Dust Collection Systems
When contemplating new or improved production lines, bakers who prioritize dust collection will be rewarded. There are long term energy, sanitation, and maintenance savings to be realized by early consideration of dust control in the layout and equipment selection process!
Flour and ingredient Dust collection Systems work best when comprised of the following:
- Close fitting collection hoods and hoppers – naturally with welded stainless steel construction, but sized for the specific location, easily adjusted for varietal requirements, and access ports for easy cleaning and accurate air flow adjustments, reducing compressed air demand (blowers available upon request)
- Engineered Ducting, properly grounded and with a minimum of bends and flexhose – sized to maintain NFPA minimum velocities and deliver adequate suction to each collection point!
- Cyclonic primary filtration is very advantageous for flour applications – up to 95% of collected flour will be “passively” removed, greatly reducing air/material separation load on fragile filter media. Cost savings are magnified by a proportional reduction in compressed air at the baghouse (next item).
- Final filtration may be by a variety of means depending on the volume and nature of the dust, and location (in the production area or outside for example) – a pulse jet purge, welded construction, vertical cartridge “baghouse” is typically recommended for multipoint systems. A Rotary Airlock underneath continuously discharges collected dust for reuse or waste
- Combustible dust considerations – an Explosion Vent or Quench tube is required to protect the baghouse in the event of a deflagration, while a short “Pred” duct and Isolation Flap Valve prevents a secondary explosion from occurring upstream. There are a variety of suppliers for these items; proper sizing and design of these will significantly reduce the initial and long term costs. (click the appropriate tab for further details)
- Blower –Only after the duct, layout, and all components are known can the blower be properly specified! For example, if located away from personnel a silencer may not be necessary, reducing the static pressure of the system, horsepower, and possibly even the size of the blower itself. In addition, an engineered duct layout and Inverter driven motor allows use of a direct drive fan – smaller, more efficient, less expensive, less maintenance, and quieter.