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Transfer Points: Dust control at transfer points

Dust Control at Conveyor Transfer Points: Containment, Suppression and Collection

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L.J. Goldbe ck and A.D. Marti, U.S.A. Section 1: - Introduction C ontrolling fugitive m ate hal at conve yor transfe r points has be e n a proble m from the tim e the conve yor be lt was inve nte d. C le aning up m ate hal lost from conve yors has cost the solids handling industrie s m illions of dollars a ye ar, ye ar afte r ye ar. Shove ling the sam e pile s of m ate rial lost from conve yors, day afte r day, continue s to drain m ainte nance budge ts. The value of com pone nts dam age d or pre m ature ly worn by fugitive dust e x ce e ds m illions of dollars. And the costs for avoidable safe ty hazards, unwante d com m unity atte ntion, and pre ve ntable re gulatory citations continue to e scalate . For any industry, unne ce ssary and re pe titive costs such as cle an-up can no longe r be tole rate d. In today's m ark e tplace , a m uch diffe re nt approach to controlling dust m ust be adopte d. Se nding work e rs out to shove l the sam e pile s of m ate rial tim e and again doe s not solve the proble m . C orre cting the source of the lost m ate rial is the only long-te rm answe r. No longe r will a "band-aid" approach be acce ptable ; it is tim e for a solution. Section 2: - Three Dust Control Technologies 2.1 - Competing or Cooperating? In the past, thre e diffe re nt approache s - containm e nt, suppre ssion, and colle ction - have be e n use d to control dust arising at conve yor load zone s. Dust Containment consists of those m e chanical syste m s e m ploye d to k e e p m ate rial inside the transfe r point with the m ain m ate rial body. Dust Suppression syste m s incre ase the m ass of suspe nde d dust particle s, allowing the m to fall from the air stre am . Dust Collection is the m e chanical capture and re turn of airborne m ate rial afte r it be com e s airborne from the m ain m ate rial body. Pre viously, the se thre e approache s have always be e n se e n as se parate e ntitie s. The y we re offe re d by se parate organizations com pe ting in the m ark e tplace . The thre e te chnologie s vie d for the ir individual "pie ce of the rock " at the e x pe nse of the othe r te chnologie s (and ofte n at the e x pe nse of ove rall succe ss). The re have be e n conside rable am ounts of "I'm be tte r" se lling, as we ll as "finge r pointing" at the othe r syste m s whe n proble m s arose . Each syste m claim e d its own te chnology was the be st, providing the m ost e ffe ctive , m ost cost-e fficie nt, m ost m ainte nance -fre e solution to fugitive m ate rial. 2.2 - Changes in Problem Emphasis But e x pe ctations are changing. In "the old days", plants we re worrie d about k e e ping m ost of the lum ps on the be lt. More re ce ntly, the conce rn was fine s e scaping from the loading zone . C once rns have now e x te nde d to the fugitive dust carrie d from the be lt by air m ove m e nt, and the re is growth in gove rnm e nt re gulations m andating im prove m e nts in air quality. The re is an ove rall rise in aware ne ss in industry (and in the ge ne ral public) of the proble m s cause d by airborne dust and othe r fugitive m ate rials. As a re sult, a m uch m ore in-de pth solution m ust be provide d. No longe r can just one of the "big thre e " be e x pe cte d to do the e ntire job of dust control. To succe e d, the thre e syste m s should be se e n not as com pe titors, but rathe r as inte rre late d com pone nts work ing toge the r to solve fugitive m ate rial proble m s. All thre e syste m s should be e valuate d, se parate ly and toge the r to de te rm ine the m ost e ffe ctive and e fficie nt way to solve dust proble m s, and the n inte grate d into a syste m that form s a com bine d de fe nse to act in conce rt to pre ve nt the loss of fugitive m ate rial and the cre ation of airborne dust. Section 3: - Characteristics of Each Dust Control System In any syste m the first ste p is m ate rial containm e nt. The re quire m e nts for suppre ssion and colle ction are de te rm ine d by the individual characte ristics of proce ss, e quipm e nt and m ate rial.
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3.1 - Dust Containment C ontainm e nt is the m e chanical control and confine m e nt of m ate rial on the conve yor or load zone . It is the base of the pyram id, the m ost fundam e ntal ste p in fugitive m ate rial control. By incorporating e ffe ctive syste m s to contain m ate rial at the transfe r point, the e ngine e r can avoid ove rloading the dust suppre ssion and dust colle ction syste m s and gre atly im prove the ir chance s for succe ss. Each conve yor and e ach loading zone pre se nt a diffe re nt challe nge due to the unique characte ristics of the m ate rial and com pone nts at that give n conve yor and load zone . The source s of fugitive m ate rial include be lt carryback , conve yor side spillage , tail are a spillage , and e x it are a dust cre ation. Each source m ust be ide ntifie d and corre cte d as part of a total fugitive m ate rial containm e nt syste m . 3.1.1 - Carryback For the control of m ate rial adhe ring to the be lt past the discharge point the state -of-the -art is the use of m ultiple be lt cle ane r syste m s (Fig. 1). The se consist of a pre cle ane r on the face of the he ad pulle y to re m ove the m ajority of m ate rial and one or m ore se condary cle ane rs to pe rform final pre cision cle aning. The se condary cle ane r(s) are installe d at the point whe re the be lt le ave s the he ad pulle y or furthe r along the conve yor re turn. For m ax im um cle aning washbox e s which first we t the be lt and the n re m ove the wate r and fine s can be spe cifie d.

