SEPTEMBER’S PUZZLER
Our pressure filter suffers from excessive cake build-up. After a few hours we must tear down the filter so the media can be cleaned. As a result, the media often are damaged during the maintenance and must be replaced at considerable expense. Also, because of the extremely high pressure used, the operators must follow a strict procedure for switching the filters; a few accidents have occurred along with several near-misses. Although some caking is necessary for efficient filtering, it would be desirable to extend the running time. What do you suggest? Also, do you have any ideas on how we can lengthen media life or reduce operating costs?
Send us your comments, suggestions or solutions for this question by August 11, 2008. We’ll include as many of them as possible in the September 2008 issue and all on www.ChemicalProcessing.com. Send visuals — a sketch is fine. E-mail us at [email protected] or mail to Process Puzzler, Chemical Processing, 555 W. Pierce Road, Suite 301, Itasca, IL 60143. Fax: (630) 467-1120. Please include your name, title, location and company affiliation in the response.
And, of course, if you have a process problem you’d like to pose to our readers, send it along and we’ll be pleased to consider it for publication.