Do you have a problem with industrial process dust?

There are several types of dust collector technologies known to this broad industry – three of the most popular are:

• Baghouse Dust Collectors
• Cartridge Dust Collectors
• Cyclone Dust Collectors
  

Containment Booths and Self-Contained Modules have been recently added to this post.  We will be discussing only these types for now, as there are many other topics to discuss, but we will touch base on those soon enough.

Baghouse Dust Collectors
Baghouse collectors are used for a variety of collection applications, such as wood dust, metalworking dust, and concrete dust, among others.  The advantage to using a baghouse is that it enables you to collect both large and small dust particles, as well as some of the more abrasive materials such as granite or marble with the use of special filtration media.  Baghouse dust collectors can be fitted with an array of filters to accommodate just about whatever you’re collecting.  Although the filter bags need to be replaced after time, they can be routinely cleaned a number of ways; mechanical shaking, manual shaking, and jet pulse, wherin compressed air is blown into the filter from the inside to blast out the entrained dust particles into a collection bin of some sort.  Baghouse pulse-cleaning can be similar to cartridge cleaning.

Cartridge Dust Collectors
Cartridge dust collectors provide an effective solution to a broad range of applications; their filtration versatility makes them an optimal solution for many jobs that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to address with cyclones or baghouses.  For instance, when capturing larger or more abrasive particles such as ferrous metals or rock dust, wide pleat cartridges can be used to maximize efficiency…for applications involving potential spark or fire hazards, flame retardant cartridges would be a good choice.  Some cartridges are constructed of a more durable material that is washable,  providing them extended filter life, which is always a plus, since most are rated for ~2,000 hours before replacement is necessary.   One of the major advantages of cartridge filters is that they can be pulse-cleaned, provided that the collector supports compressed air intake (which most do).  This form of filtration is also very popular amongst portable dust collectors.  As you can see, cartridge media filtration is almost always a viable option for effective dust collection.
 

Cyclone Dust Collectors
Cyclone collectors are so popular in the woodworking industry, it’s almost ridiculous…for a good reason, of course.  Woodworking equipment is always a prime candidate for cyclone use, as it is best suited to handle those larger pieces of wood dust.  In most cases, a cyclone dust collector is used as a prefilter, depending on the circumstance.

Some specialists refer to these machines as "high efficiency golf ball collectors", since they are rated to handle mainly particles that are larger than 10 microns in diameter (in the air quality industry, these would be golf balls).  Most applications I’ve done require after-filtration, or postfiltration downstream from the cyclone.  This is common in instances where finer dust particles must be captured, whether it’s because of the need to recirculate the exhaust air indoors, or if there is occupied space where the cyclone will exhaust.  Basically, without after-filtration, you’ll see "wooden snow" blasting out of the collector’s outlet; if there happens to be a parking lot, or a neighboring facility in that exhaust path…well, you can imagine how happy they’ll be to let you know that you’ve all but buried their car with industrial pollen.

Cyclone collectors promote several types of waste collection, ranging from collection bins to rotary air lock redistribution.  Some people will prefer to try to reclaim their waste dust, such as cardboard processing, or recycling applications.  I once worked on an application that involved reclaiming coal dust.  This scenario called for a rotary airlock to be installed to the bottom of the cyclone’s hopper, and re-routed to dump the waste onto a conveyor, which travelled back around their production line to dump into a trailer they had set aside.  Aside from that and others, most waste collection is done via a standard 55 gallon drum situated beneath the hopper

Dust Containment Booth
Booth modules are another highly effective apparatus by which to effectively contain dust from a variety of applications.  These dust collectors are more commonly used in open-area sandblasting rooms, and can come in a broad range of sizes and styles.  Imagine a large open-ended tool shed fully loaded with lights, electrical wiring, etc…except this is a walk-in chamber designed specifically for process dust containment.  Applications that can benefit the most from these ingeniously designed "sheds" would be those located in a large facility where the blasting or grinding is done in a specific area that’s open to the rest of the facility.  Many applications involving hand-sanding or grinding, cutting, or any other manual process, are probably best served by using this type of filtration for a multitude of reasons.

Utilizing a dust containment booth enables the worker to effectively capture the dust in his or her immediate work area, rather than:

• Risk spreading dust contamination to the rest of the facility by using nothing at all
• Perform an extrensive installation for a laminar push-pull airflow system to control the immediate area
• Attempt to close the area off with walls, which, in most cases, wouldn’t be possible or practical
• Try to use ambient filtration that importunates full-area air circulation

Self-Contained Booth Filtration Module

Self-Contained Booth Modules are a very practical solution for almost any application in need of effective filtration at a low cost and requiring minimal installation.  These dust collection systems are portable, compact, and highly efficient.  These systems offer many of the features and benefits that their larger brethren have, but in a much more space saving design.  Some optional features include a self-cleaning filter mechanism, various filter configurations, and pressure gauges to let you know when the filters need cleaning.  Naturally, these systems aren’t right for every application, but they certainly have their valued place in the industry.  Some applications are unable to accommodate a network of ducting, source capture, or ambient dust control…these applications would include hand sanding, grinding, and cutting/shaping, among others.  These self contained dust filter modules provide optimal levels of filtration without the use of ducting, and are a wise choice for a direct approach at localized dust control.