Fig. 1: Multiple cle ane r syste m s consist of a pre cle ane r on the face of the he ad pulle y, and one or m ore se condary cle ane rs C le ane rs m ust be de signe d for continue d e ffe ctive cle aning pe rform ance with m inim al we ar or dam age to the be lt. To avoid the se risk s cle ane rs should incorporate m ultiple blade s applie d with low blade -to-be lt pre ssure . C le ane rs should allow e asy installation and e asy m ainte nance . 3.1.2 - Skirt Spillage Loading zone spillage is be st controlle d by a thre e -part program consisting of: Prope r be lt support to m inim ize be lt sag W e ar line rs inside the chute to prote ct the se aling syste m Multiple -laye r e dge se als to contain any e scaping fine s. Be lt Support Insufficie nt be lt support allows m ate rial to be com e e ntrappe d at the be lt sag be twe e n the idle rs (Fig. 2). The re sulting pinch point cre ate s m ate rial e ntrapm e nt that acce le rate s the we ar of the sk irt se al, which le ads to the re le ase of fugitive m ate rial. In addition, m ate rial e ntrapm e nt ofte n turns into dram atic be lt dam age ne ar be lt e dge s (Fig. 3). To e lim inate this e x pe nsive dam age re quire s prope r be lt support.

Fig. 2: Be lt sag allows spillage and risk s m ate rial e ntraprne nt and be lt dam age . In addition, a cre ate s pinch points that can trap m ate rial and dam age the be lt.

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Fig. 3: Entrapm e nt point dam age In m any case s, prope r be lt support consists of cradle s installe d in-line with the carrying idle rs to absorb im pact and to e lim inate fluctuations at the be lt line . The k e y, the n, is to utilize bar cradle s or slide r be ds that support the be lt e ve nly through the loading zone until the load is se ttle d. Im pact-absorbing syste m s place d unde r the load zone with e ntry and e x it idle rs allow large im pacts, ye t pre ve nt the be lt sag (Fig. 4). This support syste m fe ature s a slick top cove r to allow the be lt to slide across along with unde rlying laye rs of rubbe r to absorb the im pacts.

Fig. 4: lm pact absorbing be lt support cradle

Fig. 5: Side -se al be ll support cradle , with conte r rolie rs to re duce friction Lighte r duty side -se al cradle s can be use d in the non-im pact are as (Fig. 5). Place d dire ctly unde r the chute wall/sk irting se al syste m to m aintain an e ffe ctive se al, the se support syste m s provide a long life and slick we ar surface . C om bination cradle s, incorporating close ly space d rolle rs in place of som e or all bars are e ndorse d for som e applications. Inte rm e diate idle rs should be use d in conjunction with the be lt support syste rns to re duce the powe r consum ption of the conve yor syste m . Wear Liner

