However, certain types of dust can be highly flammable or combustible, and when a sufficient quantity of dust accumulates in the collector or its associated ductwork, it can lead to a potential fire or explosion hazard. Therefore, fire protection measures are essential to mitigate these risks and ensure the safety of personnel and equipment.

Sparks and embers can be generated from various industrial processes and equipment, and if these sparks enter the dust collection system, they can ignite the accumulated dust, potentially leading to a fire or explosion.

Here are some common fire protection features and strategies implemented in dust collectors:

1.Spark Detection and Suppression: Spark detection systems consist of sensors placed at strategic locations in the ductwork or near potential ignition sources. These sensors can detect sparks or flames, and when a spark is detected, the system triggers an automatic suppression mechanism. This mechanism could involve the injection of water or a fire suppressant into the ductwork to extinguish the spark before it reaches the dust collector.

2.Spark Arrestors: Spark arrestors are devices installed in the ductwork that serve as a barrier to prevent sparks from entering the dust collector. They are designed to cool down or extinguish sparks by using various methods, such as deflection, moisture injection, or mesh screens.

3.Spark Trap: A spark trap is a passive device installed in the ductwork. It slows down the airflow, allowing sparks and hot particles to lose their energy and fall into a separate collection container or drop out of the airflow before they can reach the dust collector.

4.Fire Suppression Systems: In addition to spark detection and suppression, some dust collectors may be equipped with automatic fire suppression systems. These systems can use various agents, such as water mist, dry chemicals, or foam, to extinguish fires that may occur inside the dust collector.

5.Inerting Systems: Inerting involves reducing the oxygen concentration inside the dust collector to a level below which combustion cannot occur. This is achieved by injecting inert gases, such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide, into the collector's enclosure or ductwork. Inerting helps prevent fires by eliminating the necessary oxygen for combustion.

6.Grounding and Bonding: Proper grounding and bonding of equipment and ductwork are essential to prevent the buildup of static electricity, which can cause sparks and pose a fire hazard. Grounding ensures that any static charges are safely dissipated.

7.Regular Maintenance and Inspection: Proper maintenance and regular inspection of dust collectors are vital to ensure their effective functioning and to identify any potential fire hazards. This includes cleaning the collector, changing filters, and inspecting for damaged or worn-out components that could increase the risk of a fire.

8.Compliance with Codes and Standards: Industries must adhere to relevant codes and standards related to dust collection and fire protection. These regulations, such as those set forth by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), outline specific requirements to ensure the safety of workers and the prevention of fires and explosions.

Overall, fire protection on dust collectors is a multi-faceted approach that combines detection, suppression, spark prevention, grounding to reduce static charges and combined with proper cleaning measures this can greatly minimize the risk of fires and protect workers and equipment in industrial environments dealing with combustible or flammable dust.

1. Health and Safety: Industrial processes that produce machining mist can create hazardous working conditions for employees. By collecting these particles, mist collection systems can help improve air quality and create a safer work environment. This mist can contain harmful substances such as metals, hydrocarbons, and other chemicals, which can be inhaled by workers and cause respiratory problems, skin irritation, and other health issues. The inhalation of oil mist over a prolonged period can lead to serious health problems such as bronchitis, asthma, and cancer. In addition to the health risks, oil mist can also create slippery surfaces, leading to potential slips and falls.
2. Environmental Protection: Industrial mist can contain harmful chemicals and pollutants that can negatively impact the environment if released into the air. By collecting and removing these particles, mist collection systems help prevent pollution and protect the environment. When mist is captured and filtered the cleanliness of the entire facility is greatly improved. 
3. Equipment Protection: Oil and coolant mist can accumulate on machinery and equipment, causing damage. By removing these particles, mist collection systems can help extend the life of equipment and reduce maintenance costs.
4. Regulatory Compliance: Many industries are subject to regulations and standards regarding emissions and pollution control. By implementing mist collection systems, companies can ensure compliance with these regulations and avoid fines and penalties.

Overall, industrial mist collection is an important aspect of workplace safety, environmental protection, and regulatory compliance. By investing in mist collection systems, companies can improve air quality, protect the health of employees, and reduce the negative impact of their operations on the environment. 

Some ways to minimize the generation of coolant mist include reducing the flow rate of coolant, reducing the cutting speed and feed rate and using a high-pressure coolant system. These measures may not always be efficient or capable in a machining environment when trying to achieve the proper production result.

