BACKGROUND
Air filtration is increasingly becoming an important part of nearly every industry sector. Tougher emissions standards and workplace safety regulations demand more prevalent use of filters, and increased filtration abilities. As the layers of captured dust build up on the filter, they increase the filters resistance, which in turn results in a larger pressure differential across the filter. When the pressure drop reaches a certain value, the filter is defined as clogged, and it should either be cleaned or replaced. Since high-quality filters are costly to replace, filter cleaning is a common practice in industry. Popular methods of filter cleaning include: mechanical shaking, cleaning by air jets and by reverse flow. All these methods have their advantages and disadvantages. The shaking operation destroys the filter material requiring its frequent replacement. Jet and reverse flow cleaning add to the complexity of the filtering device, require extra hardware, and consume a considerable amount of energy.

METHOD
Our acoustic technology increases the life of filters by changing the dust buildup mechanism on the filter media. The dust builds up in clusters instead of in even layers, which helps lower resistance to flow. Reduced resistance keeps the filter in service for a longer time, and the life of the filter is increased. The setup consists of an acoustic emitter inside a tube, at the other end of which resides the filter. Dusty air enters at the middle of the tube and is exposed to the acoustic field, while moving towards the filter. The clustering phenomenon is caused by the micro-flow regime at the interface between particles. The rapid movement of air creates low-pressure areas between two particles, drawing them together.

ADVANTAGES
• Up to 3X lower filter replacement costs
• Extremely simple, low cost and reliable acoustic hardware
• Reduced downtime and maintenance costs, due to increased service intervals
• Increased safety due to fewer incidents of clogged filters and overdue maintenance

APPLICATIONS
Industrial air filters, Power generation facilities, large air conditioning systems, clean rooms.

Technological Keywords Resonant, particle, sound, acoustic, flow, Reynolds, HEPA, ppm
Market Keywords HVAC, electrostatic, smokestack, pollution, chimney, EPA, AQI, smog, respiratory, asthma, allergy