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W e ar line r is a flat sacrificial surface Mace d inside the chute wall to form a longlasting barrie r to prote ct the e dge se als (Fig. 6). If le ft uncontrolle d, side Loading of the m ate rial place s tre m e ndous pre ssure s on the se al. This le ads to acce le rate d we ar of the se aling strip, in turn to spillage , and the risk of m ajor be lt dam age . But the we ar line rs inside the chide form a line of de fe nse to shie ld the se ct from the force s of the m ate rial load. Line r m ate rials could be m ild or stainle ss ste e l, abrasion-re sistant plate , ce ram ic face d or hard-face d ste e l, rubbe r, ure thane , or plastic, de pe nding on the spe cifie s of the application. line rs can be installe d against the chute walls, or with an ope n are a be twe e n the actual wall and the wall. This space d we ar line r is the n use d as a pick up are a for the dust colle ction syste m , or as aux iliary fre e are a to she lte r the se aling syste m from loading m ate rial. For all we ar line rs, the cross-se ctional are a of the chute should be che ck e d care fully to m ak e ce rtain that the line r doe s not inte rfe re with flow. It is critical that we ar line rs be installe d as a sm ooth se am le ss laye r that wide ns in the dire ction of be lt trave l, to m inim ize m ate rial e ntrapm e nt and the risk of be lt dam age . Gre at atte ntion m ust be give n to the bottom e dge to avoid pinch points that can e ntrap m ate rial and injure the m oving be lt.

Fig. 6: W e w line rs are installe d inside the chute to prote ct the se aling stops from m ate rial force s Skirtboard Seal O ve r the ye ars, e lastom e r strips have be e n use d as a se al along the side of the load zone . But the se strips have m e t with proble m s in m aintaining e ffe ctive se aling pe rform ance . Too ofte n, the y we re e x pe cte d to be ar the total re sponsibility of containing the m ate rial load. Ex pe cting the se thin, fle x ible strips to contain large volum e s of m ate rial ove r long pe riods of tim e is be gging for failure . Howe ve r, once be lt support and we ar line r have be e n corre ctly installe d, the se als at the side s of the load zone now ne e d to contain only sm all particle s fine s and dust - a job the e lastom e r se aling strips are m ore suite d to pe rform .

Fig. 7: Multiple -laye r waling syste m using two stops of e lastom e r Lik e m ultiple laye rs of clothing prote ct the body in cold we athe r, m ultiple barrie r se aling syste m s form se ve ral line s of de fe nse (Fig. 7). An e ffe ctive se aling syste m provide s two laye rs of e lastom e r: a prim ary se al against the chute wall, to pre ve nt the e scape of m ost particle s, and a se condary se al that lie s on the be lt surface outside the chute , to pre ve nt dust from e scaping the syste m . Te nsione d against the be lt by its own inte rnal re silie nce , this m ultiple laye r se aling syste m re quire s only occasional m ainte nance to k e e p se aling pe rform ance at m ax im um . 3.1.3 - Entry A rea Sealing Se aling of the be lt e ntry in the load zone is a consiste nt proble m (Fig. 8). If the se al at the conve yor's tail e nd is loose ly applie d, loading m ate rial will e scape out it, rolling back down the transition are a onto the floor. But if the se aling syste m is against the be lt tight e nough to pre ve nt this le ak age out the back of the loading zone , the se aling strip acts a be lt cle ane r, re m oving any re sidual m ate rial from the be lt that the n runs down the conve yor to accum ulate at the foot of the conve yor. A be tte r approach is to se al this are a be hind the load zone with a m ultiple barrie r tailgate box (Fig. g). This box se als the e ntry are a be hind the load zone . A se aling strip on the inside of the se aling box form s a one -way se al to pre ve nt m ate rial roliback . De fle cte d in the dire ction of be lt trave l (Fig. 1 0), this tail se al e ffe ctive ly stops m ate rial roliback while
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pre ve nting build-up from the be lt cle ane r e ffe ct. The dust se al on the side s of the loading chute should start we ll be hind the actual load zone and run continuously from the e ntry are a to the e nd of the sk irtboard. This e lim inate s the proble m of se aling the high-pre ssure corne rs of the im pact zone .