Ways to minimize the spread of generated mist is to remove compressed air cleaning near a machining process that can atomize mist particles and cause greater mist dispersion when used. The use of complete enclosures around a production process can contain mist. Eliminate and replace outdated or improperly sized mist collectors or electrostatic precipitators that are exhausting mist out of the blowers instead of properly capturing and handling. 

Removing oil mist from a machining process involves using a mist collection system with a properly designed filter and blower to capture the mist before it can escape into the surrounding environment. Central mist collection systems that connect ductwork to multiple pieces of production equipment are very popular because in many cases running a duct network to multiple machines instead of individual units allows for an overall costs savings. Individual units that are machine mounted, ceiling hung or stand mounted are also popular if a facility layout is constantly changing or the production process is specific where the mist shouldn't be combined with other contaminants in a central system. There are several types of mist collection systems available. It is important to choose a mist collection system that is appropriate for the specific production process being used. Proper installation, operation, airflow design, capture method and maintenance of the mist collection system is also essential to ensure effective removal of the mist and protect the health of workers and the environment. The experts at Pollution Control Systems can provide full engineering, design, equipment selection and a turn key install package. Contact us today! 

CFM stands for cubic feet per minute, which is a unit of measurement for air flow rate. CFM is a commonly used term in dust, mist and fume collection design and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) and other applications where air movement is important.

To calculate CFM, you will need to know two key values: the volume of air you need to move, and the speed at which you need to move it.

Here's a simple formula for calculating CFM in a robotic welding cell:

CFM = (Volume of Air) * (Air Changes per Minute) / 60

Where:

• Volume of Air is the total volume of air in the space you're trying to evacuate welding smoke/fume, usually measured in cubic feet.
• Air Changes per Minute (ACM) is the number of times per minute you want to completely replace the air in the space.

For example, if you have a welding cell that is 10 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 8 feet tall (for a total volume of 800 cubic feet), and you want to change the air in the cell twenty times per hour or every 3 minutes, your calculation would be:

CFM = (800) * (20 / 60) = 266 CFM

This means you need an air flow rate of 266 cubic feet per minute to completely change the air in the cell every three minutes.

Duct engineering, AMR (air to filter media ratio) and blower design would then be completed to ensure that originally designed CFM is accomplished with a new fume collector system or exhaust fan. 

It's important to note that this is a simple example, and the actual CFM required for a given space will depend on a variety of factors, such as the size and shape of the cell, quantity of louvers or openings in the booth/cell, the volume of robotic production, the type of ventilation system or fume collector being used, and other considerations. It's always best to consult with a professional engineer at PCS for a more accurate assessment of your ventilation needs.

Dalamatic Cased Dust Collectors- DLMC

• Envelope-shaped bags provide maximum filter area per given space and ensure efficient cleaning.
• Air volumes range from 1500 to 85,000 cfm.
• Modular design gives dimensional and capacity flexibility.
• Downward airflow pattern minimizes dust reentrainment.
• Side doors provide easy, clean side access to filters.
• Standard leg pack meets IBC 2003 requirements.

DalamaticInsertable Dust Collectors – DLMV

• Five configurations to suit most process applications
• Uses positive pressure of the conveying air or can be fan powered for pneumatic conveying applications
• Bags can be installed hanging vertically, horizontally or any angle in between
• Can be inserted into hood enclosures at belt transfer points, bucket elevator casings, ribbon blenders and receiving hoppers for clamshell unloaders
• Insertable approach reduces or eliminates ducting costs; minimized ducting can also result in reduced energy costs

Operation Explanation

Normal Operation: Dust-laden air is ducted into the dirty air plenum containing the filter elements, where it collects on the outer surfaces. A layer of dust builds up on the outside of the elements as the air itself penetrates the fabric. The clean air emerges from the outlet header of each filter element into the clean air chamber and from there is discharged, normally via the fan, into the atmosphere.

Filter Cleaning: At regular intervals, governed by the controller, each element in turn receives a short burst of compressed air from its respective jet tube (blow pipe). The jet tube has a series of small-diameter jet orifices positioned adjacent to the outlet header of each filter element.

These orifices are of an optimum size and distance from the filter element, ensuring that a large volume of ambient air is induced by each injection of compressed air. This causes a brief, powerful reversal of airflow through the filter element, flexing the fabric outwards and effectively dislodging the dust layer which then falls into the discharge hopper.

In this way, the pressure drop across the entire collector is kept at a virtually constant level, enabling the Dalamatic to operate continuously, twenty-four hours a day.

