When selecting a fabric filter for any regular temperature application (0°-275°), it’s important to take characteristics and resistances of all fabrics into consideration. Though polyester is the most commonly used filter media, many fabric types are more suited to specific applications. Please consult our brief guide below for more information on the fabric best suited for you. If you have any questions, remember, you can always call Sly Inc. at 866-721-3545 and a representative will assist you.
Cotton (woven)
Operating temperature: 180°F (maximum, continuous)
General applications: Shaker type collectors, cleaning rooms, atmospheric air cleaning, woodworking applications, cement & rock products, and other general application handling ambient air.
Notable resistances: Poor resistance to chemicals.
Not recommended when: Mineral acids and oxidizing agents are present.
Miscellaneous: Cotton filters offer good chemical resistance in dry, ambient conditions, good resistance to both flex and flat abrasion, and has excellent clean-down where static charge tends to hold dust cake on other fibers. High flammability.
Operating temperature: 275°F (maximum, continuous)
General applications: Good for dry heat applications. Superior to dry heat synthetics excepting Nomex® (Aramid) and Teflon® in this regard
Notable resistances: Offers very good resistance to chemicals, abrasion, and dry heat degradation. Offers good resistance to most mineral and organic acids except high concentration of nitric, sulfuric, and carbonic acids. Good resistance to weak alkalis and moderate resistance to strong alkalis at a low temperature. Good resistance to most oxidizing agents and excellent resistance to most organic solvents.
Not recommended when: Moist heat is present, phenolic compounds are present, and/or application involves a high concentration of strong alkalis at high temperatures.
Miscellaneous: Offers excellent dimensional stability and low flammability. Subject to hydrolytic degradation under certain circumstances. Most common type of filter bag used today in all baghouses.
Polypropylene
Operating temperature: 170°F (maximum, continuous)
General applications: Use where chemical and moisture types attacks other fibers.
Notable resistances: This fabric media has very good resistance to both mineral and organic acids and generally good resistance to alkalis with the exception of sodium and potassium hydroxide at higher temperatures. Good resistance to most reducing agents. Polypropylene also has fair resistance to most organic solvents with the exception of ketones, esters, and chlorinated hydrocarbons.
Miscellaneous: High strength and smoothness of fibers allow good cake release and resistance to blinding. Moisture absorption is virtually non-existent.
Acrylic (Homopolymer Acrylic Felt)
Operating temperature: 275°F (maximum, continuous)
General applications: Dryers, electric furnaces, aluminum reduction and primary or secondary smelting.
Notable resistances: Offers satisfactory chemical resistance to most mineral and organic acids, making it superior to polyamides and polyesters in this regard. Acrylic resistance to alkalis is inferior to most fibers except natural protein fibers such as silk and wool. Acrylic has fair resistance to most oxidizing agents and is superior to polyamides and protein fibers in this respect. It has excellent resistance to most common organic solvents. Overall Acrylic has good acid resistance, high resistance to hydrolysis.
Not recommended when: Should avoid usage when main concern is high cost.
Miscellaneous: Not available in all fabric forms and is more costly than polyester or polypropylene. Good temperature resistance.
Nylon (Cerex®)
Operating temperature: 250°F (maximum, continuous)
General applications: Typically used for highly abrasive dust applications.
Notable resistances: Good resistance to alkalis under most conditions. Holds up well against common organic solvents.
Not recommended when: Mineral oxides cause degradation and partial decomposition when present. High concentrations and temperatures may cause complete degradation.
High Efficiency Felts (SlyHE, MPS)
General applications: Great solution to fine, uniform, free-flowing dust and fine solids in liquid process slurries.
Miscellaneous: Used as an efficient filter bag without the extreme cost of a PTFE membrane filter. Uses micro pore sized fibers to filter fine pollutants.
For more information about fabric filter media or to place an order for filters, call Sly Inc. at 866-721-3545 or e-mail us at info@slyinc.com and a representative will work with you to recommend the appropriate fabric filter for your intended application. You can be certain with Sly.
Tags: dust filters, fabric filter, fabric filters, Blog
