Dust prevention reduces downtime
ACCIDENT PREVENTION Investing in dust surpression solutions can effectively reduce or eliminate air pollution at any materials-handling site
Photo by Bloomberg
To prevent operational downtime that, on average, can result in a loss of between $1 000/h and $3 000/h, companies must invest in dust prevention solutions that effectively reduce or eliminate air pollution, says dust suppression engineering solutions company Dust-Act special projects director Carlo Fortugno.
“Eliminating air pollution improves production, as it reduces machine downtime, safeguards employees’ health and complies with emissions legislation,” he explains, adding that uncontrolled fugitive dust can cause employees to contract diseases like silicosis, asbestosis and black lung.
Dust can also cause accidents and injuries as a result of poor visibility.
Fortugno adds that implementing dust suppression at materials handling plants requires careful consideration of the correct engineering and design of the system. “It is not an exact science, as there are plenty of variables involved,” he says.
Dust at materials handling plants is removed either through dust extraction using bag houses or through dust suppression using high-pressure systems and specific agents, in which Dust-Act specialises.
Fortugno further highlights that Dust-Act’s systems are cheaper and greener than competing products because they consume less power and less water.
“The only way to implement effective dust suppression at material handling companies is by using high-pressure systems of 70 bar and up. To eliminate your promethium carbon (Pm) from Pm2 to Pm10, you need droplet sizes of between one and ten microns, and only a high-pressure system can produce these types of droplets.”
He adds that, after choosing the correct technology, the next step is to choose the most appropriate design, which “is where engineering skills and experience come into play”.
Dust-Act supplies a design and a project timeline according to a project methodology to which the company adheres.
“The third step is to combine technology and design with the client’s interface. We produce our own misting cannons, which means we are able to offer reduced prices. “The key to using a cannon is to get the right size for the specific application. “ A cannon that is too strong has the opposite effect and a cannon that is too weak does not solve the problem. “There is no cannon that is a one size fits all,” Fortugno concludes.
Comments
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation