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February 11, 2020

Dust collection systems

by Diane Cave, P Eng, Element6, Canada

In agricultural industries, dust collection systems are a necessary evil. They are required to remove unwanted dust from the process but do not contribute to the bottom line. Often the need to upgrade and maintain dust collection systems are forgotten during annual requests for capital, which can eventually lead to an inefficient, outdated, and over-utilised system.

Whether purchasing a new dust collection system or retrofitting an existing system, this article will discuss the key parameters to consider to keep your dust collection system capturing 95 percent of dust and keeping personnel in a safe, clean work environment.  
 


There are four main parts to a dust collection system (the big four): the fan, the dust collector, the ducting and the hoods. Each of these parts will be reviewed in turn, along with an explanation of common mistakes made which result in an inefficient design. There are other smaller parts to consider as well, but if the big four are functioning, the dust collection system will remain in the range of 95 percent dust capture.

The fan
The fan is the driver of the system. It supplies the momentum required to collect and move dust to the dust collector. There are two main factors when sizing a fan—air volume and static pressure.  These two factors are dependent on each other and can be seen on any fan curve.

Air volume is typically a fixed amount and can be determined through an analysis of each collection point. Airflow requirements can be gathered from industry standards, from manufacturer’s supplied information or from some good old-fashioned design work.  One recommended resource would be any edition of the ACGIH Industrial Ventilation A Manual of Recommended Practice.


Read more HERE.
 

The Global Miller
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which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


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