Bag filters are used for the removal of fine solid particles from process gases. Thus, understanding the filter cake build up and its properties is a subject of interest. The filter cakes properties may depend on many factors like, for example, filtration velocity and dust concentration. The effect of dust concentration and filtration velocity on filtration time, specific cake resistance and mean cake density is investigated in a pilot scale jet pulsed bag filter. An in situ optical system is used to measure cake thickness distributions on the filter surface. Additionally, the operation is simulated using a one-dimensional model and results are compared with experiments. The experimental results indicate that cake density and specific resistance increase with increasing velocity at constant dust concentration. The effect of dust concentration on filter cake density and specific resistance is small. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.