Coffee Roaster’s Process Improves with Dust Collector
The Problem
During a prominent coffee bean roaster’s planning to build a new roasting facility in New Jersey, the head engineer contacted Aerodyne about their struggle finding equipment that could tackle the typical problems that occur during the roasting process—all while utilizing as little space as possible.
The coffee bean roasting process generally releases smoke and particulate like chaff (bean skins) which will escape in to the exhaust air if not captured before outside ventilation. Organic liquids (volatile organic compounds/VOCs) are also released and can create a burnt toast smell. Specialized dust collection systems are required in order to tackle these situations.
The Solution and Measurable Results
GPC Compact Cyclone Dust Collectors
After receiving the company’s specs, Aerodyne’s engineering team concluded that the roasting facility could easily house the GPC Cyclone Dust Collector as an addition to their coffee roasting system. The GPC operates differently than other dust collectors, with a sloped spiral inlet to direct the dirty gas stream toward a fixed ground plate and hopper of the dust collector. The ground plate forces vortex reversal to occur in a much shorter space, eliminating the need for a long, tapered body. As the dirty gas stream strikes the convex ground plate, fine particulate that has not completely made it to the dust collector walls is deflected into the hopper. The ground plate also shields collected particulate from the forces of vortex reversal, acting as a barrier between the separation chamber and the collection hopper. This innovative design enables a compact dust collector to operate at high efficiency, even when installed horizontally.
The GPC coffee system comes complete with the compact cyclone, an electrostatic precipitator (ESP) to remove VOCs, a support stand, and a chaff collection bin. Post installation, the coffee roasters were very pleased with the GPC’s performance in their facility: they found that it met their spatial constraints, contained all the necessary components for the roasting process, and required less power than other systems they had used in the past.
