Study of Application of PTFE Fiber in Self-cleaning Filter Media

Abstract

To provide protection against the adverse effects of high concentration dust, self-cleaning filter was applied in the air inlet system of engine and gas turbine. PTFE fiber could have a great application in self-cleaning filter media due to its low surface free energy. In this work, new PTFE/cellulose fiber composite media for self-cleaning filter were prepared by wet-laid method. The effect of PTFE fiber on physical properties and filtration performance were studied. It was found that PTFE fiber was well dispersed in water without bubble formation after proper surfactant was applied. The initial figure of merit increased significantly when percentage of PTFE fiber was higher. For self-cleaning performance, particles were easier to be detached from composite media with higher PTFE fiber percentage, which resulted in lower average pressure drop. It was estimated that in the loading process, energy consumption of media containing 30 % and 60 % PTFE fiber was 32 % and 47 % less than that of pure cellulose media, respectively. PTFE fiber significantly improved the self-cleaning performance due to lower surface free energy of composite media and higher efficiency per unit thickness.