NEWS RELEASE                                                                                                                JULY 2016

Acid Gas Removal needs will boost the 2020 Fabric Filter Market by 2020

The market for fabric filter systems in 2020 will be $8 billion. Seventy-five percent of the applications will be just for particulate removal but 25 percent will be for acid gas removal or for a combination of particulate and acid gas removal. Fabric filters will take market share away from electrostatic precipitators because of both higher particulate and acid gas removal abilities.

The coal-fired power industry has remained loyal to the electrostatic precipitator until recently when regulations on SO₂ and fine particles forced consideration of alternatives.  Reverse air cleaned fabric filters were the first to be proven successful in power plant applications. However, their use in acid gas removal is limited.  The high solids content of the combination of flyash and sodium or calcium sulfate is a challenge for this type of cleaning mechanism but not for pulse jets. The pulse jet cleaned bag can easily handle the high solids content.  China, Italy, the U.S. and South Africa are among the countries where power plants have invested heavily in fabric filters for multiple pollutant removal.

Mercury control regulations in the U.S. have resulted in the increased use of fabric filters with activated carbon injection for mercury capture by power plants.  China and the EU are considering regulations which are similarly stringent. Many waste incineration plants in countries throughout the world already employ fabric filters for dust, mercury and acid gas removal.

The use of fabric filters for acid gas control requires a review of bag cleaning technology.  The industry has adopted what in accounting terms would be LIFO rather than FIFO.  The goal has been to retain a base cake of the particles which are first in.  The particles which are last in are then pulsed off.  Efficiency and bag life are thus enhanced. However, the opposite is true when calcium oxide is employed. The particles first in have already reacted to form sulfates.  They need to be removed.  Reaction can then take place with the last in unreacted calcium particles. McIlvaine believes that considerable benefits will be achieved by fully investigating the LIFO options.

More information on N021 World Fabric Filter and Element Market     

More information on 1ABC Fabric Filter

Access to the Decision Guide on FIFO –LIFO bag cleaning options can be found at: Decision Guides