ectrof i brous
layers o f the f i l prefilter w i t h a moving
be1.t electrode.

We then designed an w rolling electrofibrous prefilter shown in

Fig. 2Y. Holes were cut in the side wall and a Plexiglas plate inserted to allow
the pleated belting to be This figure shows the RPF from the side and rear
angle. This ne porated all of the modificatins made to our
previous model. o increase the filter
~ area 'by adding on of each pleat.
These changes nea pared to the previous

r preventing e d g e
leakage. This
compressing the ropin
F i g . 25, would be sli
in the deflecti
sealing design was
significant edg
making crrdnges
these Changes bef

Lawrence L i verm
funded oy the U
filters in the am is to develop
prototype elect ers to reduce the
load on HEPA fi
prefilter, HEPA filt eduction in c o s t and volume o f

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radioactive waste when compared to the present HEPA fiilter system alone. The
electrofibrous filter being developed at LLNL is generated by applying an electric
field across a conventional fibrous filter.

on the fibers result from a dynamic process of charge accumulation due to the
particle deposits and charge dissipation due to the fiber conductivity. We have

I n this paper, we have established the design crilteria for prototype

electrofibrous filters for use in nuclear ventilation systems. The key design
parameters that control the final performance charactwistics are face velocity,
filter medium, high voltage electrodes and the high voltage power supply. We have
shown thaLthe face velocity should have a minimum vallue. The filter medium
should have minimum values for flammability, electrical conductivity, fiber
packing density, compressibility and water adsorption. The high voltage
electrodes should have maximum open area, good structural support for the filter
medium, good electrical contact with the medium, good insulation from ground and
high electrical resistance. The high voltage power supply should have a maximum
d.c. voltage and an automatic shut down during overload. We have applied these
design criteria in developing prototype electrofibrous prefilters for use in
nuclear ventilation systems.
Two different electrofibrous filters have been developed for use in nuclear
ventilation systems. One prototype is a stationary p,refilterwhile the other is a
rolliny prefilter. Both prefilters use the same b a s k filtering technique in
which a fibrous filter medium is sandwiched between a high voltage electrode and a
ground electrode, both electrodes having a sufficient open area to offer minimum
air resistance. The applied voltage on the electrodes generates an electric field
that polarized the filter fibers, which then attract suspended particles via
electrostatic forces. Since a finite time is required for this electrostatic
attraction, the filter media and electrodes have been pleated to provide a
sufficiently long particle residence time.
The stationary electrofibrous prefilter has the same dimensions (610 x 610 x
305 mm) as commercially available mechanical filters that are used in ventilation
systems. However, the additional requirement of high1 voltage on the electrodes
has greatly increased the complexity of the electrofirbrous prefilter. Laboratory
tests using DOP and NaCl aerosols in a modified ASHRAE filetr test apparatus have
shown that the electrofibrous prefilter increased in efficiency from 40 to 90% as
10 kV is applied to the electrode.
The special requirement of protecting the HEPA filter from a high
concentration o f smoke aerosols during fire conditions led to the development of
the rolling electrofibrous prefilter. We established the feasibility of this
concept in a series of tests using a commercially ava,ilablerolling prefilter that
was modified for removing smoke aerosols. We have bililt two rolling
electrofibrous prefilters that have a pleated electrode design. Both units use a
screen belting that serves as the high voltage electrode and as the carrier for

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 . . .. . .. . .. .. . . . . . .. . .. .. . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . .

t h e f i l t e r medium. We conducted a s e r i e s o f f i r e t e s t s on t h e f i r s t p r o t o t y p e t o
e v a l u a t e t h e a b i l i t y o f t h e e l e c t r o f i b r o u s r o l l i n g p r e f i l t e r t o p r o t e c t HEPA
f i l t e r s f r o m p l u g g i n g by smoke aerosols. These t e s t s have i d e n t i f i e d problems
w i t h t h e screen b e l t jamming, t h e f i l t e r media t e a r i n g and edge leakage arund t h e
f i l t e r medium. We have c o r r e c t e d t h e problems w i t h t h e screen b e l t jamming and
t h e f i l t e r media t e a r i n g b u t have n o t y e t e l i m i n a t e d t h e edge leakage. To date,
we have been unable t o demonstrate t h a t t h e p l e a t e d r o l l i n g p r e f i l t e r can p r o t e c t
t h e HEPA f i l t e r f r o m p l u g g i n g . Excessive edge leakage was i d e n t i f i e d as t h e
p r i m a r y cause o f t h e unsuccessful f i r e t e s t s . We have b u i l t a second r o l l i n g
p r e f i l t e r t h a t has i n c o r p o r a t e d design m o d i f i c a t i o n s t o c o r r e c t t h e problems
encountered w i t h o u r f i r s t u n i t . DOP t e s t s have shown t h a t t h e edge leakage has
been s i g n i f i c a n t l y reduced i n t h e second p r o t o t y p e , b u t n o t e l i m i n a t e d . We p l a n
a d d i t i o n a l d e s i g n changes t o minimize t h e leakage problem b e f o r e c o n d u c t i n g f i r e
t e s t s on t h i s u n i t .

