GAS PURIFICATION

OPERATION OF THE PLANT / TECHNICAL FEATURES

The gas circulation through the plant is obtained by operating a blower of 1.1 kW, 900 m3 maximum flow and 475 mm CH2O of pressure; it is possible to change the flow of the circulating air by means of a frequency inverter that acts on the rotational speed of the blower motor.   The contaminant is introduced into the suction of the blower so that at the outlet we have, already mixed, the air and the solid contaminant.   The rest of the circuit as well as the particle separators are made of transparent methacrylate in order to visualize the entire process. The gas stream can be led in four branches, each one offering a different process for separating the contaminant; each of these branches can be easily removed, independently from the rest, because in each branch there is a valve and a union nut:

· In the first branch the gas stream is not treated, so it acts as a target and we can later compare the concentrations of particles at its outlet with those obtained through the other branches.

· In the second branch the gas stream passes through a static separator (without obstacles) where we have the separation of cleaned gas and particles.

· In the third branch the gas stream passes through a dynamic separator (with obstacles placed in the direction of the gas) where we have the separation of cleaned gas and particles.

· In the fourth branch we have a cyclone separator made in transparent methacrylate.

When using the methacrylate, the sand as a contaminant can produce wear or damage to the inside of the pieces, but in any case you will be able to have an idea of what type of flow is being produced; this would not be possible if we used an opaque material. Finally, the gas is led to a filter with double paper or plastic, easily removable cartridge type, with spares. In the filter all the solid matter that has not been able to retain in the previous devices is then retained. By weighing this filter, it is possible to easily determine the solid matter concentration in the outlet gas. The purged gas at the filter outlet is led through a rotameter that allows knowing at each time the flow of the circulating air.