Magnetic Filtration of Fine Particles from Gas Streams

Abstract

Dust particles from the basic oxygen furnace steelmaking process were removed from air streams using a laboratory high-gradient magnetic filter. Particle sizes and number concentrations were determined by an optical particle spectrometer and were found to be largely in the submicrometre range. Dust loadability increased greatly when a magnetic field was applied and showed no deterioration in filter performance, even though the matrix had captured 10 times its own volume of dust. Particle penetrations of 1 per cent and less were achieved for submicrometre particles down to an optically measurable 0.24 μm diameter. Varying only one parameter at a time has isolated the individual effects of filter length, magnetic field, matrix packing fraction, gas velocity and wire size and aspect ratio. The dimensionless groups in an idealized single-wire model for high-gradient magnetic filtration are not adequate for a real filter. Other dimensionless parameters, viz. average dimensionless wire separation and cumulative dimensionless wire blockage, arise and are found to be important.