Top-Quality Dalamatic Cased Dust Collection Systems

The Dalamatic Cased collector is designed to handle a broad range of dust and airflows while delivering reliable efficiency and extended filter life. It is suitable for both nuisance dust control and process dust control. The Dalamatic cased filter with envelope shaped filter bags is an alternate to the round bag pulse jet filter and has significant advantages in applications involving light density dust, free flowing non-agglomerating dust, fibrous dust, explosive dust, and installations where low headroom and floor space are a concern.

Contact PCS today or visit the website for additional information regarding these Donaldson Torit dust collectors.

Industrial dust collector design

In the simplest form, a dust collection system is designed to purify air or gas by removing the contaminants or dust particulate from the collected air. Dust collectors can be categorized into 4main types, Inertial Separators, Filtered Collectors, Wet Scrubbers and Electrostatic Precipitators.

Most types of dust collectors have ducting that is connected to the inlet of a collector, a means for filtering the dirty air inside of the unit, a blower system for creating airflow through the ducting system and internal body of the dust collector,a cleaning system for the filters and a discharge mechanism for capturing the dust particulate for either waste or reclaim purposes. All of these components will vary slightly based on the application,simplifying these foundational key items to dust collection systems.

What’s the best dust collector?

Due to the fact that there’s a wide selection of brands and types of dust collectors on the market, it is important to narrow down the search based on a few key questions that must be answered: What is your application? Is your dust collector going inside or outside? What are the characteristics of the contaminant or dust particulate? Is this collector going to be used continuously or intermittently?

It is hugely important that these basic questions be answered so that PCS can determine and engineer the proper dust collection system for your facility. If you want to have low maintenance costs, low cost of ownership, efficient suction, meet any local or national OSHA/NFPA regulations and create the cleanest work environment possible, proper time and consideration should be taken on each application so that the dust collector works for your individual process needs.

The best dust collector is one that that is sized appropriately, has a good warranty, has a cleaning mechanism that is efficient enough to handle the exact dust that the system is encountering, has a properly engineered ducting system and coupled industrial blower, and has a filtration method in the unit that is efficient enough to handle the type and size of particulate conveying through the unit.

What kind of industrial dust collector do I need?

As stated above,industrial dust collection systems can vary widely, but the below list should help to narrow it down and a PCS sales member or engineer would be happy to further discuss your application so that the correct unit is chosen, along with how the dust collector works. We carry many types of Donaldson Torit dust collectors to work optimally in your application.

Blasting Applications:

Cartridge Dust Collectors
Downflow Workstations
Cabinet Units

Plastics:

Cartridge Dust Collectors
RF Baghouse
DalamaticBaghouse

Foundries:

Cartridge Dust Collectors
Modular Baghouse

Food Processing:

Cartridge Dust Collectors
Modular Baghouse
RF Baghouse

Grain/Agriculture:

Cartridge Dust Collectors
Modular Baghouse
RF Baghouse

Laser/Plasma Cutting:

TD Dust Collector
Cartridge Dust Collectors

Welding:

TD Dust Collector
Cartridge Dust Collectors

Wet Machining:

WSO Mist Collector
MDV Mist Collector
Dryflo

Metal Working:

TD Dust Collector
Cartridge Dust Collectors
Downflow Workstations
Vibra Shake Units
Downdraft Benches
Cabinet Units

Wood Working:

Cartridge Dust Collectors
Modular Baghouse
RF Baghouse
Cyclone

What is combustible dust?

• NFPA 654 and 484 defines hazardous combustible dust as any finely divided material that is dispersed and can be ignited in air.
• Process dust that is generated in industries such as food, plastics, wood, pharmaceutical, rubber, metals and chemicals can be work environments that create flammable and explosive dust. Knowing your industry and dust generation process will be the starting point for identifying combustible dust.
• MSDS sheets can be helpful in identifying if your material is categorized as flammable or explosive
• Dust testing can be completed by an industrial/chemical process safety company. These tests are completed by providing a dust sample and combustible dust testing is completed identifying key items such as Explosion Severity (Kst, Pmax, dP/dtmax), Minimum Ignition Energy (MIE), Minimum Explosible Concentration (MEC), Minimum Autoignition Temperature of a Dust Cloud (MIT), Hot Surface Ignition Temperature of Dust Layers (LIT), Limiting Oxygen Concentration (LOC). The data collected from these tests will create a framework for which decisions such as general dust handling, dust collection, protection equipment selection, housekeeping standards and internal risk standards can be generated.

How to handle combustible dust?

