TL;DR
A sudden drop in differential pressure combined with dust at the exhaust confirms a ruptured filter. Stop the unit, locate the failed cartridge, and replace it before restarting.
What you might see
- dust visible at the clean-air outlet or exhaust stack
- differential pressure drops suddenly and stays low
- opacity monitor alarm on exhaust
- fine dust coating on clean-air side surfaces
Likely causes
Aged or fatigued filter media reaching end of service life
Moisture exposure causing filter media degradation and tearing
Pulse pressure too high causing mechanical fatigue of the filter element
Spark or ember ingestion causing burn-through of the filter medium
Required tools
- Flashlight
- Sealed waste bags for removed cartridges
- Replacement filter cartridges (Donaldson OEM)
- LOTO kit
- N95 respirator or supplied-air respirator
- Disposable coveralls
Safety first
- If the collector handles combustible dust, treat all collected dust as a fire and explosion hazard. Follow your facility combustible dust hot-work and cleanup procedures.
- Wear appropriate respiratory protection for the specific dust type when entering the collector housing. Some industrial dusts are toxic or carcinogenic.
- Lock out the fan and pulse jet before entering the housing. An unintended pulse or fan start inside the housing is a fatal hazard.
Procedure
- 1
Stop the dust collector fan when you see dust at the clean-air outlet or receive a low differential pressure alarm. Continued operation spreads contamination on the clean side.
- 2
Lock out the fan, pulse jet controller, and any inlet damper actuator before entering the collector housing.
- 3
Enter the clean-air plenum with a flashlight and inspect each filter cartridge top seal and body for visible dust deposits on the clean side. A coating of dust on the clean-air face confirms which cartridge has failed.[1]
- 4
Mark the failed cartridge for removal. Check the adjacent cartridges for secondary damage.
- 5
Remove the failed cartridge following Donaldson bag change procedure. Bag the cartridge in a sealed waste bag immediately to contain the dust.[1]
- 6
Inspect the failed cartridge for the failure mode: torn media, failed seal at the top plate, or burn damage.
- 7
If burn damage is found, investigate the source of sparks or embers and install or verify the spark arrestor on the inlet duct.
- 8
If media fatigue is found, check the service life of all other cartridges. Cartridges of the same age typically fail together.
- 9
Install the replacement Donaldson OEM cartridge. Clean the clean-air side housing surfaces before restarting.
Sources
Donaldson Torit Downflo Evolution Cartridge Dust Collector Installation and Operation Manual, Donaldson Torit
Donaldson Torit DFO Dust Collector Installation, Operation and Maintenance Manual, filter cartridge inspection and replacement procedures (general)
View source
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