With the appropriate maintenance of dust collection systems, airflow can be maintained more effectively, which, in turn, reduces the amount of waste and helps to maximise the equipment’s life. It’s also important to have the correct airflow in order to improve productivity and worker safety, as the distribution of potentially harmful materials is reduced.
Why optimal airflow is important
It’s essential that all dust collection systems have proper airflow, and this can be assisted by the use and maintenance of the right parts, such as a ductwork blast gate damper. When selecting a dust collection system, it’s beneficial to choose a model that suits the requirements of the job, as one that is too small can be problematic and lead to an increase in energy and operating costs.
The benefits of optimising airflow in these systems include extending the life of the dust collection filter and saving energy. This will also reduce the level of maintenance that is required and limit the cost of replacement parts. With a more effective airflow, the system will offer better dust collection and see a reduction in fumes.
Maintaining the correct airflow
In order to ensure the airflow is controlled correctly, you need to correctly adjust the inlet damper, outlet damper or variable frequency drive of the fan’s outlet. If this is not carried out in the right way, it can reduce the life of the filter, resulting in quality issues and an increase in operating costs.
To ensure you adjust it properly, you need to have a differential pressure benchmark and regularly monitor the readings, so that you are able to see when it’s not operating within the optimal limits.
The correct maintenance of dust collection systems also involves balancing the airflow at the blast gates or inlet damper, such as the ductwork blast gate damper, available from DustSpares (http://www.dustspares.co.uk/Blast-Gate-Damper.html), for example. Signs that the airflow is not correct include settling dust, which indicates it’s too slow, or wear spots, which are a sign that it’s too high.
It’s best to have an airflow analysis carried out on your specific equipment, to enable you to get a better indication of how effective the airflow is and see where improvements can be made for your particular type of dust collection system and requirements.
