Dust Collection and Valves Blog

Questions to Ask When Evaluating Dust Collection System | Aerodyne

Posted by Tom Hobson on Jun 24, 2022 10:30:00 AM

We all know that if we don’t regularly maintain our cars, we will end up having issues in the future. If we forget to change the oil, change the brakes or get a tune up, it will eventually catch up to us. Why do we think our dust collection system is any different? Dust collectors are made of various pieces, all of which have to be operating correctly for the system to operate as desired. Usually, a dust collection system consists of the dust collector, exhaust fan, ductwork, and hoods/pickup points. Additional accessories such as airlocks, controls, instrumentation, and dampers all can affect the operation of the system.

The following questions with quick explanations will help you evaluate your dust collector. If after going through this guide you think your dust collector needs a tune-up, contact a local expert or Aerodyne Environmental and have them come in to help you get your system working properly.

Pickup Points

  1. Are the areas near the pickup points dusty? Is there any dust in the air, is it hazy, or is breathing in the area a bit difficult?
  1. Are there dust piles around the area? Dust piles and layers of dust can become airborne and if the dust is explosive, it can lead to an explosion causing significant damage and injury.
  1. Can you feel airflow being pulled into the hood or pickup point?Often times, dust collection systems will be modified and this could cause a loss of airflow at other areas in the system.
  1. Did the dust collection system ever work as expected? Sometimes a dust collection system has never fulfilled expectations. This doesn’t mean that changes can’t be made to get it working better.

Ductwork

  1. Does the ductwork have holes? Holes allow air to leak into the system, this will cause less air to be picked up at your hoods and pickup points.
  1. Are you plugging up your ductwork? Plugged up ductwork is caused by low air velocities through the ductwork. This will cause low airflow at your hoods and is an explosion danger.
  1. Have you added or de-commissioned pickup points on your system? Adding or removing pickup points can cause the system to be out of balance. If you have done this without re-evaluating the whole system, your system may not be operating correctly.

Dust Collector

There are a variety of different dust collectors available—baghouse and cartridge collectors, cyclones, and wet scrubbers. Each one of them has different things to look at. We will only address a few of them here. Contacting a dust collection expert such as Aerodyne Environmental can help you diagnose issues.

Baghouse and Cartridge Collectors

  1. When was the last time you changed filters? Some customers have to change filters twice a year, others haven’t changed them since they were installed. Both examples could have issues.
  1. What is the pressure drop across your filters? Pressure drops over 6” W.C. usually tells you that you need new filters soon. A low pressure drop can mean that you have holes in your filters or haven’t properly developed a dust cake on the filter.
  1. When was the last time you did a maintenance check on your dust collector? If you haven’t done it in the past year or two, it might be time. Filters, tube sheets, diffusers, air valves, manifolds and a variety of other items can all develop issues.

Cyclone

  1. Have you checked your cyclone for holes? Cyclones often wear faster than other dust collectors, so a yearly check for pin holes or wearing is always a good idea.
  1. Do you have a filter after your cyclone? Since cyclones have lower removal efficiencies than most other dust collectors, if your cyclone doesn’t have a filter afterward, you might want to monitor the emissions regularly to make sure you’re not emitting too much dust.

Wet Scrubbers

  1. What is the pressure drop through the wet scrubber? Higher than normal or lower than normal pressure drops always tell you something is happening. Higher pressure drops usually means that dust is building up in the system. Lower pressure drop usually means that less airflow is going through the system.
  1. Do you monitor your water usage and the particulate loading of the overflow? The overflow stream of the wet scrubber removes the particulate and the dissolved solids from the system.
  1. Are you taxing your water treatment plant? Water treatment is expensive so if you can lower the amount of water going to it, you could save money.

Exhaust Fan

The exhaust fan usually provides all the motive force in a dust collection system; therefore, if the fan isn’t working properly the whole system will be having issues.

  1. Is the fan vibrating excessively?
  2. Is the fan making more noise than usual?
  3. Are the bearings in the fan running hot?

