fact sheet

Product Data
Description:

Benefits:

Neutralite powder is described as an Aluminum-Silica of light

Increases bag life by reducing fabric blinding

density. It is a white, inert, finely divided amorphous silica,is (an

Absorbs hydrocarbons, preventing damage to bags

innocuous) powder. It is on the FDA GRAS (Generally Regarded

Increased filtration efficiency

As Safe) list. Neutralite powder is fireproof, odorless and has

Inhibits damaging sparks

excellent absorption qualities.

Provides a porous diffusion layer uniformly distributed over

Chemical Composition and Physical Properties:

Silica

SiO

Aluminum Oxide

Al203
Na2O

Sodium Oxide
Potassium Oxide
Magnesium Oxide

K20
MgO

Calcium Oxide

CaO

Iron Oxide
Moisture @ 105C

Fe203
> .01%

Flash Point

None (product will not burn)

pH

7.0

Bulk Density

10 lbs. per cu. ft.

Fusion Point

2300 F

Absorption:
Water

300+ % by weight

Oil

250+ % by weight

Use:
Neutralite powder establishes an initial control layer on baghouse fabric bag surfaces. Simply add a calculated amount to
the baghouse inlet duct airstream. A continuous addition or
conditioning feed may be used where high concentrations of

the filter bags, allowing maximum throughput

No detectable free silica content
Economy:
The light density of Neutralite powder results in far greater cloth
coverage per pound when compared to lime or fly ash.
Safety in Handling:
See Material Safety Data Sheet

Successful applications of Neutralite powder include:

Asphalt
Drum Plants
Batch Plants
Asphalt Dryer

Galvanizing
Cement
Cement Kiln vs. Cement Plant
Rock Dust
Lightweight Aggregate Kiln
Foundry
Foundry/Steel-Railroad
Foundry/Grinding
Foundry/Machine Shop
Shot Blast/Furnace Baghouse
Furnace, Grinders
Rubber
Lead Extruder Pots

contaminates are encountered. The conditioning feed provides

continuous porosity control and greatly extends on-line time
between the cleaning cycles.
Packaging:

Machine Shop
Grinding Wheels
Machine Shop/Incinerator

Secondary Smelting
Aluminum Smelting
Steel
Arc Furnace

Chemical
Chemical - Paints & Pigments
Chemical - Agriculture
Chemical - Petroleum, Refining,
Coal Products
Industrial Boilers
Industrial Boiler
Coal-Fired Boiler
Hog-Fired Boiler
Utility Boilers
Coal-Fired Boiler
Waste to Energy
Medical Waste
Soil Remediation
Metal
Independent Power Plants

18 bag pallets of 4 cu. ft., multi-wall paper bags @ 40 lbs. ea.

500 lb. Supersacks
Bulk truck loads of 12,000 - 18,000 pounds

For more information, contact your GE representative

or visit ge-energy.com/filtration
8800 East 63rd Street Kansas City, MO, 64133 USA
P: +1.800.821.2222/+1.816.356.8400 (Int'l)
F: +1.816.353.1873
E: filtration@ge.com

*Trademark of General Electric Company or its affiliates. Other trademarks referenced herein are property of

their respective owners. This product is covered by one or more patents issued or pending.
2011, General Electric Company. All rights reserved.
GEA19278 (08/2011)

GE Energy

Neutralite* Conditioning Agent

fact sheet

In order for fabric filter bags to be an efficient part of a dust

and helps protect the fabric from damage. That solution is best

collection system, they require a residual dustcake on their

achieved by using Neutralite Conditioning Agent to coat the

surface. A dustcake is the initial layer of particles that forms on

filters before collecting process particulate.

the bag surface when the fan is turned on and a process is

vented through the baghouse. The dustcake is the actual filter in
a dust collection process, not the fabric of the filter.

Neutralite Conditioning Agent is a white, chemically inert powder

composed of millions of particles of varied sizes. When used as a
base coat on filters, Neutralite creates a three dimensional,

Problems can start on the filter surface

Filters that are new or recently cleaned allow greater airflow
than ones covered in dust during collection process. Particulate
collected from an industrial application will coat clean filter
surfaces rapidly, carried along by the airflow passing through
the fabric. But particles coming straight from the process can

porous dustcake on the bag surface. This controlled dustcake

diffuses the air stream as it filters the fine particulate, meanwhile
protecting the surface of the bags from impingement (particle
embedding in the fabric), agglomeration (non-porous coatings of
particulate mixed with moisture or hydrocarbons), bag blinding
(particle blockage of the primary airflow passages in the fabric).

create collection problems:

Some processes produce a high percentage of particles too

Benefits of Neutralite Powder:

small to be collected by the fabric alone, and they can bleed

Absorbs damaging hydrocarbons and moisture

through small air passages, resulting in emissions.

