From a permitting standpoint, the material and air flow rate will be need to measured or calculated to determine the dust load ratio. To verify the original design data, measure the power consumption of the air mover, the total system pressure and the air and material flow rates. A time study may have to be performed on the inlet and or outlet discharge vessels to estimate the mass flow rate of the soybean protein.
To get the data in the right format, you may need to convert the actual mixture conditions to the equivalent weight per standard dry cubic foot of air. If you need more help with this conversation, see Industrial Ventilation Design - A Manual of Recommended Practice - 27th Edition Chapter 9.
A few of state environmental agencies provide spreadsheets to help calculate the breakdown for potential PM, PM2.5 and PM10 source emissions for different industrial processes. To provide the most accurate information on the air quality permit, a particle size analysis can be performed by a certified lab to determine this distribution.

The key to smooth running dust collection systems is routine preventative maintenance for your system. The dust collection collects the dust, mist, fumes and other airborne particles that you want to keep from the rest of the machinery and especially the personnel operating this machinery. Improper and ineffective maintenance can lead to premature failure and in some cases fires or explosions.
To prevent dust collection systems from becoming the source of downtime and compliance issues, it is imperative that you budget for a professional preventative maintenance program. Service professionals can perform your routine maintenance and identify and correct any small problems before they become big headaches. In addition to the need for routine maintenance, during the long life of a dust collection system many variables, such as process components, types of materials processed, and the number and type of machines utilizing dust collection can change. Service professionals can show you how to modify your system to meet new process and capacity requirements and how to optimize your system to achieve the highest operating efficiency possible.
Dust collection manufacturers provide access to service networks that are knowledgeable and dedicated to your industry. The manufacturer should be consulted to identify the best possible service companies to help plants with this important process.

For the fugitive dust issues associated with the loading and unloading process, a good solution is a source capture dust collection system.
The source capture design for the loading process will include a sack tipping station with back draft hood. The station is basically an enclosure with a hinged door to feed material into the blender. A grate is provided in the chute to eliminate the risk of dropping the open bag into the blender. The unit can be mounted above the blender or mounted at ground level with a hopper and a flexible screw conveyor to transfer the material into the blender. The extraction volume should be sized for a face velocity between 150 - 200 FPM in the open door area. These stations are marketed with an integral dust collector including centrifugal fan. If any of the powders are combustible, then my recommendation is to pipe the back draft hood to a dust collector with proper safety equipment located on the exterior of the plant.
On the bag filling application, a source capture hood can be mounted to the blender outfeed. This perimeter hood will be slightly larger than the bag size and the extraction volume will be in the range from 600-1,200 SCFM for non-toxic powders.
By installing a properly designed source capture system, the housekeeping issues will be mitigated.

Dust collection removes airborne contaminants, such as dust, mist and fumes from the work environment. The airborne particles created by cutting, shaping and grinding are more than a nuisance, they can be a serious health hazard to both health and safety if not properly controlled. Here are some of the potential problems of which you should be concerned:
Respiratory effects are the primary health concern. Inhaling excessive dust, mist or fumes can cause nasal irritation and bleeding, inflammation of the sinuses, wheezing, prolonged colds and decreased lung function. You can also develop an allergy and asthma from repeated exposure to certain airborne contaminants.
Skin and eye effects are also possible. Dermatitis, an inflammation of the skin, can occur from repeated contact. Symptoms can include itching, redness or cracking of the skin. These contaminants can also cause eye irritation.
Certain airborne contaminants are known human carcinogens. Occupational exposure can cause cancer of the sinuses and nasal cavities.

Before the selection of a separation \ classification method, a particle size, bulk density and composition analysis will need to be completed on a material sample. If this data is available, then a calculation of the efficiency on the particle size ranges and densities will determine the type and design of the correct separation device. The next step is to perform a cost \ benefit analysis on the equipment investment versus the savings in product recovery.

An alternative approach is to send a dust sample to OEMs of classifier and APC equipment for testing. Many of these OEMs have labs with the ability to simulate the process and try different technologies and system parameters to find the best solution. The existing plan to use a standard centrifugal separator and manual vacuum could have issues because of the particle agglomeration in the cyclone and high material to air density due to the loading method.

