How to suppress dust with misting systems?

Controlling airborne pollutants are easier said than done, dust caused in the production process like spraying, coating, sanding, grinding, cutting, blasting is said to bring in serious problems to the health of the workforce and it can have a significant impact with production quality. In some cases fugitive dust particles pose tricky problems, especially when dealing with neighboring companies; it can have a negative impact. Dust pollution is a waste of man-hours of clean up, but not now, thanks to dust suppression misting systems which are a boon to several industries. The outdoor cooling unit, what we call as misting systems are not only used for indoor or outdoor cooling, but also used to suppress dust and they are prevalent in industries like recycling, demolition, bulk sector, waste transfer, mining / quarrying, and ports / shipping.

Industrial dust suppression with misting system

To suppress dust produced by materials handling or manufacturing processes, high pressure misting systems are used in several industries. Creating a high concentration of ultra thin water droplets, with an average diameter of 10 microns, it has the ability to capture and suppress miniature particles. This size of water droplet is said to provide optimum performance for the lure and control of PM 10 and smaller dust particles. With no/ very little chance to escape, the system can remove breathable and fugitive dust suppression from .1 to 1000 microns. The unit's modular structure allows an effortless setting up, contrasting some other dust control technologies that have need of advancements in the production sites, therefore resulting in higher costs and in an inflexible state, on the whole. Cool off your place with misting systems and at the same time, enjoy dust suppression with nozzles that produce drops to have a collision with dust pollutants that are already airborne. The dampness weighs the particles down so they are returned to the source material or ground.

The success of appropriate dust suppression brings with it a lot of advantages which are listed below:

Shields your site from low visibility and spontaneous combustion, while still cutting down the risk of dust explosion and fire
Creating a cooler environment for your workers, it addresses operator safety and ensures environmental compliance
Eliminates intense heat, which may result in stress issues
Helps you meet environmental standards
Reduces dusting, unpleasant odors, and water needed for dust suppression on mine roads by up to 90%, during loading, unloading, stack-out and reclamation
Lessens fuel consumption by operating water trucks less often and reduces machine maintenance costs through dust reduction with less wear and tear on equipment

Listed below are some of the variables to consider when specifying a spray system for dust control and this can interfere with performance:

Quality of the water
Size of the dust particle
Spray drop size
Pattern of the spray
Control options
Angle of the spray
The operating pressure
Surface wetting
Nozzle placement
Water availability

Solving common problems

As with any dust control systems, it is quite easy to detect the problem, if it has received proper maintenance and use. Apart from dust and wet material, quality issues like excessive maintenance may be the problem in some cases. In view of the fact that, the solution to these problems isn't always simple, it always depends on the specifics of the operation. Nevertheless, the guidelines mentioned when followed should prove useful.

You can control the amount of water being applied according to the level of pollutant. When there is less dust and too much dust

Reduce flow rate/ increase flow rate
Use fewer nozzles/ increase the number of nozzles
Check nozzles for wear and tear – capacity will scale up
Seeing that nozzle orifices wear, have a periodical check-up
Consider spray control to ensure nozzles are spraying only when required

Preventative maintenance

Depending on the specifics of your operation, i.e. use of the unit, always determine the optimal maintenance schedule
Inspect the nozzles on a regular basis and scrutinize spray patterns and report changes in spray angles, distribution and heavy edges.
Check flow rate and spray pressure at a system level, a damaged nozzle orifice means replacement is necessary