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.