Hermetically Sealed Filter System for Carbon Black Recovery

Here is one real UK customer background

We got the inquiry as following:

Prior to the FEED study we are proposing to build a prototype approximately 1/5 scale carbon black generating system in our R&D furnace facility.

Currently we are producing the implementation plan for the prototype.

For this we shall need a similar quote to your last quote , with dimensions etc.

Below is a revised specification using your format:

Process gas / dust data

Gas pressure (kPa): 90 kPa

Dust concentration (g/Nm³): 224.7

Particle size distribution (e.g., d50 / range): approximately 100 nanometer

Bulk / apparent density (kg/m³): 250 kg/m³

Stickiness / caking tendency (Yes/No; notes): Yes

Dust explosibility (ATEX class, Kst/Pmax if known): ATEX Zone 0

Emission limit required (mg/Nm³): hermetically sealed to atmosphere

Equipment conditions

Material of construction (e.g., CS, SS304/316): SS304

Operation mode (Continuous / Intermittent): Continuous

Cleaning method (Pulse-jet / Reverse-jet or other): Pulse Jet + vibration

Waste-heat recovery required? (Yes/No): Yes

A leading R&D company specializing in carbon black generation systems approached us during the pre-FEED stage of their prototype development. The client planned to construct a 1/5-scale carbon black generating system within their R&D furnace facility to simulate the complete process and evaluate gas–solid separation performance under real operating conditions.

The process involved a mixture of carbon black and hydrogen gas discharged at approximately 190 °C and 90 kPa, with a carbon black output of 42.5 kg/h. The environment required ATEX Zone 0 safety compliance due to the presence of 99 % hydrogen, demanding a fully sealed and explosion-proof filter design.

Challenges

Ultra-fine carbon particles (d₅₀ ≈ 100 nm) with a strong tendency to agglomerate and cake.

High-temperature, high-pressure operation with a hydrogen atmosphere.

Strict gas-tightness requirement, since any carbon leakage could contaminate downstream hydrogen recovery lines.

Continuous operation (non-batch), requiring online self-cleaning and stable differential pressure control.

SFFILTECH Solution

To meet the client’s technical and safety targets, SFFILTECH Engineering Team proposed a hermetically sealed pulse-jet filter system built entirely from SS304 stainless steel, integrating both pulse-jet cleaning and mechanical vibration.

Key design highlights:

Anti-static ePTFE membrane filter bags to ensure high filtration efficiency and conductivity under hydrogen atmosphere.

Gas-tight construction with PTFE/Viton seals and nitrogen purge ports, eliminating leakage risk.

Continuous pulse-jet + vibration cleaning, maintaining filtration stability under high dust loading.

ATEX Zone 0 compliant design with grounding system and conductive filter media.

Modular compact body, suitable for pilot-scale installation and future scale-up.

Sealed discharge hopper with air-lock valve for safe carbon black collection.

System Parameters

Results

The delivered design achieved:

> 99.9 % separation efficiency for nano-scale carbon black.

Stable pressure drop below 1 kPa during 24-hour continuous operation.

Zero gas leakage confirmed via helium leak test.

Simplified maintenance with modular filter cartridge and quick access ports.

The prototype system became the benchmark for scaling up the client’s full-size carbon black plant, proving SFFILTECH’s capability in designing gas-tight, high-temperature filtration systems for advanced carbon-based processes.

Summary

This project demonstrates SFFILTECH’s engineering expertise in:

Designing customized, explosion-proof filtration systems for hydrogen and nano-carbon processes.

Providing complete OEM support including drawings, pressure testing, and FAT documentation.

Delivering energy-efficient, reliable solutions that meet the most stringent ATEX and environmental standards.