Dust Control Technology (DCT), Peoria, Illinois, is complementing its existing line of stationary dust suppression rings with the ability to produce geometric shapes, bars or other configurations, customized to the needs of the specific application. The new technology can create a virtually unlimited array of shapes and sizes, including the DustBoss DB-R ring, which creates a curtain of mist around the cargo stream or specified area for outstanding containment of fugitive dust or odor. The company has also developed the ability to supply custom spray bars and shapes under the DustBoss DB-B family of spray bar products.
“This capability was developed in response to several requests by clients seeking a viable area-specific solution,” says DCT President Laura Stiverson. “We’ve found that the most effective dust suppression approach involves identifying where in the industrial process fugitive dust is produced and customizing a solution that contains it at the point of emission.”
Customers can request a virtual site assessment to determine the optimum size and shape of a customized ring, working with experienced personnel to design a tailored system. The assessment includes such details as material properties and volume, width/length/speed of conveyors, pulley diameter and slope. DCT can also produce customized shapes from customer drawings, depending on the size, geometry and complexity.
The objective in atomized mist technology for dust suppression is to induce as many collisions as possible between the dust particles and the droplets, causing an agglomeration effect that weighs down the solid particles and drives them to the ground. As airborne dust particles and water droplets approach each other, the best chance for a collision is created when they are roughly the same size, avoiding a slipstream effect that can carry them past one another.
At the core of the technology, water is pumped into a stainless steel manifold and atomized by a series of specially designed nozzles that fracture the water into a cascading mist. The water can be supplied by standard municipal sources or a hydrant, feeding a hose sized for the application and connected directly to male pipe threads on the manifold. To avoid premature clogging of misting nozzles, facilities that draw from non-potable water sources can employ additional filtration systems.
“Custom rings and spray bars can be equipped with a pump that is matched to the specific device and the service conditions under which it must operate,” says Stiverson. “Options include a complete plug-and-play system with its own control panel, as well as the ability to tie in to a customer’s existing controls. For applications that require surfactants, a dosing pump can be included in the design to precisely meter additives.”
Engineers at DCT have created custom systems for a variety of different industries, from aggregate to recycling to coal. With the launch of the customization program, the company is equipped to engineer systems of nearly any size and configuration.
“This product family was created to fulfill unmet customer needs, but it also helps protect workers and the surrounding community from industrial dust and odor,” Stiverson says. “We want all of our customers to have a solution that fits their individual needs, contributing to health and safety, good community relations and regulatory compliance.”
