Collect & Convey System Collects and Returns Dust Safely

It has been more than three years since an East Coast concrete plant equipment manufacturer first approached Cyclonaire Corp., York, NE, with a custom-order request. The manufacturer asked if two existing, proven products could be combined to create a new one: a ground-level dust collection and reclaim system that would ensure environmental quality with the added benefit of worker safety.

The idea worked so well that Cyclonaire, a designer and manufacturer of pneumatic conveying equipment, has since launched its C&C dust reclaim system as a mainstay in its product lineup. The automated collect and convey reclaim system preserves air quality and conserves valuable material by capturing product dust from silo filling operations and automatically returning it directly to the source silo or another destination.

“The individual components already existed at Cyclonaire,” said Joe Morris, vice president of sales and marketing at the company. “By combining them into a single package, it makes it simple for the customer to get the whole system at one time.”

Rather than jeopardize worker safety by installing a standard bin vent on top of silos—as is the typical practice—the pulse-jet dust collector is located on the ground level for added safety, easy servicing, and filter access. The unit is paired with the company’s signature, gravity-fed CycloLok dense-phase pneumatic conveyor that operates on plant air and runs only when needed. There’s no separate blower, and no wasted energy.

The unit is equipped with onboard controls for automatic, unsupervised operation and no need to empty dust from the hopper—further ensuring productivity. Signals installed on the unit also will alert users when service is needed.

“Customers especially benefit from low air usage and automatic operation,” Morris said. “There’s no need to have extra motors, rotary valves, blowers, or the added noise associated with them. Air is only used when it is required, thus adding efficiency and cost savings to the system.”

The versatile C&C system will work in cooperation with customers’ rail or truck unload operations, but can be customized for special applications. Simply put, the system is used to recycle dust from all kinds of dry solids, including foodstuffs, corrosive chemicals, and highly abrasive materials such as cement or slag.

An exhaust fan draws particle-laden air from the silo into the dust collector—where reduced air velocity allows the trapped dust and particles to drop into the hopper. Automatic control timers continually clean the filter using a high-pressure pulse-jet reverse airflow. This action forces finer particles of dust and material from the filter media. As the particles accumulate in the hopper, a high-level sensor indicating that the hopper is full automatically activates the CycloLok dense phase conveyor. Air entering the tank pushes captured particles through the convey system, returning them to the source silo or another destination. The duration of the fill and convey cycles is controlled by preset timers, which allow for efficient and minimal supply-air usage. The entire process of cleaning bags and conveying reclaimed dust is controlled automatically by an on-board PLC. If there is a fault in the system, the PLC automatically triggers an alarm to alert an operator that maintenance is required.

Requirements for the system—which is available in a welded and bolted 10-gauge carbon steel construction or optional stainless steel construction—are as follows: average air usage is 20-30 standard cu ft per cycle; 110 v for controls; and 230/460 v for the exhaust fan. The unit is factory tested and comes ready for installation to a high-pressure air supply, product supply, and convey line.

For more information, call 800-445-0730 or visit  www.cyclonaire.com.