Feasibility of granular bed filtration of an aerosol of ultrafine metallic particles including a pressure drop regeneration system.

UNLABELLED: A process for filtering an aerosol of ultrafine metallic particles (UFP) has been designed and tested, based on the principle of a multistage granular bed. The filtration system comprised a succession of granular beds of varying thickness composed of glass beads of different diameters. This system allows the pressure drop to be regenerated during filtration ("on-line" mode) using a vibrating probe. Tests monitoring the pressure drop were conducted on a "10-L/min" low airflow rate device and on a "100-m(3)/hr" prototype. Granular bed unclogging is automated on the latter. The cyclic operation and filtration performances are similar to that of filter medium-based industrial dust collectors. IMPLICATIONS: Filtration of ultrafine metallic particles generated by different industrial processes such as arc welding, metal cutting, or spraying constitutes a difficult problem due to the high filter clogging properties of these particles and to the high temperatures generally encountered. Granular beds represent an advantageous means of filtering these aerosols with difficult properties.

Filtration of ultrafine metallic particles in industry.

Thermal metal spraying, metal cutting and arc welding processes generate large quantities of ultrafine particles that cause the irreversible clogging of industrial filters. The aim of the study performed was to identify the causes of the clogging of cartridge filters and investigate other paths for cleaning them. This study required the development of a test bench capable of reproducing a thermal spraying process to test the performances of different filtration techniques. This test instrument first, permitted the precise characterization of the aerosol generated by the process and, second, defined the clogging and cleaning conditions for filters. Several parameters were tested: the type of filter, online and off-line cleaning, pre-coating, cleaning by jets of high-speed compressed air via a probe.

Optimization of bubble column performance for nanoparticle collection.

Fibrous media embody the most effective and widely used method of separating ultrafine particles from a carrier fluid. The main problem associated with them is filter clogging, which induces an increasingly marked pressure drop with time and thus imposes regular media cleaning or replacement. This context has prompted the idea of investigating bubble columns, which operate at constant pressure drop, as alternatives to fibrous filters. This study examines the influence of different operating conditions, such as liquid height, air flow rate, bubble size and presence of granular beds on ultrafine particle collection. Experimental results show that bubble columns are characterised by high collection efficiency, when they feature a large liquid height and small diameter bubbling orifices, while their efficiencies remain lower than those of fibrous filters. Gas velocity does not greatly influence collection efficiency, but the inclusion of a granular bed, composed of beads, increases the bubble residence time in the column, thereby increasing the column collection efficiency.

Evolution of microbial aerosol behaviour in heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems--quantification of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Penicillium oxalicum viability.

The aim of this study was to develop an experimental set-up and a methodology to uniformly contaminate several filter samples with high concentrations of cultivable bacteria and fungi. An experimental set-up allows contaminating simultaneously up to four filters for range of velocities representative of heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems. The test aerosol was composed of a microbial consortium of one bacterium (Staphylococcus epidermidis) and one fungus (Penicillium oxalicum) and aerosol generation was performed in wet conditions. Firstly, the experimental set-up was validated in regards to homogeneity of the air flows. The bioaerosol was also characterized in terms of number and particle size distribution using two particle counters: optical particle counter Grimm 1.109 (optical diameters) and TSI APS 3321 (aerodynamic diameters). Moreover, stabilities of the number of particles generated were measured. Finally, concentrations of cultivable microorganisms were measured with BioSamplers (SKC) downstream of the four filters.

Evolution of microbial aerosol behaviour in heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems--quantification of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Penicillium oxalicum viability.

The aim of this study was to develop an experimental set-up and a methodology to uniformly contaminate several filter samples with high concentrations of cultivable bacteria and fungi. An experimental set-up allows contaminating simultaneously up to four filters for range of velocities representative of heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems. The test aerosol was composed of a microbial consortium of one bacterium (Staphylococcus epidermidis) and one fungus (Penicillium oxalicum) and aerosol generation was performed in wet conditions. Firstly, the experimental set-up was validated in regards to homogeneity of the air flows. The bioaerosol was also characterized in terms of the number and particle size distribution using two particle counters: optical particle counter Grimm 1.109 (optical diameters) and TSI APS 3321 (aerodynamic diameters). Moreover, stabilities of the number of particles generated were measured. Finally, concentrations of cultivable microorganisms were measured with BioSamplers SKC downstream of the four filters.

Methods for measuring performance of vehicle cab air cleaning systems against aerosols and vapours.

Vehicle cabs equipped with an effective air cleaning and pressurization system, fitted to agricultural and off-road machineries, isolate drivers from the polluted environment, in which they are likely to work. These cabs provide protection against particulate and gaseous pollutants generated by these types of work activities. Two laboratory methods have been applied to determining the performance characteristics of two cabs of different design, namely, optical counting-based measurement of a potassium chloride (KCl) aerosol and fluorescein aerosol-based tracing. Results of cab confinement efficiency measurements agreed closely for these two methods implemented in the study. Measurements showed that high confinement efficiencies can be achieved with cabs, which are properly designed in ventilation/cleaning/airtightness terms. We also noted the importance of filter mounting airtightness, in which the smallest defect is reflected by significant degradation in cab performance. Determination of clean airflow rate by monitoring the decrease in test aerosol concentration in the test chamber gave excellent results. This method could represent an attractive alternative to methods involving gas tracing or air velocity measurement at blowing inlets.

Development of a continuous aerosol mass concentration measurement device.

