Dust suppression in all shapes and sizes

Dust Control Technology® (DCT) is complementing its existing line of stationary dust suppression rings with the ability to produce geometric shapes, bars or other configurations, customixed to the needs of the specific application. Each design is specially-engineered for the application and equipment of the individual customer for superior dust management.

The new technology can create a virtually unlimited array of shapes and sizes, including the DustBoss® DB-R ring, which creates a curtain of mist around the cargo stream or specified area for outstanding containment of fugitive dust or odour. The customised solution offers high-volume applications, such as radial stackers, crushers and screeners more focused and reliable suppression, taking the technology beyond perforated hoses and basic spray nozzles. The company has also developed the ability to supply custom spray bars and shapes under the DustBoss® DB-B family of spray bar products.

“This capability was developed in response to several requests by clients seeking a viable area-specific solution,” said DCT President Laura Stiverson. “We’ve found that the most effective dust suppression approach involves identifying where in the industrial process fugitive dust is produced and customising a solution that contains it at the point of emission.”

Customers can request a virtual site assessment to determine the optimum size and shape of a customised ring, working with experienced personnel to design a tailored system. The assessment includes such details as material properties and volume, width / length / speed of conveyors, pulley diameter and slope. DCT can also produce customised shapes from customer drawings, depending on the size, geometry and complexity.

The objective in atomised mist technology for dust suppression is to induce as many collisions as possible between the dust particles and the droplets, causing an agglomeration effect that weighs down the solid particles and drives them to the ground. As airborne dust particles and water droplets approach each other, the best chance for a collision is created when they are roughly the same size, avoiding a slipstream effect that can carry them past one another.

The force of the slipstream is relative to the size and speed of the droplet. When smaller airborne particles encounter a large droplet, they can get caught in the slipstream, causing them to move around the droplet rather than being absorbed by it. Because atomised mist technology creates similar-sized droplets that are able to travel with dust particles on natural air currents, the chances of collision and absorption are increased, allowing the collective weight to drive particles to the ground.

At the core of the technology, water is pumped into a stainless steel manifold and atomised by a series of specially designed nozzles that fracture the water into a cascading mist. The water can be supplied by standard municipal sources or a hydrant, feeding a hose sized for the application and connected directly to male pipe threads on the manifold. To avoid premature clogging of misting nozzles, facilities that draw from non-potable water sources can employ additional filtration systems.

“Custom rings and spray bars can be equipped with a pump that is matched to the specific device and the service conditions under which it must operate,” said Stiverson. “Options include a complete plug-and-play system with its own control panel, as well as the ability to tie in to a customer’s existing controls. For applications that require surfactants, a dosing pump can be included in the design to precisely meter additives.”

Read the article online at: https://www.drybulkmagazine.com/product-news/09122016/dust-suppression-in-all-shapes-and-sizes/