Fig. 8: An ove rvie w of the proble m of e ntry are a se aling

Fig. 9: Applie d at the back of the loading chute , a tailgate se aling box use s a tail se aling strip that de fle cts in the dire ction of be lt trave l

Fig. 10: An ove rvie w of the solution to e ntry are a se aling

Fig. 11: Dual e x it curtain dust sad 3.1.4 - Exit A rea Sealing Effe ctive dust se aling at the e x it e nd of the sk irtboard re quire s dual rubbe r curtains. The se are hung roughly 18 inche s (450 m m ) apart to form a "de ad" are a whe re dust can se ttle . The curtains should be com pose d of slit rubbe r and e x te nd to approx im ate ly one inch (25 m m ) be low the top of the pile of product on the be lt (Fig. 11). This baffie r the n de fle cts whe n m ate rial is running, ye t close s down whe n the re is a void in the m ate rial. 3.1.5 - Chute leakage O fte n are as contributing to fugitive m ate rial are ove rlook e d. Load chute s with hole s from rust or abrasion can allow significant am ounts of m ate rial to e scape . Eve n the hole s cre ate d by m issing bolts and ope n acce ss doors can allow a visible stre am of airborne dust to e scape . For total dust control, it m ay be ne ce ssary to re place an e ntire loading chute . As the e x it of the transfe r point re pre se nts the "last chance " for the thre e dust control sub-syste m s, it is im portant that the chute work and the thre e syste m s be care fully e ngine e re d to work toge the r. 3.2 - Dust Suppression Systems
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Dust suppre ssion is the application of wate r or che m ically-tre ate d-wate r in som e m anne r of spray, fog, or foam to pre ve nt fine s from be ing drive n off the m ate rial body into the air. The re are a num be r of m e chanical syste m s use d for this purpose , ranging from "garde n hose " te chnology to sophisticate d, e ngine e re d syste m s. 3.2.1 - Water Pe rhaps the olde st syste m for holding down dust is the application of wate r in a spray ove r the body of m ate rial. The suppre ssion e ffe ct is achie ve d by adding to the m oisture conte nt of the m ate rial, alte dng the we ight/m ass ratio and cohe sive ne ss of the m ate rial. By we tting the dust, e ithe r as it lie s in the m ate rial body or as it e scape s off the pile , the gravity of e ach particle is incre ase d, so it is le ss lik e ly to be com e airborne . The m oisture also incre ase s the cohe sion of the m ate rial, m ak ing it m ore difficult for air curre nts to pick up particle s. The e ffe ctive ne ss of we t suppre ssion syste m s varie s wide ly, de pe nding on application te chnique s, am ount of m oisture adde d, and m ate rial characte ristics. High volum e /high-pre ssure spray syste m s should be avoide d, as the e ne rgy of the wate r spray will transfe r to the m ate rial particle s, producing dust rathe r than controlling it. W he n applying m oisture to conve yor be lts, a good ax iom is "le ss is m ore ". The volum e of wate r applie d is typically in the range of 0.5% to 4% m oisture adde d to the m ate rial. Ex ce ss wate r m ay prom ote be lt slippage and incre ase the possibility of we t (and he nce stick y) fine s accum ulating within chute s and around transfe r points. Ex ce ssive m oisture can adve rse ly afte ct the m ate tial's "cold we athe r" pe rforrnance , com plicate its flow dynam ics, add we ight (and he nce cost) to m ate rial transportation, and re duce the e ffe ctive ne ss of conve yor be lt cle aning syste m s. In addition, in som e proce sse s such as coal-fire d powe r ge ne ration, e x ce ss m oisture re duce s m ate rial pe rform ance . 3.2.2 - Chemical A dditives A num be r of supjdiie rs offe r che m icals to be adde d to the wate r syste m s. The se che m icals act as we tting age nts, m ak ing the wate r "we tte r" to incre ase its dust "attraction" and holding ability. The se suppre ssants offe r ce rtain advantage s, but the re are drawback s that should be conside re d. The se conce rns include the additional (and continuing) cost of the additive and the im pact of the che m ical on the m ate rial's e ve ntual use . 