In the face of today’s hard economic conditions, it is even more important to look at all possible means to cut your costs and increase your profits. Explore all options, including considering used, as well as new equipment. Then make your decision based on what best fits your needs and current situation.
Fortunately, today’s top dust collection manufacturers produce products that have a long working life expectancy. Often businesses never fully utilize their equipment to its full life potential. Upgrades, changes in production processes or capacities, closure of manufacturing locations, etc. have put machinery and equipment (including dust collectors) on the market that still have many years of useful life left in them.
Many times whether you buy a new or used piece of equipment can depend upon your specific needs and what you can budget. Here are some other things that you need to take into consideration:
Advantages of a new dust collector:
• You can order the equipment to your exact specifications thus the operational cost is lower.
• You receive full factory warranties.
• Maintenance costs and potential downtime are minimal.
• There is greater availability and options.
Disadvantages of a new dust collector:
• The purchase cost is higher than used equipment.
• The equipment may require time to build.
Advantages of a used dust collector:
• The purchase cost is lower than the same piece of equipment when it was new.
• The equipment is already built, so no wait time.
• You can usually get a maintenance service contract, if the equipment has been well maintained.
• The equipment could have been used very little.
• There is the possibility of equipment that has never been used. This could include backup equipment, equipment used for display or tradeshows, equipment that was ordered – but the full purchase was not completed.
Disadvantages of a used dust collector:
• Availability may be limited.
• The equipment may require a great deal of modification, repair or need additional parts or options.
• Limited or no warranty.
• More likelihood of needed repairs, potential downtime and parts replacement.
Regardless of whether you purchase new or used equipment, it is imperative that you partner with a dependable and experienced source of maintenance. A good place to start your search is with the people that know and understand the equipment best – dust collection manufacturers.

An engineer will need to know more about the incineration application (hazardous waste, medical waste, solid waste, biomass?) before a case could be made for either technology. The composition of the products of combustion, the applicable emission requirements, the temperature and flow rate of the gas at the inlet are some of the information required to make an analysis of the two technologies.

Below is a general comparison:

Areas to target in analyzing your dust collection system are: the filter cleaning system (i.e., compressed air consumption on reverse pulse jet systems); pressure drop across the filter media; and the inlet and outlet conditions of the main fan. If any of these areas are not designed correctly for your application and configuration, then your energy consumption could be improved by having your system optimized.

For example, on applications where your system is servicing workstations that are only used intermittently, the use of a Delta-P cleaning process versus a Continuous Time Interval cleaning process would greatly reduce your compressed air consumption. The Delta-P controller starts the cleaning process when the pressure drop across the filter media reaches the high setting and continually cleans all element rows in a timed sequence until the pressure drop reaches a low setting. Therefore, the filter media is only cleaned when dust is being collected and accumulated on the filter media because of workstation utilization. Conversely, the Continuous Time Interval process cleans without regard to dust accumulation and pressure drop. This Delta-P method of cleaning saves energy and extends the life of the filter media by reducing the number of the stress cycles on the filter elements compared to the high cycle count of timed interval cleaning.

Another more forward thinking method to reduce your energy consumption is to initially design or now turn your system into an “On Demand” dust collection system. Only about ½ of a typical plant’s equipment is running at any given time. Therefore, it is not necessary to have your entire collection system running the entire time.

Automated gates, combined with a variable frequency drive on the main motor can be engineered to provide you with “On Demand” dust collection. Sensors are installed on each machine that signal a controller to open and close automatic gates according to whether the machine is running or not running. When a machine is not in use, the system shuts down the dust collection to that machine. As the demand on your system is reduced, a VFD controller also regulates the fan speed. Thus the demand and energy consumption to provide your plant dust collection is greatly reduced, as is your energy bill. Be sure that the pipe (duct) system and control logic are designed so the minimum transport velocity is maintained in all pipe sections.

Working with the right dust collection expefarts and utilizing the right equipment can provide you with an optimized system that can save you as much 70% on your dust collection energy cost.

Yes, I would highly recommend the use of a certified backflow damper device. This would isolate the workspace area from a possible explosive incident. The backflow damper would prevent a flame from traveling through the pipe (duct) system and exiting through your source capture hoods.

During the system design and specification process the explosive characteristics of the dust, as well as the valve’s location and orientation, needs to be considered.

Components that are ATEX certified are excellent choices, because they have passed stringent and standardized tests to certify the components for different explosion scenarios.