The industrial baghouse manufacturing landscape is always evolving. Whether you own an Pneumafil dust collector, MikroPul baghouse, Pangborn dust collector or a custom dust collection system from IVI, Father Time is undefeated.

Is it time to replace your aging baghouse?

Even if you’re keeping a close eye on common issues in baghouse maintenance, an aging baghouse can expose your operation to employee health and safety risks, production shutdowns, regulatory compliance issues and more. And, if you’ve fallen behind on baghouse maintenance—and plugged ductwork, leaking pulse valves, damaged bags or other problems persist—it’s likely accelerating baghouse wear and tear and the risk your company is taking. If your dust collection system brand has changed manufacturers, regular maintenance becomes even more critical to avoid significant issues.

Aging baghouse indicators that affect all baghouse brands

While the lifespan of a baghouse is influenced by environmental conditions, particulate removal demands and maintenance, a typicaal baghouse lifespan is 20 years or longer. Whether you own a Pneumafil baghouse, MikroPul dust collector, Pangborn baghouse or ÎåÒ»²è¹Ý¶ùcustom solution that is more than two decades old, these indicators can help you assess whether it may be reaching its end of life.

• Overall deterioration: You may see rust, cracks, corrosion and other deterioration to your industrial dust collection system, hear unexpected noises or experienced reduced efficiency in particulate removal. This deterioration may indicate it is time for a baghouse replacement.
• Replacement parts access: Common parts that need replacing include bag filters, timer boards and diaphragm valves. Changes in the baghouse industry can lead to availability issues for critical system components for baghouse brands that are no longer manufactured. If finding baghouse parts or supplies for your aging baghouse is becoming more difficult, it may be time to consider a baghouse replacement.
• Maintenance costs: If your baghouse has been in use for decades, the costs to keep it running effectively and efficiently may add up. If maintenance costs are on the rise, a baghouse replacement may be needed.

Explore replacement options before a problem risks employee health and safety or causes a shutdown, further cutting into your bottom line.

Current system evaluation

If questioning whether a replacement is the best path forward, the first step is to evaluate the current dust collection system—whether it be an IVI, Mikropul, Pangborn or Pneumafil baghouse—or another brand manufactured during the last century. An evaluation can help you determine your baghouse’s current capacity and whether modifications can be made or a full replacement is necessary.

When replacement is needed

If modifications can extend the life of your baghouse, the ÎåÒ»²è¹Ý¶ùteam can explore the available options. If not, our experienced team can provide turnkey solutions. Across any industry and ranging from 50 to 1 million cubic feet per minute, the ÎåÒ»²è¹Ý¶ùteam is ready to design and engineer, fabricate and install a new long-lasting industrial baghouse solution for you.

MIKROPUL is a registered trademark of MENARDI MIKROPUL LLC, 4404-A CHESAPEAKE DR, CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA UNITED STATES 28216

PANGBORN is a registered trademark of PANGBORN LLC, 4630 COATES DRIVE, FAIRBURN, GEORGIA UNITED STATES 30213

PNEUMAFIL is a registered trademark of NEDERMAN CORPORATION, 4404 CHESAPEAKE DRIVE, CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA UNITED STATES 28216

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• Whether adding new equipment or improving efficiency is the reason behind the installation
• Evaluating duct network, fans, dust collector and baghouse efficiency
• What ÎåÒ»²è¹Ý¶ùwill evaluate and the different areas an industrial dust collector manufacturer can help in

Reasons to consider a new dust collector installation

Facility managers may consider a new dust collector installation for two primary reasons:

• New equipment: Adding equipment likely will add to the amount of particulate sources that need to be collected.
• Improve efficiency: Oftentimes, dust collection systems become inefficient, leaving behind particulates that should be collected. If maintenance issues are ruled out, a new dust collector installation can help improve the overall performance of the dust collection system.

Evaluating whether you need a new dust collector installation

When considering a new dust collector installation, the first step is conducting an evaluation of the current system. This evaluation will determine the system’s current capacity and what modifications need to be made to keep the system running efficiently.

The following areas are evaluated:

• Duct network: Ducts are examined to measure flow volumes, velocities, static pressures and physical wear and appearance. This network also is inspected for dropout.
• Fans: Fans are examined to determine flow rates, rpm and system static pressure. Based on the findings and needs of the collection system, fans may need to be resized or resheaved to change fan rpm. In addition, a motor change may be necessary to meet required fan speed or necessary static pressure.
• Dust collector: The size of the dust collector indicates whether it has the capacity to pick up contaminants from needed areas. This capacity may need to be increased if more particulate is required to be removed from the area.
• Baghouse efficiency: The evaluation determines whether the baghouse has adequate air-to-cloth ratio to capture particulate efficiently.

IVI’s evaluation

IVI, an industrial dust collector manufacturer, has the engineering resources to conduct a thorough evaluation of your industrial air ventilation system. If you are experiencing inefficiencies in your system, we’ll determine whether you have a maintenance issue or whether you need a new dust collector installation.

