Free Webinar to Explain EPA NESHAP Rule 6X

Camfil Farr Air Pollution Control (APC) will host a free educational webinar titled: “The New EPA National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP), Rule 6X: Are You Compliant?” The webinar will take place on Thursday, February 16th from 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Central Standard Time (CST). To see more information or register for the event, visit www.farrapc.com/rule6x.

The EPA NESHAP standard is a sweeping new requirement that impacts thousands of companies in the metalworking industries. This free webinar is designed to help metalworking professionals to understand and comply with the new EPA regulation, which imposes stringent requirements for the exhausting of welding fumes and other processes that may contain hazardous air pollutants.

This one-hour interactive webinar will explain the regulation and how to determine if your facility is impacted; the monitoring and test methods required for compliance; and equipment strategies that can help achieve compliance while also reducing energy costs. The speaker will be Greg Schreier, metalworking market manager for Camfil Farr APC and a frequent speaker on regulatory topics. This webinar will be available for viewing on-demand after the event, with registration.

Article: Asking The Right Questions About Cartridge Dust Collection

Over the past decade, cartridge-style dust collectors have overtaken baghouses as the preferred technology for pharmaceutical dust collection. Combining maximum filtration efficiency with compact size and reduced pressure drop, a high efficiency cartridge dust collector will in most cases be the system of choice.

Choosing the best cartridge collection system for a given application, however, involves research and attention to detail. This article will review four key areas of investigation. By reviewing these topics with a knowledgeable equipment supplier and knowing the right questions to ask, engineers will be better equipped to make informed dust collection decisions. Read the full article here.

New Video Center on Industrial Dust Collection

The "APC (Air Pollution Control) Video Center" is both informational and instructional. If you are faced with buying an industrial dust collector for your business or factory, watch the ones that may apply to you. Learn about the features to look for, dust testing, application focus, dust collector filters and more. There is a whole series of instructional videos on how to assemble and set up a dust colletor for operation. Heck, you'll even find some fun stuff here.

Free NFPA Webinar on Dust Explosion Hazards 8/23/11

The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) is offering a FREE 90-minute Webinar, “Identify and Prevent Dust Explosion Hazards”, on 8/23/11. Synopsis:

"Combustible dusts pose a significant fire and explosion hazard for any industry that manufactures, handles, stores, or recycles solid materials.During this webinar, NFPA's Guy Colonna will discuss NFPA 654, Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing, and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids, and related standards to identify dust explosion hazards and review safety practices so you can recognize the potential for a dust hazard condition and outline the various controls."

If you are considering the purchase of a dust collection system for your factory, this is an excellent opportunity to learn. Register at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/455405003.

New Video Showcases Dust and Fume Collection Capabilities, Equipment

Camfil Farr Air Pollution Control (APC) has produced a video that describes how the company’s dust collection products and capabilities can help factories be safer, more productive and more energy-efficient.  The video can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3lPq7qY3TU. 

The 9-1/2 minute video includes an overview of Camfil Farr APC capabilities – including engineering services, application and technical support, and in-house dust testing at the company’s full-service dust test laboratory.  It also showcases the award-winning Gold Series® dust collectors and HemiPleat® filters, which are all produced through integrated manufacturing at company facilities. Applications and markets served worldwide are detailed in the video as well.

FAQ: How do I select the most efficient filter media for my dust collector?

The first thing to consider is the maximum allowable emissions for the type of dust to be filtered. OSHA sets the standards for indoor air quality, and the EPA controls limits on air exhausted outside. Toxic materials such as pesticides and herbicides, potent pharmaceutical compounds, hex chrome, cadmium, and lead have very low emission limits and almost always require HEPA after filters downstream of the dust collector. The more efficient the dust collector, the less often change-out of the HEPA filters will be required. Exposure to the dust during change-out of both the primary and HEPA filters may require bag-in/bag-out containment features.

Even with less toxic dusts like paper, it makes no sense to return the air from the collector to the work space unless the air is at least as clean as the Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs). A typical PEL for paper dust is 5 mg/m³ or .002 grains/cu ft. Using media that the manufacturer will only guarantee at a higher level than the PEL could put you out of compliance with OSHA. Returning the air can save huge amounts in heating and cooling costs. Many dusts can be explosive, so remember to follow all National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guidelines when returning any air into the plant.

