NAFA Guide To Air Filtration

Fifth Edition

Chapter 2
Principles of Air Flow, Air Pressure
And Air Filtration
presented by the

National Air Filtration Association - 2014

 Principles of Airflow, Air
Pressure and Air Filtration

Cleaning the air is a combination

of understanding airflow, air
pressure and air filtration
 Principles of Air Flow
Quantity of air is expressed in cubic feet per
minute (CFM) and is represented by the
letter Q

The velocity of air is expressed in feet per

minute and is represented by the letter V

The area of a filter is expressed in square

feet and is represented by the letter A
 Formula for Airflow through a
filter is Q=VA
You need to know any two to find the other
factor, therefore:
V= Q/A
A=Q/V
Example: a 24 x 24 x 12 filter with 60 sq. ft. of
media placed in a duct with 2000 cfm will
have ??? fpm through any 1 sq. ft.?
Answer = 33.33 fpm
 Air Pressure TP=SP + VP

Static Pressure (SP) in a duct exerts itself in

all directions at once. Think of it
as bursting pressure. SP is independent of
the velocity of the air and can be either
negative or positive
 Air Pressure TP=SP + VP
Velocity Pressure (VP) is only measured in
the direction of flow and is always positive.

VP

Both Static and Velocity Pressure can be measured with

an instrument called a Pitot tube
 Filter Pressure Drop

High
High Low Lowest
Pressure

F
I
L
T
E
Airflow R Highest
Pressure
Affect of Increased Filter Pressure
Drop
Velocity Pressure plus Static
Pressure combine to give
total pressure (TP) in a
system.
TP = SP + VP

Because filters add resistance

to flow into the system,
increasing filter pressure drop
decreases air flow velocity
 Principles of Particulate Air
Filtration
Mechanical - remove dust by capturing it
on the filter media, the material that
comprises the filter element.
Electrostatically Charged Filter
Media (passive and active) increases
efficiency by positive/negative particle
charge attraction of fibers
Electronic Air Cleaners - (two-stage)
external power source imposes charge on
particle
 3 Categories
1. Mechanical air filters - remove dust by
capturing it on the filter media, the material that
comprises the filter element.

2004 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Roswell,

GA 30076. All Rights Reserved.
Mechanical Air Filters.
Capture involves two different
considerations.
The probability that one of the dust
particles will collide with one of the
media fibers.
The probability that the particle, once
contacting the filter fiber, will
continue to adhere to it.
 Air Filtration Principles
There are four different principles
responsible for the capture of dust in a
mechanical filter.
Impingement
Interception
Diffusion
Straining
 Impingement
Larger particles
do not move around
Airflow
the fiber with the
Particle airstream and are
Fiber carried into the
Airstream
fiber due to their
speed, weight
Airflow
and size.
The effectiveness of the impingement
process depends on the following:

Dust particle size

Density of the dust

Depth of the filter

Velocity of the airflow

 Interception
Interception occurs when a dust particle follows the air
streamlines, but still comes in contact with the fiber as it passes
around it. Interception is fiber-size dependent and is enhanced
when the size of the fiber is closest to the size of the particle.
Particle
Airflow

Fiber

Airflow
 Diffusion
Explains the capture of very small particles.

Brownian Motion
Airflow the erratic path
taken by minute
Airstream Particle Fiber particles because
they are bombarded
Airflow by other air (gas)
molecules.

This erratic path increases the probability that particles

will come in contact with fibers.
 Straining
Straining occurs when
Airflow
the smallest dimension
of a dust particle is
Particle Fiber greater than the
Airstream
distance between
adjoining media fibers.
Airflow
Graph of Principles
Adhesives also known as
Tackifiers

Impingement filters are frequently

treated with adhesives that coat the
fibers and create a bond between
them and any dust particles that
may impinge upon the fiber.
This helps prevent the particle from
being dislodged due to velocity or
vibration
 The strength of the bond between the fiber
and the particle depends on several forces
of attraction:
van der Waals forces
weak electrical forces
Dipole moment
greater concentration of
Electrons at one point or
end of a molecule
Electrostatic attraction
Naturally occurring or induced
during manufacture
 3 Factors Affecting Mechanical
Filter Selection
Efficiency number and size of challenge
particles removed from airstream
(Discussed completely in Chapter 7)
Pressure Drop resistance to airflow
created by an air filter
Capacity amount of air specified for a filter
usually expressed in cfm affects both
pressure drop and efficiency
 Electrostatically Charged
Media

Electrostatic attraction:
It is also possible for filter media to become
electrostatically charged by a variety of
methods, one of which is the flow of air
(especially dry air) through it.
Passive electrostatic filters
 Charged Fiber Technology
(Active) also called Electret Media
Triboelectric charging results from the rubbing
together of dissimilar polymers.

Corona Charging involves exposing fibers to

an electrode designed to create high voltage
either positive or negative.

Charging by induction charging the material

while extruding it from a molten state.
 Electronic Air Cleaners
(two-stage)
Electrostatic Precipitation

The principle of electrostatic precipitation as

a means of stack gas cleaning goes back to
the earliest part of the twentieth century.
This type of ESP was a single stage type
and could not be used in air conditioning
systems because of the concentration of
ozone formed by the electrostatic field.
 Two-Stage Electronic Air
Cleaner
Collector sections
are removable
and can be
washed for
reuse
Discussed more
In Chapter 6
 Sample Questions
Rated flow of air through a filter at specified
pressure drop is called its?
Capacity
The four principle of air filtration are?
Impingement
Interception
Diffusion
Straining
 Sample Questions
If Static Pressure goes up, Velocity Pressure
goes?
Down SP+VP=TP VP SP

TP
In the filter industry, a manometer is used to
measure?
Pressure drop across a filter
An Electronic Air Cleaner collects particles
by?
Electrostatically charging them and collecting
them on oppositely charged plates
 Thank you.

Other Questions?