Dry Fog Dust Suppression for Screens and Screen Houses
Screening operations present a unique and challenging dust suppression problem. The vibration of screening equipment and the natural fall and separation of bulk material actively encourages fine particles to become airborne, generating persistent dust clouds within and around the screen itself. At the same time, the open nature of screening equipment and the general air movement within screen houses makes it difficult to contain and treat airborne dust using conventional suppression methods. Over-wetting is a particular concern, as excess moisture can cause fine particles to blind or clog the screen mesh, reducing screening efficiency and increasing downtime.
How It Works
Our ultrasonic dry fog nozzles are ideally suited to screen dust suppression precisely because of their extremely low water consumption and ultra-fine droplet size of less than 5 microns. At this droplet size, the risk of over-wetting the screen mesh or causing a build-up of clogged fines is eliminated, allowing nozzles to be positioned directly above the screen decks and in the roof areas of screen houses where conventional wet suppression would be impractical.
Nozzles mounted above and around the screen areas generate a persistent blanket of dry fog that intercepts airborne fines as they are liberated by the vibration and movement of material across the screen. By raising the humidity level of the air within the screen house, fine airborne particles are encouraged to agglomerate and settle back to ground level, significantly reducing respirable dust concentrations and improving air quality for employees working in and around the screening area.
For open or partially enclosed screens where air movement makes complete suppression challenging, additional nozzles positioned in the roof structure provide a secondary layer of coverage, helping to capture fine particles before they can migrate beyond the immediate area of the screen. Combining nozzle positions at the screen deck level and at roof height ensures that fugitive dust emissions are intercepted at multiple points, maximising suppression efficiency across the full height of the screen house.
Key Benefits for Screen and Screen House Applications
- Ultra-fine droplet size eliminates risk of screen blinding or mesh clogging
- Nozzles can be mounted directly above screen decks without over-wetting concerns
- Raises ambient humidity to suppress and settle airborne fines throughout the screen house
- Reduces respirable PM10 and PM2.5 dust concentrations to safe exposure levels
- Protects employees from airborne dust generated by vibration and material movement
- Suitable for open screens and fully enclosed screen houses
- Low water consumption with no impact on product moisture content or screening performance
- Spray pattern engineered to force all fugitive dust emissions through the blanket of fog