Finally, some media may have higher pressure drops that can add to fan horsepower, leading to higher energy costs. Along with the higher pressure drops, the cleaning system may require more compressed air to maintain a stable pressure drop across the filters. How the cartridge is designed and pleated can help lower or eliminate the added pressure drop and reduce total energy needed to run the dust collector. Wider, evenly spaced pleats can allow the air to move through the filter without the added pressure drop and also allow the dust to be easily pulsed out.

For more related information, read the Media Types section of the article, Trends in Pleated Cartridges Filters. The full article begins here and can be downloaded as a PDF file.

New Video - Expert Discusses Pharmaceutical Dust Collection for Containment

A new video has been released in which David Steil discusses safe collection and containment of dust in the pharmaceutical industry. Learn how David helped develop the Camtain®, an industry designed, surrogate tested dust collection solution for fire explosivity, hazardous or potent material containment and reduction of energy costs. Learn more about dust collection for pharmaceutical solid dosage manufacturing here.

FAQ: Do you have general guidelines about when to replace cartridges?

Typically, cartridges are changed out when they become plugged and reach a high pressure differential range where the cartridges do not clean down enough to maintain airflow. Usually when the differential pressure reaches 5-6 in. water column, it is time to change the cartridges. Many control panels have a high pressure alarm that can be set to warn that the cartridges need to be changed or that something is wrong with the collector, such as loss of compressed air for the cleaning system.
Many companies follow a routine preventive maintenance program and change out the cartridges no matter what the pressure drop. This is often due to fear that a cartridge may develop a leak and cause downtime.

A good quality cartridge with a reinforced pleat can extend the time between filter change-outs. An open pleat design will extend cartridge life by using all of the media for filtering and not just the outer third of the pleat pack. The open pleat will also increase filter life due to the ease of pulsing the dust out of the wider pleat. Because of the open pleat, you can often recover the cartridges even if they have reached 6 in. or more of differential pressure due to an upset, like loss of compressed air.

A continuous spacer in the open pleat design also helps strengthen and support the cartridge media, also allowing longer time between change-out by preventing cartridge failure.

New Video - Expert Discusses Dust Collection for Mining

A new video has been released in which Dave Stock discusses how controlling dust from mining equipment at excavation sites, mill transfer points and similar locations is a difficult challenge. Learn why the pleated baghouse dust collector has set the bar for mining dust collection.

"Spend your time producing your mining product, not servicing your dust collection system," says Dave. Learn more about dust collection for mining here.

FAQ: When it comes to choosing dust collectors, what are the advantages of a vertical filter versus a horizontal style filter?

The position in which a filter cartridge is installed or mounted in the dust collector – vertical or horizontal – has a major impact on both safety and performance. Horizontal cartridges have a tendency to build up dust on the cartridge surface, reducing the amount of usable filter area. This can decrease filter life and can also be the cause of fires in applications that produce sparks or ignition sources. The spark lands on the cartridges, causing both the cartridge and the dust that has settled out on the cartridge surface to catch fire. A vertical cartridge sheds sparks more readily and greatly reduces the chance of filters catching on fire.

The dust in a horizontal collector first enters the top of the collector and must be pulse-cleaned off each row of cartridges until it reaches the hopper. A vertical cartridge has a cross-flow air pattern with an inlet that pre-cleans the air before it reaches the cartridges. This lowers the dust loading on the cartridges and helps to increase cartridge life. See more information on horizontal versus vertical cartridges.

Understanding MFHAP Regulations

Many companies have always just exhausted their weld fume outside. This has been an option for companies especially in temperate climates where heating or cooling the manufacturing plant was not necessary. Plants in colder climates have been able to justify the expense of a cartridge collector, which saved energy costs by filtering the air and returning the conditioned air back into the workspace. Most of these systems could see a payback within 2-3 years just on the energy savings alone, not to mention a cleaner and healthier environment for the workers.

There is a new EPA regulation that will change all of that. No longer will plants be able to just exhaust the contaminated air outside. The new standard is the National emission standards for hazardous air pollutants area source standards for nine metal fabrication and finishing source categories.

The new EPA standard was established on July 23, 2008. Any new facility built after this date had to meet the new standard. All other facilities must comply by July 25, 2011. Notification of compliance must be submitted before November 22, 2011 if it is an existing facility or if it is a new facility 120 days after start up or by November 20, 2008, whichever is later.

For more information and to download a PDF detailing the test methods in the regulation, go to Understanding MFHAP Regulations. MFHAP = Metal Fabrication Hazardous Air Pollutants