If it’s a maintenance issue, we can set up a regular maintenance schedule at your facility to ensure your system is running at peak efficiency. Because we’re an industrial dust collector manufacturer, we can also provide a turnkey solution, from evaluation to design and build, if you’re adding equipment.

Contact IVI to learn more about installing a new dust collector for your facility.

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Building and Managing a Dust Collection System

Many factors affect the performance of Dust Collection Systems. In a previous blog post, Dust Collection System Design Considerations – Part 1, we summarized five key considerations for the engineering and design phase of a dust collection system. The post was based on an Engineers Collaborative article, (Unfortunately, this is now only available via the Internet Archive.)

For this post, we return to that article to summarize its advice for managing the following phases of a dust collection project:

• Construction
• Startup
• Training
• Maintenance

The Construction Phase

Appropriately detailed engineering and design documents produced in the design phase help ensure the construction phase meets design intent, reducing future operating and maintenance problems.

During the construction phase, you should:

• Conduct fabrication checks: Inspect components for proper construction and gauge as they are being made, not just before they are shipped.
• Inspect the ventilation and exhaust system:
  • Make sure components do not block access to each other or to other plant services and equipment.
  • Repair or replace components damaged during shipping or installation.
  • Protect dust collector filters from weather and construction activities.
  • Before startup, ensure your ventilation or exhaust system satisfies engineering and design documents.

The Start-Up Phase

These elements need to be validated at startup:

• Airflow in the duct system: The dust capture hoods should exhaust the designed air quantities, according to standards in the Industrial Ventilation Manual published by the . The data collected during this air system balancing becomes the project’s baseline information.
• Industrial ventilation system safety components: Check that fire and explosion protection components, pressure gauges, and low-flow and over-pressure alarm systems are set up as intended in the engineering and design documents.
• Component baseline documentation: Record baseline information for all other system components, including dust capture hood static, dust collector and safety monitoring filter system (HEPA) static pressures, and main duct velocity pressure to ensure it complies with the level recorded in your state permit application.
• Industrial hygiene particulate air sampling: Monitor air for particulates to ensure that dust sources are controlled to the desired level. Make modifications to the dust control system components as needed and then update component baseline documentation.

Staff Training

Plant supervisory, production and maintenance personnel should be trained in the following areas:

• Safety features and components
• Air meter read-outs and alarms
• Baseline documentation for components
• Operating and maintenance instructions and recommendations
• Operation and use of dust capture hoods and dampers
• Preventive maintenance

Preventative Maintenance Activities

Component repair activities include greasing fan bearings and emptying dust collector hoppers on schedule, replacing obsolete dust capture hoods and ductwork, and repairing damaged dust control system components. However, these and other component repair activities should be supported by four critical activities:

1. Check system operating characteristics: Periodically inspect the system visually and ensure components’ operating characteristics, such as static and velocity pressures, meet standards set during the start-up phase. Analyze and correct any deviations.

2. Inspect explosion protection components: Inspect explosion relief or suppression systems to ensure they comply with manufacturers’ recommendations and applicable safety guidelines.

3. Consider the effect of product changes: Include maintenance personnel in new product discussions as changes to the processed dust can affect the dust control exhaust system’s performance.

4. Sample air for particulates: Periodic air sampling should be performed to ensure the dust control system is meeting standards set during the start-up phase. Investigate any deviations you find.

ÎåÒ»²è¹Ý¶ùperforms all aspects related to the construction, start-up, training and maintenance of industrial ventilation systems to ensure customized dust collection systems operate at optimal performance.

Contact us for more information.

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Many factors impact the overall effectiveness of the system. In order to ensure your dust collection system reaches peak performance, it’s critical to have the proper groundwork in the engineering and design phase.

In the article, the Engineers Collaborative identifies and summarizes five key considerations for the engineering and design phase. ÎåÒ»²è¹Ý¶ùtakes each of these into account when we are developing custom solutions for our clients and is capable of performing all aspects related to industrial ventilation system design and engineering.

Key Considerations for Industrial Ventilation

• Provide detailed dust collection system engineering and design documents.
  Outline detailed engineering specifications and design documents, including design drawings. Inadequate engineering and design documents may add construction costs and lead to a poorly installed system.
• Specify the right construction materials.
  Identify the right materials for construction—for example, if you are removing corrosive dusts, you’ll want to use stainless steel rather than mild steel.
• Think about component location.
  Component location is often overlooked, but the system needs to be strategically placed to accommodate inspection and repair.
• Outline dust collection system component specifications.
  Be comprehensive in the systems approach and specify all components, including dust collectors, exhaust fans and other OEM components that are needed.
• Identify services and support for ventilation equipment.
  Engineering, design, fabrication and installation representatives should be available to address immediate issues in future operations and maintenance emergencies. Seek to hire firms that provide the dedicated personnel and teams in every phase of the system’s development.

Dust Collection System Considerations: Next Steps

These are only the guidelines for the engineering and design phase. A future blog post will review considerations for construction, start-up, training and maintenance. But with proper preparation to engineering and design, you’ll have a head start in making sure your dust collection system reaches optimal performance.

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