Case Study: CCM® OCT Filter

The CCM® OCT Filter is a continuous-cleaning filter system for dust collection in paper and board production. It also suits companies in other industries, and the following explains what the system offers.

Dust collection without the CCM® OCT Filter

Baghouse and cartridge-style filters have long been the go-to solution for removing dust from manufacturing operations, but there are some significant downsides to this type of dust collector. They require explosion venting, abort gates, sometimes building make-up air, and additional fire protection, in addition to the long and costly downtimes to maintain and unplug them.

Servicing them can take an entire weekend, but many companies in the paper industry are oversold with orders. They cannot afford to stop production for two or three days and lose hundreds of thousands of dollars while the filter is being properly maintained or unplugged. To make matters worse, if there is a failure due to a plug, you cannot get inside the filter to see what is going on in there.

Some companies even have policies that do not allow employees to enter confined spaces. They must hire outside crews when their baghouses are up for inspection or maintenance. Even when they can perform this function in-house, baghouses create liabilities that include the use of ladders and cranes.

Baghouse and cartridge-style filters are also susceptible to developing fires. After a spot fire burned down the baghouse at the facility of one of our customers, they first decided to try a different kind of baghouse, but maintenance costs were still cost-prohibitive, with new filter bags costing $25,000 a set plus another $10,000 for labor. These costs were incurred quarterly to properly maintain the unit and keep it running correctly.

In search of a solution, a customer presented this problem to us. They wanted something that would be easier to service, less expensive and not as dangerous. We recommended the Continuous Cleaning Modular Filter (CCM® OCT). After seeing the drawings and proposal, the customer decided to try it out.

Which aspects are improved by the CCM® OCT Filter?

The installation of the CCM® OCT filter changes several things in a plant. The following goes into each of them in more detail.

Safety by design

ERS designed the CCM® OCT filter so that it can be kept indoors in a dry environment anywhere in the plant. Because it is not boxed in, the design removes the enclosed conditions a dust explosion needs. If the filter were to catch fire, a sprinkler system can reach it directly, and because of its wide-open design the filter media itself is what burns. The media is replaced and production continues.

The CCM® OCT filter can also be inspected from the ground without ladders or cranes. Unlike traditional filters, you can see inside the unit and monitor it while it is running, much like a see-through filter on a vacuum cleaner. In fact, it only takes a quick glance in passing to check that the filter is working properly. We integrated this function at the request of many customers. Listening to customer feedback played a significant role in many improvements that were made to the filter as it was being developed.

ERS worked with a major integrated producer and its fire protection engineering consultants to review the filter against the OSHA and NFPA requirements that applied to that installation. Several standard designs resulted from this, and the filter was refined so that each installation can be engineered to the standards that apply to that plant and reviewed on site.

Easy maintenance

ERS further refined the system so that companies can change out the filter media in-house and have it back in service within minutes, with minimal disruption. No special tools are required, and employees do not have to go outside and fight the elements. Downtime is reduced, and there is no need to pay outside professionals to replace the filter.

Insurance

Insurance companies came to the facilities to inspect the filters and approved them. In the beginning some insurers were not willing to pre-approve the filters prior to installation, basing that on pre-approval requirements written for filters with older technologies that do not apply to the CCM®'s construction and operation.

Reduced downtime

The cost of owning a CCM® OCT filter is less than half the cost of owning a baghouse or cartridge-style filter. Businesses save money and, more importantly, gain valuable time annually on every unit. Servicing the filter is quick enough that downtime has been cut by 80 percent. Instead of hiring an outside crew for an entire weekend, two people can perform complete preventive maintenance and a filter media change in two to six hours depending on the size of the unit — all done indoors, without a ladder or special tools.

The best dust collector is the one you do not have to think about. Simple maintenance and a window to monitor the internal operation are what make the CCM® OCT filter easy to live with.

More and more companies are opting to install the filter system. ERS's customer went on to install five more units across the Midwest, with a few more in the works. There are currently more than sixty-five fully operating, insured CCM® OCT filters in service throughout the United States, with many more on order.

Engineered Recycling Systems

If you are interested in a CCM® OCT filter or any other of our recycling systems, please get in touch. We will be happy to help you design a system tailored to your requirements. You can reach us by email, phone, or contact form.