A dust collector is a system used to enhance the quality of air released from industrial and commercial processes by collecting dust and other impurities from air or gas. Designed to handle high-volume dust loads, a dust collector system consists of a blower, dust filter, a filter-cleaning system, and a dust receptacle or dust removal system. It is distinguished from air purifiers, which use disposable filters to remove dust.

Most baghouses use long, cylindrical bags (or tubes) made of woven or felted fabric as a filter medium. (For applications where there is relatively low dust loading and gas temperatures are 250 °F or less, pleated, nonwoven cartridges are sometimes used as filtering media instead of bags.) Dust-laden gas or air enters the baghouse through hoppers (large funnel-shaped containers used for storing and dispensing particulate) and is directed into the baghouse compartment. The gas is drawn through the bags, either on the inside or the outside depending on cleaning method, and a layer of dust accumulates on the filter media surface until air can no longer move through it. When sufficient pressure drop (delta P) occurs, the cleaning process begins. Cleaning can take place while the baghouse is online (filtering) or is offline (in isolation). When the compartment is clean, normal filtering resumes.

A dust collector is a system used to enhance the quality of air released from industrial and commercial processes by collecting dust and other impurities from air or gas. Designed to handle high-volume dust loads, a dust collector system consists of a blower, dust filter, a filter-cleaning system, and a dust receptacle or dust removal system. It is distinguished from air purifiers, which use disposable filters to remove dust.

Most baghouses use long, cylindrical bags (or tubes) made of woven or felted fabric as a filter medium. (For applications where there is relatively low dust loading and gas temperatures are 250 °F or less, pleated, nonwoven cartridges are sometimes used as filtering media instead of bags.) Dust-laden gas or air enters the baghouse through hoppers (large funnel-shaped containers used for storing and dispensing particulate) and is directed into the baghouse compartment. The gas is drawn through the bags, either on the inside or the outside depending on cleaning method, and a layer of dust accumulates on the filter media surface until air can no longer move through it. When sufficient pressure drop (delta P) occurs, the cleaning process begins. Cleaning can take place while the baghouse is online (filtering) or is offline (in isolation). When the compartment is clean, normal filtering resumes.