Washable pre-filter minimese waste

After trials of several versions of pre-filters, a washable pre-filter was found, which could withstand regular washing and minimise waste in manufacturing process.

After trials of several versions of pre-filters, a washable pre-filter was found, which could withstand regular washing and minimise waster in a manufacturing process.

Air filtration expert Vokes-Air has developed a washable pre-filter tailor-made for the manufacturing process at the Rolls-Royce plant in Derby, which produces submarine propulsion systems.

The non-disposable pre-filters have been designed to replace consumable paper pre-filters protecting nuclear-grade HEPA filters previously installed by Vokes-Air in its Safechange ventilation system.

The aim was to reduce low level solid waste caused by having to change both the disposable pre-filters and the HEPA filters every six months.

The plants project manager, Andrew Mason, and his team, worked with Vokes-Air to reduce this wastage - which in turn represents a significant cost-saving for Rolls-Royce.

The development process involved the manufacture and trial of several versions of pre-filters until a product was created which could withstand regular washing whilst providing effective levels of HEPA filter protection.

The final product has proved a huge success as the HEPA filter life has been extended to 18 months, providing Rolls-Royce with further replacement savings.

Andrew Mason said: "The main drive for this project was waste minimisation and we are extremely pleased with performance, and of course with the additional benefit of substantial cost savings.

Although the initial outlay for the non-disposable pre-filters was slightly higher this has been a vital one-off cost which will quickly be offset Vokes-Air Sales Engineer Andy Kiddle said: "This has been a successful project for both Rolls-Royce and Vokes-Air and it reflects our ability to provide bespoke replacement solutions.

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