• NFPA 654 provides extensive direction on handling of combustible material. Key items include :
  • Minimizing dust escape from manufacturing processes
  • Using properly designed dust collection systems, filters, and ducting to efficiently evacuate the process dust into a containment system
  • Create housekeeping standards that keep work environments and equipment clean from dust buildup
  • Regular inspection and cleaning of walls, joists, piping, hidden areas where explosive dust can build up.
  • Proper selection of cleaning equipment such as vacuum cleaners that can safely handle combustible dust.
• OSHA (29 CFR) outlines ventilation requirements which involves combustible dust and cleanliness standards.
• NFPA 654 and OSHA outline ignition control measures that must be taken to prevent explosions such as electrical guidelines, static electricity and bonding, open flame control, spark control and properly identifying hazardous areas and classifying them accordingly.

Dust Collection Systems and Protection Equipment Selection

• Once a dust hazard has been identified, a properly sized dust collection system is the crucial next step to provide protection for your employees, facility and getting under compliance for national or local codes. Pollution Control Systems specializes in dust collection and can assist in proper selection of equipment, design (CFM, conveying velocity, dust capture measures, duct design, filter selection) along with fire and explosion protection items that interface with the dust collector and ducting.
• Pollution Control Systems is a master distributor for Donaldson Torit dust collectors and Donaldson Torit continues to provide quality equipment to assist in most manufacturing dust collection need and supports combustible dust strategies that meet NFPA and OSHA codes.
• PCS provided, NFPA and OSHA approved ancillary equipment items:
  • Explosion Vents
  • Spark detection and/or mitigation
  • Fire protection, chemical or sprinkler
  • Explosion backdraft dampers
  • Chemical explosion isolation
  • Dust Collector discharge protection, airlock or drum assembly
  • Control Panel design for integration
• Contact Pollution Control Systems today and a representative will be happy to assist in any item related to combustible dust or equipment selection and design. Our goal is to ensure your dust control procedures are correct and efficient to allow the safest work environment possible.

Dangers of Woodworking and How to Avoid Them

Woodworking can present many different dangers through harmful wood dust that's produced in many facilities. They could start fires through combustion or injure employees through inhalation over long periods of time. The hazards of wood dust make it necessary to remove as much of it as possible from the work environment.

Here are some of the specific hazards of woodworking and the wood dust collection solutions you can implement to eliminate them from the workplace.

Health Damage from Woodworking Dust Inhalation

Exposure to wood dust has been attributed to many types of health problems, including mucosal and non-allergic respiratory issues, along with cancer. Contact with irritating wood dust can cause severe allergic reactions as workers become sensitized, including dermatitis and asthma. Other common symptoms include eye and skin irritation, nasal obstruction and dryness, and prolonged colds. Allergic reactions are more likely to occur if a worker is exposed to dust over long periods of time or in small concentrations. Workers who suffer from health issues can pursue workers' compensation lawsuits if proper protective measures aren't in place.

Wood Dust Combustion Risks

Wood dust can also present a fire hazard in the workplace if it is ignited. When combusted, wood dust can explode, which can severely injure nearby workers and cause costly damage to equipment. In some cases, an explosion may even be fatal. A single stray spark could cause a dust explosion, resulting in potential lawsuits and irreparable damage to expensive machinery, which is why you need to take steps to eliminate this hazard.

Equipment Wear

Over time, wood dust can cause wear to machinery as it coats mechanical parts, and it can potentially cause jams. It isn't easy to spot all of the areas of a machine that are coated with dust, but you can easily avoid this complication by making sure your facility is clear of dust with a system of wood dust collectors.

Install Dust Collectors

The best way to minimize the amount of industrial wood dust in any workspace is to use a system of efficient dust collecting equipment. Dust collectors can clear nearly any area of dust, keeping workers and nearby machinery safe from the damage that wood dust can cause. Wood dust collectors are available to effectively remove dust from most types of facilities while meeting space requirements.

Donaldson Torit is a leading manufacturer of dust collection equipment, with a variety of cyclones and baghouse dust collectors to keep work areas clean and protect employees and equipment. Pollution Control Systems carries many types of Donaldson Torit equipment for various applications, including wood dust collection. In addition to baghouses and cyclones, we also carry a wide variety of other Donaldson Torit equipment such as vent collectors, DFO and DFE cartridge collectors, cabinet collectors, downflow workstations, downdraft benches, mist collectors, fume collectors, and many others.

If you would like to install a complete system of efficient wood dust collectors in your woodworking facility to eliminate wood dust, contact Pollution Control Systems to speak with an expert about a customized system today.

It can be difficult to find the best dust collector system for your facility, but this guide should help you decide on the best model. There are several elements you should consider when shopping for a dust collector.

