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The first and most efficient wet/dry filtration system in the industry
GapVax vacuum trucks are renowned for their highly efficient filtration, low filter baghouse maintenance costs, and long filter bag service life. With proper service, a GapVax can normally operate 1,500 to 2,000 hours before requiring a change of filter bags. Since filtration maintenance is the single greatest expense of a wet/dry vacuum truck, superior filtration immediately lowers operating costs. Another obvious benefit is more efficient loading and lower fuel consumption because clogged filter bags slow down loading, sometimes drastically, and can cause excessive fuel consumption. Lastly, GapVax filtration is single mode, meaning there is no changeover from wet to dry mode.
Simply put, the best filtration is the filtration that reduces dry carryover into the baghouse to an absolute minimum (and completely eliminates any wet carryover). On a GapVax, many design elements work together to achieve this result. The whole truck was designed from the ground up to minimize carryover into the baghouse. Let's explain how it works. GapVax's superior filtration begins well before the filtration system itself as described below:
Features that reduce carryover before air reaches the filtration system
Top Loading: The GapVax loads from the top of the tank. Top loading helps to reduce carryover into the filtration system by seperating the material from the air stream in the tank. The mixture of air and material enters the tank in a downward direction. Once in the tank, the air abruptly changes its original trajectory. Because of top loading, more material stays in the tank and less carries over into the filtration system.
Other benefits: Top loading also reduces the wear in the tank. Once a small amount of material accumulates on the tank bottom, material strikes the material instead of steel.
Baffle Plate: The baffle plate is a semi-circular plate mounted in the middle of the tank. It has two small cut outs at 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock that permit air to flow even if the tank bottom has filled up. The baffle plate basically knocks material to the bottom of the tank as the air stream is forced to flow around it. This further reduces carryover. The baffle plate does not create additional air restriction through the tank.
Other benefits: The plate prevents the truck from over-filling with a majority of dry materials. Once the tank behind the baffle plate becomes completely full, the air can no longer find a passageway through the tank. Even though the blower is still pulling, the truck stops vacuuming. (This will not damage a Hibon blower.) The baffle plate can be removed if desired. In addition, the plate reduces sloshing liquid loads.
Long Tank: GapVax mounts the filtration compartments along the side of the tank (versus in the front). This allows the tank to be longer and narrower. The GapVax tank is 17 feet long (5.2 m), and the air must travel 11 feet 6 inches (3.5 m) through the tank from the inlet to the outlet. The longer the tank, the less carryover because the air has more time and distance to release the material into the tank where it belongs.
Other benefits: The long narrow tank lowers the center of gravity especially when loaded, thereby improving the truck's stability and reducing the risk of rollover.
That covers design elements that reduce carryover before the air arrives at the filtration system. Now let's discuss the filtration system itself.
Design features of the filtration system itself
Seven cyclone Seperators: GapVax uses seven cyclone seperators mounted on the passenger side of the tank to pre-filter the air before it reaches the baghouse. After the air exits the tank, it enters a tapered duct which evenly distributes the air volume to the seven cyclones. (The cyclones work in parallel.) The seven cyclones are the key to the efficiency of GapVax's filtration system. They are also what makes a GapVax a single mode truck. When vacuuming wet materials, the cyclones remove all liquid carryover from the airstrem before the air enters the baghouse. When vacuuming dry materials, the cyclones remove approximately 75-85% of dry carryover depending on blower speed and the weight of the material. The pre-filtering action of the cyclones is responsible for extending the life of the filter bags. Furthermore, since relatively little dry material gets to the baghouse, the filter bags are very effective at retaining dust in the baghouse. As a result, the GapVax has no visible dust emissions.
Why use seven smaller cyclones instead of a few larger ones?
A cyclone removes material from the air stream by centrifugal action. It spins the air at high enough velocity in the top of the cyclone aroun a center pipe called a "vortex finder." The coned bottom of a cyclone concentrates the roation of the air in the top around the vortex finder and prevents air velocity from dissipating. A cyclone wworks best if its size properly matches the volume of air moving through it. Seven cyclones, each 18 inches in diameter, are the correct number to handle the high airflow of the blower. Furthermore, multiple smaller cyclones are more effective than fewer larger ones because smaller cyclones do not experience the same rotational velocity drop.
Other benefits: The seven cyclones do not wear out. By dividing the filtration effort among seven cyclones, each cyclone experiences very little abrasive action. Only the finer dust gets to the cyclones in the first place, since the heavier materials fall out in the tank. Also, The seven cyclones cause minimal restriction in air flow. With a new set of filter bags, a GapVax only registers 4 inches Hg restriction (0.13 Bar) at maximum blower speed.
Filter baghouse: After passing through the cyclones, the air enters the baghouse via a cross-over duct. The air is directed to the bottom of the baghouse through an internal duct, then rises up through the bags. The GapVax uses 46-60 inch individual polyester filter bags. They are inexpensive and easy to replace. (about $500 for a set). The bags can withstand normal fly ash temperatures. An air pulsation system injects air into the top of the bags to knock off accumulated material.
No truck on the market today filters dry material as efficiently and effectively as a GapVax. The combined funtions of top loading, the baffle plate, the long tank, and seven cyclones provides unmatched filtration performance. Our proven design originated in power plant service vacuuming fly ash. Today, GapVax provides excellent service in the widest possible wet and dry applications, while keeping filter maintenance costs to a minimum!
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