Dry Fog Dust Suppression for Crushing Equipment
Crushing operations are among the most aggressive dust-generating processes in quarrying, mining, and minerals processing. The mechanical breaking of rock, aggregate, coal, and other bulk materials releases large volumes of fine respirable dust, including harmful PM10 and PM2.5 particulates, that without effective dust control rapidly exceed safe occupational exposure limits and create significant environmental and regulatory issues. Our dry fog dust suppression systems are designed to control airborne dust at crushing equipment, suppressing dust at the point of generation and returning fine particles to the product stream without over-wetting the material.
How It Works
Effective dust suppression at a crusher requires the fog to be generated at multiple points around the machine to ensure complete coverage. Ideally the system should be configured to generate fog at three key locations, contained within properly designed shrouding that eliminates dissipation due to wind and provides the treatment time necessary for particle agglomeration to occur.
The primary set of nozzles is positioned at the loading point of the crusher, generating a blanket of dry fog that is drawn into the crusher body along with the incoming material and airborne dust. This allows the fog droplets to act on the dust within the crushing chamber itself, where the highest concentrations of airborne particulates are generated. A second set of nozzles should be mounted at the discharge point or at the tail end of the receiving conveyor, spraying in the direction of belt travel to suppress dust carried out of the crusher body on the exhaust air stream. Where space and access allow, a third nozzle position targeting the crusher body or hood provides additional coverage and ensures complete suppression of all fugitive emissions.
As airborne dust enters the confined and shrouded zone, dry fog agglomeration occurs, the dust is suppressed in situ, and the captured fines are returned to the conveying material rather than being lost to waste or extracted for disposal.
Nozzle Placement Principles
Each crusher installation is different and nozzle positioning is engineered to suit the specific equipment and site layout. The key principles we follow are:
- Nozzle spray pattern should not directly impinge upon any surface or structure
- Nozzles should be mounted to maximise the ability to fill the shrouding with fog
- The fog should avoid direct contact with the material being suppressed
- Nozzles must be protected or shielded to avoid damage from falling material
- Spray pattern should be generated so that all fugitive dust emissions are forced to pass through the blanket of fog