Why You Need Dust Control in Bulk Solids Handling

Why Dust Control Is Crucial

Apart from preventing the issues of workers being exposed to hazardous dusts and product loss, uncontrolled airborne contaminants can:

► Produce cross-contamination issues to a production process

► Increase worker absenteeism

► Reduce equipment reliability leading to an increased level of breakdowns

► Increase the combustion risk within a production facility

► Increase the plant cleaning requirement

► Create additional slip hazards

► Increase the risk of costly litigation both in the short and long term

These issues can all be addressed with correctly designed LEV, helping to provide a safer environment in which to work, protecting both businesses and employees.

When applying dust control within the United Kingdom, legislation such as COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) and EH40 (which details the numerous dust levels acceptable within a production facility) must be considered. LEV systems should be designed following HSG258 guidelines, giving advice on the effective design, commissioning and testing of LEV systems.

What Are Your Specific Dust Control Needs?

Every production facility has its own unique LEV requirement. When enquiring about the purchase of a dust filter unit/LEV system, it is helpful to know;

► The type of dust that your industrial process generates. This includes the products themselves and the particulate size (e.g. is the product in the form of lumps, granules, pellets, powder, etc.)

► Understanding how much dust is created. This includes determining the plant operation (e.g. is production 8hr per weekday or 24 hr production 7 days per week, etc.) The type of dust generation is also an important factor to consider (e.g. intermittent sack tipping through to a continuous production process, etc.) Estimating the type and level of dust generated affects the type of filter unit, the filter unit size and the dust collection/discharge arrangement.

► Determining the air volume that is required to provide effective dust control. This affects both the filter and fan sizes.

► Establishing whether or not your dust is potentially explosive. If your dust is potentially explosive, your dust extraction filter unit must comply with DSEAR (Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmosphere Regulations) and the ATEX Directive. The Kst value (the rate at which a given dust will explode, measured in Bar.m/s) must be determined to size the explosion protection system correctly.

Knowing these elements will help ensure that your LEV system will be designed to meet your unique requirements and help you make a more informed decision in choosing the right dust collector for your needs. integratedAIR Filtration can help you choose the most efficient filter from their BlueClean® range. They have years of experience in the industry, so rest assured that you are in good hands. Whether you are looking for a customised dust extraction filter unit or a full turnkey system, integratedAIR Filtration can help to provide your LEV solution.