The Benefits of an Industrial Dust Collector
Industrial dust collectors are air pollution control equipment used in manufacturing facilities, plants and warehouses to comply with environmental and worker safety regulations. The devices collect harmful gases and fine particulate matter from the air.
These include wood dust particles, chemical contaminants and nonferrous metalwork. They also help to keep combustible dust under control, which is extremely dangerous for employees to breathe.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
There are a variety of factors that affect the energy efficiency of an industrial dust collector. Among these are air to media ratio, horsepower, CFM, static pressure and filter permeability. Despite this large number of variables, it is generally easy to engineer a system that meets or exceeds your process’s performance goals while meeting local and OSHA/NFPA regulations.
In order to find the right type of equipment for your facility, PCS begins by identifying the size and characteristics of your workplace, as well as any specific contaminant or dust particulate you’re trying to reduce. Based on these factors, we’ll recommend an efficient option to meet your needs.
The most common type of industrial dust collector uses a fan to create a vacuum, which forces dirty air through a series of filters inside the machine. These filters remove the contaminants and leave clean air behind. There are many different types of filters available to suit your particular application, with options including baghouse, cartridge, electrostatic precipitation and inertia separation.
A baghouse uses a series of woven bags to filter dust-laden air. When a filter becomes full, it triggers a cleaning cycle, which shakes the contents of the bag into the receptacle area and allows fresh air to flow through the bag. This allows for the continued filtration of the work area without the need to empty the bag, which saves money over time.
MAINTENANCE EFFICIENCY
Many industrial plants, woodworking sites, and chemical processing facilities use dust collectors to clean air and reduce costs. These systems collect and remove dust, fumes, particles, and other pollutants from the air, creating a cleaner work environment for employees.
These systems are often found in factories, plants, workshops, and warehouses, but they can be used by any facility that generates particulate matter. Each system consists of a blower, a filter cleaning system, and a dust receptacle for collecting the particulate matter. Some systems employ electrostatic precipitation, media filtration, inertia separation, and/or air washing to collect the pollutants and return clean air to circulation.
The fan and motor are the heart and lungs of the dust collector and should be kept in good condition to avoid costly downtime. Regular inspections INDUSTRIAL DUST COLLECTOR and maintenance on a daily, weekly, monthly, semi-annual, and annual basis will ensure optimal performance and longevity for your equipment.
Having an outside, professional service team help with routine maintenance and repairs will ensure your system is properly cared for and maintained. Most importantly, the team will be able to spot issues and recommend corrective action before they escalate into serious problems that could require downtime or additional expenses.
WORKER SAFETY
Some industrial dusts are combustible and, when combined with oxygen and an ignition source, could lead to workplace explosions. Other particles like respirable crystalline silica are harmful to the human body and can trigger respiratory issues. Dust collection equipment reduces the amount of these dangerous particles in your facility’s air, keeping everyone safe.
Workers benefit from dust collection systems that improve productivity and equipment longevity. These systems also remove debris that can become trapped in motors and other machinery, causing damage and, if left unchecked, failure.
As an EHS leader, you’ll likely be tasked with managing the quality INDUSTRIAL DUST COLLECTOR of indoor air and reporting to regulatory agencies. These responsibilities make you the guardian of worker safety, so a well-functioning dust collector is essential.
In addition to ensuring that your system is properly matched to the type of dust you produce, making sure all components (including filters, hoods, dampers, silencers, ducts, and capture hoods) are in good working condition is critical. It’s also necessary to ensure that any ancillary equipment is de-activated and LOTO-ed before entering for service or maintenance. Many newer cyclone-style dust collectors require no entry for filter change-out, but some older models can still require that workers enter the confined space. Inhalation hazards are reduced when this work can be done from an outside hopper or other access point.
AIR QUALITY
Industrial dust collectors remove harmful dust and dirt from the air, keeping employees healthy and safe. They also help facilities maintain compliance with regulations and standards set by local, state and federal agencies.
Choosing the right system starts with understanding your facility, industry and work activity. From the size of the dust particles to whether they are explosive or fire prone, you must consider all factors that impact your workers and production processes.
Baghouse, cartridge and downdraft systems are all options for dust collection. Each has a distinct advantage for certain applications. Baghouses are designed to provide 99% efficiency and are ideal for applications that produce combustible or hazardous dust such as woodworking, pharmaceutical, paper products, chemical processing, metal fabrication and cement and rock products. They are also the best choice for smelting and metalworking.
The main factor that impacts the performance of a dust collector is the filter system. Standard commodity filters typically achieve a MERV rating of 10 and do not adequately capture submicron dust. Using a high efficiency, highly rated dust collection system that utilizes pulse jet technology can reduce your operating expenses significantly. For example, the Donaldson Downflo Evolution (DFE) dust collector series utilizes patented MaxPulseTM filter element cleaning technology, triagonal shaped filter media and reduced compressed air usage for superior filtration. This results in lower maintenance and operation costs for the entire system.
