Dust Loading Performance of a Novel Submicro-Fiber Composite Filter Medium for Engine

Abstract

Airborne dust can cause engine wear and contribute to engine gas emission. This study developed a novel submicro-fiber filter medium to provide protection to engines against dust. The wet-laid submicro-fiber medium was prepared by a dual-layer paper machine, and its dust loading performance was compared with other filter media during laboratory and field tests. During the laboratory tests, the dust holding capacity of the wet-laid submicro-fiber medium was 48% and 10% higher than that of the standard heavy-duty medium and electrospun submicro-fiber medium, respectively. During the field tests, the pressure drop of the wet-laid submicro-fiber filter was 45% lower than that of the standard heavy-duty filter after 10,000 km of operation. It was found that there were two crucial ways to design a better filter medium for protection against dust. Firstly, the surface loading rather than the depth loading was preferred for dust filtration. The submicro-fiber layer kept large amounts of dust particles from penetrating into the depth of filter medium. Secondly, particles were captured preferably by fibers rather than pores. The unique fibrous structure of the wet-laid submicro-fiber medium made more particle deposition take place on fibers via interception and inertial impaction.

Experimental Study of Filtration Materials Used in the Car Air Intake

“…The most dangerous air contaminant for machinery is the mineral dust with high silica (SiO 2 ) content and a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale. Silica is the main cause of high engine component wear including piston rings, cylinder sleeves, crankshaft main bearing journals and sleeves, valves and valve guides [ 14 ]. A minimum service life of those components determines engine life.…”

“…The designs of inlet air filters used in motor vehicle engines (Abrams M1 tank) using a filter element with added nanofibers and automatic pulse jet cleaning system PJCA (Pulse Jet Air Cleaner) are known from the literature [ 14 , 45 ]. This solution extends filter service life several times, and thus the time between filter replacements.…”

“…As all dust grains above 1 µm wear the engine components, there is a need to improve the filtration efficiency of the engine intake air. The use of ultrafine fibers (less than 1 µm) has become the subject of interest in academic research and in industry, for example [ 14 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ].…”

“…The authors of the work [ 14 ] presented an innovative filtering material made of sub-microfiber, which provides protection of engines against dust. A sub-microfiber substrate was prepared on a two-ply paper machine and its dust loading performance was compared with other filter materials in laboratory and field tests.…”

Modelling the clogging of gas turbine filter houses in heavy-duty power generation systems

“…The pulse filter system (type: CKD 351-900-140-34, dimension: Ø355 × 900 mm, pressure drop (new filter): 150 Pa, pressure drop (soiled filter): >1000 Pa, elements: 1176 pieces, supplier: Nordic Air Filtration) removes dust particles by passing the air through the filter cartridges that have a filter medium covering their outer surfaces, where more than 96% of the dust particles are removed from the air stream. It is noted that the governing mechanisms of capturing coarse particles are interception, inertial impaction, diffusion and sieving [23]. On the other hand, sieving is rarely the dominant mechanism for a fibrous filter.…”