Effect of pleat shape on reverse pulsed-jet cleaning of filter cartridges

The effect of pleat shape on the reverse pulsed-jet cleaning of pleated filter cartridges was investigated in this study with the objective of improving the cleaning efficiency and quality. Pleated filter cartridges have been implemented in continuous particle filtration systems equipped with reverse pulsed-jet cleaning technique for filtration unit regeneration. Previous studies have shown that the local sharp variation and non-uniform distribution of static pressure on the surfaces of pleated filter media often result in the decrease in the efficiency and quality of reverse pulsed-jet cleaning as well as the service lifetime of filtration units. In this study a CFD model to calculate the transient flow and pressure fields in a simple filtration system with one filter cartridge during the reverse pulsed-jet cleaning process was developed via ANSYS CFX R.14. The transient static pressure fields for cartridges with four pleat shapes were studied. Significant non-uniformity of static pressure on the high pressure side of filter media for cartridges with typical V-shaped pleats was observed. Significant reduction in the spatial variation of static pressure on the surfaces of pleated filter media for cartridges with other studied pleat shapes was also observed when compared with those for cartridges having V-shaped pleats. A filter cartridge with pleats in the convergent trapezoidal shape was concluded to achieve the maximum and uniformity of static pressure on the filter surfaces and maximal pressure drop across filter media in the reverse flow cleaning. Significant improvement of cleaning efficiency and quality are expected when using filter cartridges with convergent trapezoidal pleats.