V I I I . Biblioarauhv

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i n f i b e r beds," Proc. 1 4 t h ERDA A i r C l e a n i n g Conference, Sun V a l l e y , Idaho
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Visscher, J., " E l e c t r e t f i l t e r s f o r h i g h e f f i c i e n c y a i r c l e a n i n g , " Proc.
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11. Lamb, G.E.R. and Costanza, P.A., "A low-energy e l e c t r i f i e d f i l t e r system,"
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~

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i m p a c t i o n and/or i n t e r c e p t i o n , " Proc. Second World F i i l t r a t i o n Congress,
pp. 507-519, London (1979). I

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14. Lamb, G.E.R., Costanza, P.A. and O'Meara, D.J., " E 1 c ) c t r i c a l s t i m u l a t i o n o f

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l a b o r a t o r y baghouse," T e x t i l e Research J., Vol. 48, 'pp. 566-573 (1978).

15. Thompson, J.K., C l a r k , R.D. and F i e l d i n g , G.H., "Imyroving t h e

c o s t - e f f e c t i v e n e s s o f HEPA f i l t e r s v i a d i e l e c t r o p h o y e t i c p r e f i l t e r s , " Seminar
o n H i g h E f f i c i e n c y A e r o s o l F i l t r a t i o n , pp. 605-607, 'Luxembourg (1977).

16. ASHRAE Standard 52-68, "Method f o r t e s t i n g a i r cleariiing d e v i c e s used i n

g e n e r a l v e n t i l a t i o n f o r removing p a r t i c u l a t e m a t t e r , , " ASHRAE, Inc., New York,
(1968).

17. A l v a r e s , N., Beason, D., Bergman, W., C r e i g h t o n , J.,! Ford, H. and L i p s k a , A.,
" F i r e p r o t e c t i o n countermeasures f o r containment veqiti l a t i o n , " Lawrence
L i v e r m o r e N a t i o n a l L a b o r a t o r y r e p o r t UCID-18781, L i v e r m o r e , C a l i f o r n i a (1980).

18. G a s k i l l , J.R., Ford, H.W. and C o r r e i a , A.N., " H E P A - f i l t e r smoke p l u g g i n g

s t u d i e s , " Lawrence L i v e r m o r e L a b o r a t o r y r e p o r t UCRL-50007-74-2, Livermore,
C a l i f o r n i a (1975).

19. A l v a r e s , N.J., Beason, D.G. and Ford, H.W., " I n - d u c t countermeasures f o r

r e d u c i n g f ire-generated-smoke-aerosol exposure t o HEPA f i l t e r s , " Proc. 1 5 t h
DOE N u c l e a r A i r C l e a n i n g Conference, pp. 653-664, Boston ( 1 9 7 8 ) .

Disclaimer

T h i s document was p r e p a r e d as an account o f work sponsored by an agency of t n e

U n i t e d S t a t e s Government. N e i t h e r t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s Government n o r t h e U n i v e r s i t y
o f C a l i f o r n i a n o r any o f t h e i r employees, makes any w a r r a n t y , e x p r e s s o r i m p l i e d ,
o r assumes any l e g a l l i a b i l i t y o r r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r t h e accuracy, Completeness,
o r u s e f u l n e s s o f any i n f o r m a t i o n , apparatus, p r o d u c t , o r process d i s c l o s e d , o r
r e p r e s e n t s t h a t i t s use would riot i n f r i n g e p r i v a t e l y owned r i g h t s . Reference
h e r e i n t o any s p e c i f i c commercial p r o d u c t s , process, o r s e r v i c e b y t r a d e name,
trademark, manufacturer, o r o t h e r w i s e , does n o t n e c e s s a r i l y c o n s t i t u t e o r i m p l y
i t s endorsement, recommendation, o r f a v o r i n g b y t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s Government o r
t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f C a l i f o r n i a . The views and o p i n i o n s o f a u t h o r s expressed h e r e i n
do n o t n e c e s s a r i l y s t a t e o r r e f l e c t t h o s e o f t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s Government t h e r e o f ,
and s h a l l n o t be used f o r a d v e r t i s i n g o r p r o d u c t endorsement purposes.

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