Inertial Filters

Self-cleaning inertial separation that protects turbomachinery in the world’s dustiest sites

Description
Technical Data

Where airborne dust is extreme, conventional filters clog in hours. Burgess-Manning inertial filters, also known as sand filters, remove sand and coarse dust by inertia rather than by trapping it in media, so there is no filter element to blind. The result is a constant, low pressure drop, minimal maintenance and effectively unlimited element life, even in sandstorm, harmattan and laterite conditions.

An inertial filter (or sand filter) is a self-cleaning mechanical separator that removes dust and sand from intake air using the principle of inertia. Air is forced to change direction through shaped vanes or slots. The air turns, but the heavier dust and sand particles cannot follow the curve. They carry straight on, strike a collection wall and fall into a hopper, where a small bleed / extraction fan removes them continuously.

Because there is no filter media to load up, an inertial filter does not clog and holds a stable pressure drop indefinitely. It is used either as a stand-alone filter in very dusty sites, or as a rugged pre-filtration stage ahead of finer filters, where it dramatically reduces how often the downstream filters need changing.

Industries

Power generation
Oil & gas and gas transmission / compressor stations
Mining and minerals processing
Rock processing and cement plants
Industrial cogeneration
Navy / ship building

Systems & Conditions

Gas turbine, compressor and large engine air intakes
Genset enclosures, generation halls, modular power stations and compressor enclosures
Ventilation air for control rooms and electrical rooms on dusty sites
Extreme dust: sand storm, harmattan, laterite, mining and rock-processing dust
As a self-cleaning pre-filtration stage to extend downstream filter life

Minimum Information Required For Getting A Quote

Air flow rate (m³/h or ACFM)
Equipment protected like turbine / engine / enclosure / ventilation
Site conditions like dust type and concentration, climate and altitude
Whether used stand-alone or as a pre-filter ahead of finer stages
Available footprint and orientation constraints
Material and corrosion-class requirements
Dust extraction preference (continuous fan vs collection hopper)
Applicable design codes and certifications

Operating Principles:

Dust-laden air enters a dihedral cell with shaped vane slots. As the air turns to exit, inertia throws the heavier particles against the rear collection wall; they drop into a discharge hopper and are removed by a secondary extraction fan or stored in dust drawers. Cells are modular and can be banked together for higher airflows.

Product Features & Benefits:

No media to clog
Self-cleaning
Minimal maintenance & downtime
Rugged construction
Excellent pre-filter
Protects enclosures & rooms

Design:

Inertial (vane / stamped-blade) separation with dust extraction; no filter media to clog
Continuous self-cleaning; effectively unlimited element life
Low and constant pressure drop (order of ~250 Pa with fine dust)
Stainless steel, Corten weathering steel or painted carbon steel, selected for abrasion and corrosion resistance
Single or multi-cell banks; modular for any airflow
Supplied with transition piece and fan blower; can feed into downstream multi-stage filtration

Design Codes:

Inertial separators are a mechanical pre-cleaning stage; where they feed finer filters, the downstream elements are rated under ISO 16890 and tested under ISO 29461 for rotary-machinery intakes.

Options:

Stainless steel, Corten or painted carbon steel construction
Transition piece and fan blower
Weather hoods
Air intake silencer
Casing with maintenance plenum
Anti-bird / anti-insect grid
Motorized dampers
Additional multi-stage (secondary) filtration downstream

Relevant Industries

Oil and gas refineries, natural gas processing plants and LNG facilities represent remarkably intensive and acoustically challenging industrial environments, generating intense noise levels from complex processing equipment, high-pressure systems and continuous operations. Hydrocarbon processing facilities require comprehensive noise control solutions to ensure worker safety, regulatory compliance, community relations and operational efficiency.

Learn More

Power plants generate both energy and significant acoustic energy. Excessive noise can endanger employees, affect equipment longevity and violate local and international regulations. Burgess-Manning custom-engineers silencers for turbines, compressors, blowers, generators and transformers.

Learn More

Industrial applications generate considerable noise as a result of high-capacity machinery, continuous operations and complex infrastructure. Without proper noise control, these environments can pose risks to employee health, disrupt surrounding communities and violate environmental and occupational noise regulations. Implementing tailored noise mitigation solutions of acoustic walls, noise barriers and silencers while utilizing acoustic modeling, CFD, FEA and noise measurements to design solutions not only supports safety, but also enhances operational efficiency and community relations.

Learn More

Inertial Filters FAQ

A self-cleaning mechanical separator that uses inertia to fling sand and dust out of the airflow into a collection hopper, with no filter media to clog. It is also called a sand filter.

An inertial filter removes coarse dust by inertia and never clogs, so it holds a constant low pressure drop. Jet-pulse uses self-cleaning cartridges; static filtration uses fixed high-efficiency media. Inertial filters are often used as a pre-stage ahead of either.

Yes. “Sand filter” is the common name for an inertial separator used to protect equipment from sandstorms and dust-storm conditions.

Yes, this is a common configuration. Placed ahead of finer filters, it removes the bulk of the dust and greatly extends downstream filter life.