Common Terminology

To help you find the ideal dust collector system, there are a few common terms with which you can familiarize yourself. Micron is one important term to remember, which is a unit of measurement for dust particles. Static pressure resistance is another important term, which is produced by suction of air moving through the duct, and is measured in inches. Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) is used to measure air intake.

Suction Power

Make sure your dust collector system provides enough suction, based on the CFM. Every foot of pipe will add resistance to suction, which means that you need to calculate the amount of static-pressure loss that happens between your tools and the dust collector. CFM will vary depending on the tools in your workshop. You should also check manufacturers' websites for performance curves to make sure you get proper suction.

Single- or Two-Stage Systems

Another element to keep in mind is the number of stages in dust collector systems. Single-stage systems are usually cheaper than two-systems, although single-stage systems are typically not as effective. If you want proper filtration, you're better off using a two-stage dust collector system. Two-stage systems draw air into a separator that filters out larger pieces such as chips so they don't clog filters and ensure proper suction at all times.

Size of the Filter

Another important aspect of a dust collector system is the filter size. Filter fabric has gone through significant changes over the last two decades. Machines used to be primarily single-stage and were equipped with 30-micron bags that didn't effectively filter small dust particles, which are often the most harmful.

For effective filtration to take place, dust collection filters need to be able to block particles smaller than 10 microns. These small particles are often the most harmful, potentially causing severe lung damage, and pleaded filters can successfully eliminate them through dust collection. Today's filters can remove dust particles as small as 0.3 microns, but your filtration system will be sufficient with dust collectors that filter particles measuring 2.5 microns.

Locate the Best Dust Collector Systems

Each of these aspects can help you find the right dust collector systems to use in your facility. You'll be able to locate a system with enough suction power and filtration to keep your facility clear of harmful dust particles during nearly any process. Don't simply turn to the first dust collector you see on the market; make the right choices based on your application's specific needs.

There are several types of Donaldson Torit machines available for industrial dust control and elimination.

Cartridge Dust Collectors

Donaldson Torit manufactures multiple types of cartridge dust collectors, including the Downflo Evolution (DFE) and Downflo Oval (DFO).

DFE cartridge collectors use 40% fewer filters than the average cartridge collector, resulting in reduced filter replacement costs and taking up less space in manufacturing floors. The unit's Max Pulse cleaning system includes an innovative inlet air management system, the use of 27% more cleaning energy, and Ultra Web Merv 15 triangular filters.

DFO cartridge collectors, on the other hand, include ExtraLife filter cleaning technology, Ultra Web filtration, and innovative cabin design for optimal dust collection. The units' oval filter increases filter longevity and efficiency. These cartridge collectors are available in a variety of sizes to meet space requirements.

Other types of cartridge dust collectors include Downflow workstations, Downdraft benches, Vibra Shake dust collectors, Bin Vent dust collectors, and TD dust collectors. Each includes different features and size options to meet facility needs.

Bag Dust Collectors

Donaldson Torit's innovative bag dust collectors use state-of-the-art technology to remove many types of industrial dust, with various models available.

One type of bag collector is the cabinet collector, which comes with features such as quick access dust drawers and a manually operated filter shaker. Another commonly used type of bag collector is the cyclone bag collector, which uses centrifugal force to eliminate high volumes of dust. Dalamatic bag collectors, Modular baghouses, RF baghouses, and Unimasterbag collectors are also used in a wide variety of applications, each with different functionalities and features.

Eliminating Mist and Fumes

Industrial dust isn't the only potentially dangerous byproduct produced during manufacturing processes; mist and fumes can also harm employees and damage equipment in many cases. Donaldson Torit manufactures equipment to reduce these hazards, with a selection of fume and mist collectors.

Welding processes often produce fumes that are unhealthy to inhale and can wear down machinery following periods of heavy exposure. Donaldson Torit's selection of Easy Trunk, Porta Trunk, Weld Bench, and other fume collectors can eliminate weld fumes to make work areas more breathable.

Other types of applications can produce coolant and machining oil mist that can cause health issues and damage machinery. Donaldson Torit units such as Centrifugal, DryFlo, MDV, Mini-Mist, and WSO mist collectors can significantly reduce levels of industrial mist, eliminating submicronic contaminants in a wide variety of facilities.

Make Your Facility Safer and Cleaner

Using one or more Donaldson Toritindustrial dust collectors in your facility can greatly improve employee safety and protect equipment from damage. You can benefit from long-term lower maintenance costs and improved productivity with this equipment implemented in manufacturing processes.

To find the right industrial dust, mist or fume collector for your application, contact Pollution Control Systems to get started.