Safety Issues Prompt Insulation Manufacturer to Seek New Dust Collector
The Problem
Aerodyne SplitStream Cyclone Dust Collector
One facility manufacturing glass mat and wet chop glass fibers found themselves struggling with the fibrous dust in their operation. These end products are used to strengthen concrete, vinyl flooring, and are also used in specialty papers. Their dust collector was experiencing operational issues due to extremely fine fibrous dust, which bridges once it settles.
Although they had a cartridge collector in place, material was not fully leaving the hopper. As a result, they sprayed the hoppers down with water to remove excess material, but the water tended to leak out of the units. These collectors are kept in ambient conditions and when the weather gets colder, water leaks turned into dangerous ice patches on the ground. Several employees had slipped and injured themselves on these icy patches around the equipment. Frustrated with these fibrous dust control issues and concerned about keeping their workplace safe, they reached out to Aerodyne Environmental for a help with a better system.
The Solution and Measurable Results
After our engineering team made an inspection of the facility and the fibrous material involved in this process, they suggested the facility implement a SplitStream dust collector with a special rotary valve attachment. The SplitStream Dust Collector achieves high efficiency by forcing dirty gases into a powerful centrifugal motion. This centrifugal action then throws dust particulate out of the gas stream before being intercepted by a secondary air stream that carries the dust particulate to the hopper. This ultimately keeps dust away from the collector’s walls to reduce sticking and abrasion—a bonus with materials like fiberglass. As a result, the SplitStream virtually eliminates maintenance problems common to other types of cyclones. The prevention of particulate contact with external walls is a major factor in the unit’s ability to achieve high efficiency ratings. Because the SplitStream does not use bags or filter cartridges, the collected product is easily returned to the process for reuse or sent out for disposal.
Post installation, the plant’s fibrous material is removed in the SplitStream, falls into the hopper, and then is removed from said hopper with a special rotary valve. The rotary valve has an over-sized rectangular flange that allows the fibrous material to fall easily into the valve without bridging. With the SplitStream dust collector and rotary valve to supplement the operation, the manufacturer’s troubles with fibrous dust control were eliminated and the safety of the shop is back on par with where it should be.