Prevents fine particulate impingement in fabric

Inhibits sparks carried over from combustion processes

Some processes have moisture or hydrocarbons in the gas

stream; these can cause the particles to form a coating on the
fabric surface that reduces or even completely blocks airflow.

Promotes even airflows for lower differential pressure

Stays on bags even at low fan velocities and during cleaning
No detectable crystalline or free silica content

New filter bag fabric is porous, causing air to pass through at a

higher velocity than through fabric with a coating of dust.
Particulates carried at a higher velocity can become

Fabric

embedded in new fabric, causing a blockage where they stop.

When enough blockage has formed that proper airflow

Neutralite

through the fabric is restricted, the filter is said to be blinded.

These collector problems may result in short filter bag life, higher
differential pressure, increased maintenance and parts costs, and

Particulate
Airflow

possibly even lost production as collectors require service.

The solution comes from GE

The solution is to have an effective dustcake that filters the
particulate, helps maintain proper airflows through the collector,
Neutralite works by providing a protective coating on the fabric surface. This
controlled dustcake diffuses airflow through the millions of passages between
particles, resulting in reduced differential pressure. The coating also helps
prevent particle impingement, fabric airflow blockage, and contamination by
hydrocarbons and moisture.

Proven to reduce differential pressure

Testing performed by the Southern Research Institute for the U.S.

at the remaining openings increase, and differential pressure

Department of Energy, and the U.S. Bureau of Mines proved

rises rapidly, even though the bags have been recently replaced.

Neutralite is an effective conditioning precoat that can reduce

differential pressure while providing high filtration efficiencies.
The independent testing showed that Neutralite was able to
increase collection efficiency dramatically while operating at a
differential pressure 3-4 times less than without an initial
dustcake of Neutralite powder.

Damaged bags
Dust collector operators have reported that using Neutralite to
form a dense, porous dustcake on bags already blinded with
particulate and damaged by agglomeration has allowed
production to continue without emissions or high differential
pressure. A coating of Neutralite powder helps by spreading the

Differential Pressure vs. Time

restricted airflow across a wider area on the surface of blinded

bags to provide a more even collection surface, resulting in lower

1.7

differential pressures.

Differential Pressure
( Inches of Water)

1.6

Neutralite provides a coating honeycombed with air passages

1.5

No precoat

above the fabric that helps filter particulate even over areas of
blocked fabric. The varied shape of the Neutralite particles in this

1.4

filtering dustcake prevents tight compaction air passages

1.3

Neutralite powder

constantly exist, keeping pressure drop down and maximizing

1.2

airflow for production.

1.1

Baghouse puffing
When a collector cleans, the dustcake falls off the bag surface to
2

10

Time (Hours)
Neutralite helps ensure lower differential pressure.

the hopper, leaving the fabric exposed. When the collector or

compartment returns online, the initial airflow is greater from
reduced resistance, and fine particulate can be sucked through
the fabric, resulting in momentary visible emissions at the stack,

Helps solve existing bag problems

known as puffing. Neutralite powder is lightweight, and a

Its not uncommon for baghouses to experience issues during

control layer will even stay on the bag surface during normal

production. Using Neutralite Conditioning Agent as a precoat can

cleaning. Other substances used to precoat filters are typically

help avoid many problems that plague operations, but it can also

much heavier than Neutralite powder and will fall off the bag

help problems already in progress.

surface with cleaning or if not under pressure from the fan.

Spot-changing (mixing new and old bags)

Moisture and hydrocarbon-laden gas streams

When damaged bags in a collector are replaced one-by-one with

Many processes have either moisture or hydrocarbon carryover

new filters that are intermixed with older ones, the new bags can

to the baghouse due to a combustion process. This can create

have up to three times higher flow rate than older ones because

problems with dust agglomeration coating the bag, and moisture

the new fabric has no obstructions and less resistance. The

can also promote rust damage on collector components. The

increased airflow through the newer fabric raises the velocity of

moisture can also react with chemicals in the gas stream to form

the particulate striking the fabric. Left unprotected, the fabric

acids that attack fabric and steel components of the collection

interstices (the intersections of woven yarns) can become

system. Neutralite powder absorbs three times its own weight of

plugged by particulate not caught in the loft of the fabric. As

moisture and hydrocarbons, then falls off the bag during the

more air passages become blocked off, the pressure resistance

cleaning cycle.

