Carbon Black Dust Filtration Solution

Carbon black dust is extremely difficult to filter due to its ultra-fine particle size (~100 nm), very high surface area, and strong agglomeration tendency.

Key challenges include:

• Severe filter blinding
  caused by cohesive nano-particles
• High dust loading
  (often ≥ 200 g/Nm³)
• Explosibility (ATEX Zone 0)
  when mixed with hydrogen or hydrocarbons
• Stickiness and caking,
  especially after quench and heat-recovery stages

These factors require high-performance membrane media, stable pulse-jet control, and fully sealed system design.

Carbon black systems frequently operate with hydrogen-rich process gas, placing parts of the system in ATEX Zone 0, where an explosive atmosphere is continuously present.

To comply with Zone 0 requirements, the filtration system must include:

• Hermetically sealed baghouse construction
• Anti-static filter media
• Interlocked nitrogen (N₂) purging
• Gas-tight hopper, airlock, and discharge interfaces
• Explosion-prevention by design,
  not mitigation after ignition

This is fundamentally different from standard dust collectors or conventional ATEX Zone 2 designs.

Based on operating temperatures (~150–200 °C), dust behavior, and chemical environment, typical recommendations include:

• PPS needle felt with PTFE membrane
  for primary and polishing stages
• P84 polyimide media
  for zones requiring superior cake release and DP stability
• Higher felt weights (600–800 g/m²)
  in high dust flux or discharge sections

PTFE membranes are essential to achieve surface filtration, minimize particle penetration, and maintain stable differential pressure.

DP stability is achieved through a system-level approach, not media selection alone:

• Low air-to-cloth ratios
  (typically ≤ 1.0–1.2 m/min)
• Precision pulse-jet control,
  optimized for nano-particle cake behavior
• Membrane media with anti-adhesion finishes
• Close-pitch stainless steel cages
  to prevent bag deformation and re-entrainment

In both WTE and carbon black applications, proper tuning can reduce DP fluctuation by 30–50%.

Nitrogen purging is required to:

• Displace oxygen in ATEX Zone 0 environments
• Prevent ignition during
  start-up, shutdown, or upset conditions

Typical implementations include:

• Interlocked N₂ purge logic linked to pressure, temperature,
  and fan status
• Purging of filter housing, hopper, and discharge airlock
• Integration into the PLC/HMI system, not standalone manual
  control

This approach ensures safety without excessive nitrogen consumption.

Yes — when correctly engineered.

Pulse-jet cleaning is widely used in carbon black filtration, provided that:

• The system is fully inerted with nitrogen
• Filter media and cages are anti-static
• Cleaning pressure and frequency are carefully controlled to avoid
  dust dispersion
• The baghouse is gas-tight and pressure-rated

In practice, pulse-jet + vibration (where required) offers the best balance between cleaning efficiency and cake stability.

For sealed systems, the design target is often zero atmospheric release, not a numeric stack limit.

In practice:

• Primary objective:
  hermetically sealed containment
• Secondary objective:
  ultra-low outlet dust (< 10–20 mg/Nm³) for internal gas reuse or polishing
• No visible emissions,
  even during transients

This aligns with both R&D prototype systems and full-scale industrial units.

Yes. Carbon black filtration systems are routinely scaled using similarity principles, including:

• Gas velocity and residence time
• Air-to-cloth ratio
• Pulse-jet energy per unit area

A well-instrumented 1/5-scale prototype provides valuable data for:

• Filter media validation
• Cleaning strategy optimization
• DP and fouling behavior
• Final FEED and EPC design

This significantly reduces risk during full-scale deployment.

Depending on project phase (R&D / FEED / EPC), scope may include:

• Filter bags and cages
• Complete baghouse housing (SS304/316)
• PLC & HMI for filtration, purging, and interlocks
• Pulse-jet cleaning system
• Nitrogen purging system
• Gas-tight discharge airlock (e.g., DN250)

Clear definition of scope is essential before final GA drawings and firm quotation.