Pulse-jet baghouses are used in the industry to remove particles from gases coming from industrial processes and being released to the atmosphere. The first objective of the pulse-jet baghouse is to limit the particle emission to the atmosphere according to the local regulations. The second objective is to control the energy consumption being principally due to the filters pressure drop and the compressed air use.

The objective of our study is to better understand the flow field of a pulse-jet baghouse commonly used in the industry and to improve it to increase its performances. The pulse-jet baghouse uses 54 bag filters (6 x 9, polyester medium, 54 m²) and is designed to work between 3200 and 7000 m³/h. Air enters at the top in the dusty part of the baghouse (there is a baffle to protect the filters facing the flow) and leaves after being filtered also at the top on the other side.

Measurements were carried out for 3 different air inlet locations (at the top, at the bottom and in the hopper), for 3 different air outlet locations at the top (on the other side, on the same side and at 90°), and for different air flow rate (3200, 5100 and 7000 m³/h). Measurements were conducted to characterize the flow field (air velocity cartography) inside the pulse-jet baghouse. The results show that the flow field is not [...] the opposite side of the air inlet. Calcium carbonate dust (9 µm (D₅₀), 1 g/m³) was used; this dust is representative of industrial applications and commonly used for baghouse testing. The final pressure drop for filters cleaning was set at 800 Pa. Some configurations are better than others based on residual pressure drop (obtained after filters cleaning), cycle length, particle emission, compressed air use and energy consumption.

A performance index was developed based on weighted parameters, particle emission, compressed air consumption and fan energy use. This index enables the ranking of different configurations and the identification of the optimal one. The use of the performance index can be applied to every pulse-jet baghouse used in the industry to improve its performances.