Investigations on Backflush Cleaning of Spent Grain-Contaminated Filter Cloths Using Continuous and Pulsed Jets

Abstract

This study investigated the continuous and pulsed backflush cleaning of woven fabrics that act as filter media in the food and beverage industry. Especially in breweries, they are commonly used in mash filters to separate solid spent grains from liquid wort. After filtration, the removal of such cereal residues via self-discharge is necessary. However, this filter cake discharge is typically incomplete, and various spots remain contaminated. In addition to the reduced filter performance of subsequent batches, cross-contamination risk increases significantly. A reproducible contamination method focusing on the use case of a mash filter was developed for this study. Additionally, a residue analysis based on microscopical image processing helped to assess cleaning efficiency. The experimental part compared two backflushing procedures for mash filters and demonstrated fluid dynamical, procedural, and economic differences in cleaning. Specifically, pulsed jets show higher efficiency in reaching cleanliness faster, with fewer cleaning agents and less time. According to the experimental results, the fluid flow conditions depended highly on cloth geometry and mesh sizes. Larger mesh sizes significantly favored the cloth’s cleanability as a larger backflush volume can reach contamination. With these results, cloth cleaning can be improved, enabling the realization of demand-oriented cleaning concepts.

Experimental Study on Back-Flushing Characteristics of an In-Vessel Filtration System in Fischer–Tropsch Slurry Reactors

“…As the process goes on, the cake layer thickness becomes progressively exacerbated, resulting in a relentless increase of filtration resistance and in turn hindering the rise in production capacity. Effective methods for reducing particle fouling and restoring the filtration performance of filter tubes include back-flushing, , chemical cleaning, and ultrasonication. , Among them, back-flushing is widely recognized as the most effective online approach for restoring filtration performance in various application fields. ,− Consequently, the successful adoption of appropriate back-flushing strategies is of great pertinence in the industrial F-T plants for the acceleration and effectiveness of in-vessel filter regeneration.…”