Excessive vibrating and unusual noises can mean that something is wrong with the fan. Damage to the impeller or dust build up on the impeller could cause this. Some fans do get unbalanced over time and could cause the fan to stop working. A bearing running hot could be caused by an issue with the fan or an issue with the bearing. Hot bearings, while unlikely, have been known to cause fires or explosions if all the conditions are right.

Miscellaneous

Other items to check on your dust collection system include dampers, airlocks, controllers and instrumentation. Dampers not operating correctly, or accidently opened/closed can cause operating issues. Airlocks under dust collectors can cause air leakage into the system or prevent dust from leaving the system. Controllers and instrumentation can cause the system to shut down, or provide wrong reading, thereby affecting the operation of the system.


To learn more about which dust collector, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.dustcollectorhq.com.



To improve efficiency and safety, there is no substitute for an on-site inspection by an experienced expert. Click below to start with a free 20-minute phone consultation by clicking the button.

Free Consultation

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Topics: dust collector, hoppers, horizontal cyclone, GPC Cyclone, Dust Collector filters, arirflow

Dust Collector Hoppers Are Not For Material Storage | Aerodyne

Posted by Tom Hobson on Aug 31, 2021 10:45:00 AM

One common mistake operators make in dust collectors is to use the dust collector hopper to store material. The hopper in a dust collector isn’t designed for this. Instead it is a temporary home for the dust collected while the material is being removed. This period should be as short as possible for the following reasons:

  • The dust collector isn’t designed to support a hopper fully filled with material. The added weight could cause structural issues with the vessel and the supports.
  • As the hopper gets fuller, there is a greater chance that material will be re-entrained into the airstream, thereby causing a lower removal efficiency, increased wearing on the housing, filters, etc.
  • Large amounts of dust in the hopper could become airborne during an incident, which could fuel an explosion in the dust collector. Removing the material from the hopper isolates the material storage from the dust collector.
  • Storage in the hopper could cause bridging or rat holing of the material. This could cause the material to backup into the separation zone (example: begin covering filters). This will cause major operational issues in the dust collector and decrease removal efficiency and airflow through the system. 

So when you are operating your dust collector, be sure to remove the dust collected in the hopper as soon as you can. Airlocks such as rotary valves, double dump valves and trickle valves (ex. Aerodyne’s Vacu-Valve) are ideal for keeping the process isolated from the outside while also allowing the collected material to leave the collection hopper.


To learn more about which dust collector, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.dustcollectorhq.com.



To improve efficiency and safety, there is no substitute for an on-site inspection by an experienced expert. Click below to start with a free 20-minute phone consultation by clicking the button.

Free Consultation

Read More

Topics: dust collector, hoppers, horizontal cyclone, GPC Cyclone, Dust Collector filters, arirflow

The Hidden Dangers of Overfilled Hoppers in Dust Collection System

Posted by Tom Hobson on Jun 29, 2018 8:25:10 AM

All dust collectors include a hopper that collects the captured dust.  These hoppers are not designed for storage of the dust, however.  They are there for the dust to collect until it passes out of the dust collector through an airlock, such as a rotary valve, double-dump valve, trickle valve, etc.  Adequate discharge intervals are important.   If enough dust builds up in the hopper, then the dust will get re-entrained into the air.  This could cause a few issues. 

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Topics: dust collector, cartridge collector, Dust Collection System Evaluation Guide, hoppers, airlock, overfilled hoppers, wear and tear

Aerodyne Environmental: Home of the Horizontal Cyclone and  Vacu-Valve® Airlock Valve

Inspired To Be Different.

At Aerodyne, we choose to take a different approach to collecting dust and handling materials. Our cyclones are unique in design to address common issues such as problematic dusts and space constraints. Our airlocks are chosen to fit your specific application instead of hastily installing traditional equipment options. We believe that when we see things differently, we can solve problems effectively. That's why so many people turn to us for help in solving their tough dust problems.

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