Neutralite* SR reduces risk of baghouse fires

Diatomaceous Earth

If your operation has the potential of hot sparks in the gas

Diatomaceous earth is a natural material made up of fossilized

stream entering the baghouse, then Neutralite SR (Spark

plant life, resembling light colored common dirt. Diatomaceous

Retardant) powder can help protect your collector. in addition to

earth is ordinarily manufactured in grades for liquid filtration

providing all the benefits as regular Neutralite powder, a properly

where it is a widely accepted filter aid. Moisture present in the

maintained layer of Neutralite SR powder provides a protective

gas stream at startup can bind diatomaceous earth to the fabric

barrier between the fabric and sparks in the gas stream, and can

surface, causing permanent blinding and reduced airflows.

help extinguish a spark before it damages the bag.

When used for dry filtration, diatomaceous earth is usually
While original Neutralite does not burn, sparks that enter the

calcined to remove organic material. This process can increase

collector may continue to burn while in contact with the precoat.

the level of harmful crystalline silica or "free silica.

During field testing, Neutralite SR prevented sparks from igniting

filter fabric by extinguishing the spark when it came into contact

Weight vs. Volume

with the powder.

When the cost of substitute precoatings are analyzed at their

What about substitute precoatings?

may seem like an attractive alternative. However, the value of a

Over the years, operators have tried to find other alternatives

filter precoat is derived from the amount of coverage it provides

that can provide the benefits of Neutralite powder. The most

per unit, not simply how much it costs per pound. The chart

commonly used ones are listed below.

below easily shows how Neutralite powder provides its benefits

price per pound/kilogram compared to Neutralite powder, they

with more bag area coverage than any of these commonly

Lime (Calcium Oxide)

substituted materials, and with none of their limitations.

Lime is derived by burning limestone and is alkaline by nature.

Lime is hygroscopicit easily reacts with water to form
hydroxides, a common occurrence in baghouses. If sulfur is
present in the gas stream, calcium sulfate (also known as

Greater cloth area coverage per pound:

gypsum) forms and will absorb any remaining moisture in the

gas stream. This causes particulate agglomeration that plugs or

5 ft2
(.46 m2)

10 ft2
(.93 m2)

15 ft2
(1.39 m2)

20 ft2
(1.86 m2)

blinds the bags, raising the differential pressure in the baghouse.

Lime also consists of particles that are similar in size and shape
which can create a dense, compact dustcake causing higher

1 lb. (.45 kg) of Neutralite Conditioning Agent covers 20 ft2 of cloth with
a .06 in. (.15 cm) coating

differential pressure and reduced airflow throughout the system.

Fly Ash

1 lb. (.45 kg) of Diatomaceous Earth covers only 10 ft2 ( .93 m2) of cloth
with a .06 in. (.15 cm) coating

Fly ash is a generic term that applies to a wide variety of metallic

oxide ash. It is generally abrasive, with a pH that can vary from
highly acidic to very basic. Fly ash is primarily generated from

1 lb. (.45 kg) of Fly Ash covers only 4 ft2 ( .37 m2) of cloth
with a .06 in. (.15 cm) coating

burning coal, but can be produced from metal processors

utilizing coke. In some cases, fly ash requires special
pretreatment to alter its hazardous material make-up. Physical

1 lb. (.45 kg) of Lime covers only 23 ft2 (.19 -.28 m2) of
cloth with a .06 in. (.15 cm) coating

properties vary depending on the process generating the ash. It

is extremely heavy and inefficient to serve as an initial dustcake
because the material often falls off the bags even with the fan
running.

The chart above shows the amounts of precoats needed for a 1/16 inch thick
coating on filter bags. When compared by weight with other precoats,
Neutralite Conditioning Agent may appear to be more expensive. When
evaluated by volume and amount of coverage provided, Neutralite
Conditioning Agent is comparable in price, and provides performance
unavailable by commonly used precoating treatments.