Abrasive Metal Chips Wear Out Dust Collector
The Problem
A manufacturing facility in OH specializing in aluminum processing equipment utilized a small cyclone in its application to remove aluminum chips from exhaust air leaving their dryer. The abrasive nature of the aluminum chips, however, seriously affected the cyclone’s efficiency.
Application Photo
After contacting Aerodyne Environmental about the problem and inquiring about a dust collector, it was determined that a GPC cyclone could be an ideal replacement. Throughout the facility’s process, aluminum chips were washed and then fed into a dryer on a conveyor system to be dried before being melted for casting. During the drying process, hot air passed over the chips and dried them as they traveled through. Most of the chips fell out and moved on further down the processing line. Some of the chips, however, were transported by the hot air and exhausted out of the dryer. It is at this point that the company’s dust collector would remove the aluminum chips from the exhausted air, but the abrasive nature of the aluminum chips consistently caused the dust collector to experience wear and malfunction.
The Solution and Measurable Results
Aerodyne’s GPC cyclone can handle tough dusts like aluminum because it operates differently than other dust collectors: a sloped spiral inlet directs the dirty gas stream toward a fixed ground plate and hopper within the dust collector. The ground plate forces vortex reversal to occur in a much shorter space than that of a traditional cyclone, eliminating the need for a long, tapered body. As the dirty gas stream strikes the convex ground plate, fine particulate that have not made it to the cyclone’s walls are deflected into the hopper. The ground plate also shields collected particulate from the forces of the 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 facility was eventually able to incorporate the GPC cyclone into its existing system and replace the old dust collector without using up any additional plant space.
