Choosing The Best Air Cartridge Filter For Your Dust Collector

Cartridge filters play an important role in the performance quality of an industrial dust collection system. For this reason, careful consideration should be given when choosing the type of cartridge filter to use for your dust collector.

Blended Cellulose Filters

These filters are either made entirely of cellulose media or blended with synthetic fiber. Air contaminants moving through the filter become embedded in the fibers. Unfortunately, this method of trapping contaminants clogs the pores of the filter, making them harder to clean and their life span shorter in the process. This also limits the amount of airflow that can travel through the filter, which in turn affects the performance of the dust collection system by increasing the pressure drop.

Melt-Blown Media Filters

This filter is also made of cellulose-based media, but has a melt-blown surface layer to enhance its ability to capture dust particles. However, this feature creates even more cleaning problems by adding a second layer of cellulose-based material with a large fiber diameter and thickness.

Nanofiber Filters

Made of tiny micron-sized nanofibers, these filters are known for their exceptional efficiency, longevity and low energy consumption. Instead of embedding contaminants within the interior of a filter, dust particles are trapped on the surface of the nanofiber layer, a method known as surface loading. This allows for easy removal of air contaminants during cleaning, which translates into a longer life for the filter.

Nanofibers are roughly 100 times smaller than the diameter of a melt-blown fiber. Their extremely small size allows them to form a mesh like surface that can prevent even the smallest air contaminants from reentering the work environment.

Less frequent replacements, easy cleanability and the decreased energy use associated with nanofiber filters can reduce the cost of operating a dust collector by as much as $5,000 per year.

MERV Rating

One way to determine which type of filter to use for your air filtration system is through the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating system.

Designed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), this system is based on an air filter's ability to capture dust particles ranging 0.3 to 10 microns in size. Ratings range from 1 to 20. A higher MERV rating indicates a better ability at removing particulates.

Some Nanofiber filters have received ratings as high as 15 on the MERV scale. This translates into an 85 percent efficiency rate for capturing particles between .3 and 1 microns; and 90 percent efficiency capturing particles one micron in size or larger.

This is just an overview of factors to consider when deciding which type of filter to use for your air filtration system. As with any purchase involving an expensive piece of equipment, careful analysis should be taken before ultimately making a decision.