Area Dust Control
The main theory behind dust suppression is that when a water droplet comes in contact with a dust particle, it will agglomerate, and the resulting combination will be too heavy to remain suspended. The water droplet/dust particle combination will fall where the dust can be collected for disposal.
The most effective dust removal is achieved when droplets are 1 to 5 times the size of the dust being controlled. If the drops are too small, they will be unable to agglomerate and knock down the dust particles. Conversely, water drops significantly larger than the dust particles form an air barrier around themselves, preventing the dust from gaining direct contact and encapsulating/agglomerating with the water droplet.
BETE can provide droplet size distributions to help you select the correct nozzle and operating parameters for your application.
Conveyor and Transfer Point Dust Control
The movement of conveying crushed stone, coal, or sand stirs up and creates a dust cloud, which can be suppressed by spraying water as a fine mist or fog. Adding finely sprayed water to the minerals or aggregates on conveyors or at transfer points and hoppers can prevent dust generation, suppress dust clouds, and keep them from spreading. Spraying water will prevent the dust cloud from forming through adherence of the dust to the minerals being processed and agglomeration with the air’s dust particles. Effective dust control on conveyors and transfer points plays a critical role in preventing dust explosions and is a key safety system in processing plants and power generation facilities.
Coverage and distribution are essential for preventative dust control to be effective. Ensuring complete coverage of the material being transferred ensures proper wetting of all the material and prevents dust formation. However, overspray potentially wastes resources and causes build-up on transfer equipment. In many applications, surfactants or foaming chemicals are added to help the sprayed water effectively cover and penetrate material transferred on a conveyor.
MICROWHIRL® (MW) MISTING AND FOGGING NOZZLES
Common Uses & Industries
Loading hoppers
Rock crushers
Corn, wheat, and grain processing
Important factors to consider:
Prevention vs suppression water spray systems
Dust particle size and concentration
Amount of raw material and conveyors speeds
Required coverage
Available nozzle mounting locations
Available and allowable water flow rates
- Sufficient water to effectively prevent or suppress dust is required, but too much water addition can create binding or clogging of downstream equipment, affecting the transport costs of materials, or affecting the BTU content of coal, among other factors
Available liquid pressure drop (∆P) across the nozzle(s)
- ∆P = supply pressure at nozzle inlet – process pressure outside nozzle
Recommended Nozzles
Contact our spray experts to find the perfect nozzle for your application.