A dynamic aerosol mass concentration measurement device has been developed for personal sampling. Its principle consists in sampling the aerosol on a filter and monitoring the change of pressure drop over time (Delta P). Ensuring that the linearity of the Delta P = f(mass of particles per unit area of filter) relationship has been well established, the change of concentration can be deduced. The response of the system was validated in the laboratory with a 3.5 microm alumina aerosol (mass median diameter) generated inside a 1-m(3) ventilated enclosure. As the theory predicted that the mass sensitivity of the system would vary inversely with the square of the particle diameter, only sufficiently fine aerosols were able to be measured. The system was tested in the field in a mechanical workshop in the vicinity of an arc-welding station. The aerosol produced by welding is indeed particularly well-adapted due to the sub-micronic size of the particles. The device developed, despite this limitation, has numerous advantages over other techniques: robustness, compactness, reliability of calibration, and ease of use.

Measuring the emission rate of an aerosol source placed in a ventilated room using a tracer gas: influence of particle wall deposition.

A method to measure the emission rate of an airborne pollutant source using a tracer gas was tested in the case of an aerosol source. The influence of particle deposition on the walls of a test room of 72 m3 was studied. The deposition rate of an aerosol of MgCl2 was determined by means of two methods: one based on measuring the aerosol concentration decay inside the ventilated room, the other based on calculation of the material mass balance. The concentration decay was monitored by optical counting and the aerosol mass concentration determined by means of sampling on a filter and analysis of the mass deposited by atomic absorption spectrometry. Four series of measurements were carried out. The curve giving the deposition rate according to the particle aerodynamic diameter (d(ae)) was established and shows deposition rates higher than those predicted using the model of Corner. The decay method gives the best results. The study carried out has shown that the phenomenon of deposition has little effect on the measurement of the aerosol source emission rate using a tracer gas for particles of aerodynamic diameter < 5 microm (underestimation < 25%). For particles of a greater diameter, wall deposition is an extremely limiting factor for the method, the influence of which can, however, be limited by using a test booth of small volume and keeping the sampling duration as short as possible.

Changes in the performances of filter media during clogging and cleaning cycles.

The performance of two filter media used in industrial air cleaning were studied both in the initial state (new filter) and after a number of collection and pulse pressure cleaning cycles. The main difference between them is that one has anti-clogging properties and the other does not. The test aerosol is composed of alumina particles with a median volumetric diameter of 2.6 microm (MMAD=4.8 microm) generated at a concentration of 700 mg x m(-3). Filtration took place at a velocity of 2 cm x s(-1). Two parameters, namely pressure drop and efficiency, were monitored according to the collection and cleaning cycles. The comparison of the filtration efficiency of the two media and that of the corresponding industrial dust separator at the end of the cycles showed a close agreement. The separation efficiency calculated with a new medium (corresponding to initial switch-on of the installation) was low and increased very quickly during the cycles. Finally, a phenomenological model was developed to represent the increase in pressure drop of a filter medium after cleaning and was found to be in close agreement with the experimental values.

Separation efficiency of a wood dust collector-field measurement using a fluorescent aerosol.

Given the dangerous nature of the dust emitted in the wood industry, the quality of the recycled air in the work premises after cleaning must be strictly controlled.A method of measuring the efficiency of a wood dust collector as a function of the particle diameter has been developed using a fluorescein tracer aerosol generated upstream of the equipment. The separation efficiency is determined from the particle size mass distribution of the tracer, both upstream and downstream, measured by means of two cascade impactors. The mass efficiency measured by tracer technique was compared on a test rig to the number efficiency measured using a reference method based on optical counting. The agreement between the two efficiencies is quite good; nevertheless, the tracer method leads to results that are slightly below those obtained using the reference method. The method was applied to measure the efficiency of a 11 500 m(3) h(-1) wood dust collector. The results are presented along with those obtained from a sample of plane filter media making up the bags of the dust collector.

Measurement of the emission rate of an aerosol source--comparison of aerosol and gas transport coefficients.

A measuring method of the emission rate of an atmospheric pollutant source, based on the use of a tracer gas (helium) and developed in the case of a gaseous source, was tested for an aerosol source. The influence of both particle sedimentation and wall depositions was studied. The transport coefficients of the tracer gas and of alumina particles of various particle sizes (MMAD from 8 to 36 microns) were measured on a vertical axis close to the source, in a 71 m3 room swept by a piston flow. The measurements clearly demonstrated the predominant influence of sedimentation in the case of particles with aerodynamic diameters greater than 10 microns. Particle wall deposition was determined by measuring the gas and particle concentration decay in the ventilated room. To do this, a new tracing method using a fluorescent aerosol was developed. The measured aerosol deposition rates are much higher than those calculated from the formula of Corner for a cubical volume. Aerosol sedimentation and wall deposition are two phenomena limiting the use of a tracer gas to measure the aerosol emission rate. The chemical substances and materials used in work premises are likely to be released into the atmosphere and lead to the formation of pollutants. These emissions stem from either physical or chemical processes (evaporation of a solvent) or from mechanical processes (dispersion of oil droplets at the source of mists).

Exposure to sulphuric acid and sulphur dioxide in the manufacturing of titanium dioxide.

An assessment of exposure to sulphuric acid and sulphur dioxide was performed in the French titanium dioxide manufacturing industry. The three plants use the sulphuric acid process, with potential exposure mainly to sulphur dioxide and sulphuric acid. The exposures found were below the French limit values, except for some employees using the Moore filtration process in one plant. For sulphuric acid sampling, a comparison was made between thoracic particulate mass and inhalable particulate mass, from samples taken with a Marple cascade impactor. This comparison shows that the suggested new limit value (0.1 mg m-3 in thoracic particulate mass) would be much more severe than the present one (1.0 mg m-3 with no restriction as to the droplet size).