In the commercial utilization of rigid ceramic filters, the performance of pulse cleaning has crucial effects on the long-term stable operation. In order to get a clear insight into the nature of this cleaning process and provide a solid basis for industrial applications, the flow in ceramic candle filter was investigated. The flow in the pulse-jet space and inside the ceramic candle is regarded as two-dimensional, unsteady, compressible flow, and numerical simulation is carried out by computational fluid dynamics. The numerical predictions of flow field are in good agreement with the experimental measurements. Effects of the candle diameter, the separation distance between the nozzle and the candle injector and the length of the candle on the flowfield have been numerically analyzed to provide the basis for the optimum design of the pulse cleaning system.