3.2.3 - Foam Foam dust suppre ssion work s e ffe ctive ly by re ducing the surface te nsion or "static charge " of individual dust particle s and incre asing the m ole cular attraction be twe e n fugitive dust particle s and the m ate rial m ass. The foam is ge ne rate d by m ix ing foam ing surfactants, wate r, and com pre sse d air in prope r proportions. Application of foam dust suppre ssion into transfe r chute s and crushe rs can incre ase im m e diate and m id-te rm dust suppre ssion through se ve ral transfe r points and stack -out ope rations. Foam ing surfactants with "re sidual age nts" can incre ase the dust suppre ssion e ffe ct ove r longe r storage or transportation pe riods, such as stock piling or shipping. Moisture addition from foam dust suppre ssion syste m s range s from 0.08% to 0.2% by we ight. At the se re duce d le ve ls of adde d m oisture , the adve rse affe cts associate d with e x ce ss m oisture are gre atly re duce d or e lim inate d. 3.2.4 - Fog Fog suppre ssion syste m s are a re ce nt im prove m e nt on wate r sprays. The se syste m s produce e x tre m e ly sm all wate r drople ts in a dispe rse d m ist to capture dust particle s. Fog suppre ssion is base d on the k nowle dge that drople ts m ust be the sam e size as the dust particle s to e ffe ctive ly com bine with the m . If the drople ts are too large , sm alle r dust particle s can "slipstre am " around the m . Fog syste m s bre ak wate r down into ve ry fine particle s that agglom e rate re adily with airborne dust. The incre ase d we ight of the com bine d particle s cause s the m to se ttle back into the m ain m ate rial stre am . Fog syste m s add low volum e s of wate r le ss than 0. 1 % of the m ate rial - to avoid de grading the m ate rial. The re are two m e thods of producing the wate r-m ist fog. O ne syste m m ix e s wate r with com pre sse d air through a two-fluid nozzle . The se cond syste m use s wate r pum pe d at high pre ssure through single fluid atom izing nozzle . This se cond syste m doe s not re quire com pre sse d air or any e x te rnal powe r Source , othe r than the e le ctricity to run the pum p. By e lim inating the com pre sse d air re quire m e nt, this syste m sim plifie s installation and re duce s ope rating costs. 3.2.5 - Reduction in A ir Movement A variable that can be controlle d to im prove the e ffe ctive ne ss of dust suppre ssion is to slow the air m ove m e nt within the loading zone . If the air ve locity is too high, particle s carrie d on the air curre nts avoid the wate r m ole cule s, "slipstre am ing" away from the m in the sam e m anne r a m otorcycle on a highway is pushe d away from a se m i-truck . O ne way to ove rcom e this is the addition of m ore wate r, but this can have side e ffe cts which downgrade the pe rform ance or value of the m ate rial. A be tte r approach is to slow down the m ove m e nt of air (and the particle s it is carrying) be low 2C )0 ft/m in (1 m lse e ) by incre asing the size of the e nclosure . This large e nclosure se rve s as a ple num whe re air ve locity can dissipate . 3.3 - Dust Collection Systems

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Dust colle ction - the passing of air carrying dust from the load zone through som e form of filtration syste m - is the final pie ce in our pyram id of dust control syste m s. The re are passive syste m s, which m e re ly allow the air to pass through the filte rs, and active syste m s, which pull the air in lik e a vacuum cle ane r to re m ove solids. Any conve yor syste m will have a num be r of dust cre ation points that m ay re quire dust colle ction. The size and cost of a dust colle ction syste m are dire ctly re late d to the volum e of air that m ust be pulle d through the syste m . The corre ct asse ssm e nt of this re quire d air volum e is, the re fore , fundam e ntal to e fficie nt and e conom ical dust colle ction. If the se positive pre ssure s are not addre sse d with prope r re lie f or corre ct dust colle ction sizing, the particle s of dust will be force d out of the conve yor syste m by the flow of air. The re are thre e type s of air m ove m e nt that m ight be pre se nt: displace d air, induce d air, and ge ne rate d air. Total air flow in a give n transfe r point can be de te rm ine d with the following e quation: Q tot = Q gen + Q dis + Q ind whe re : Q tot = total air m ove m e nt (ft3/m in) Q gen = de te rm ine d ge ne rate d air (ft3/m in) Q dis = calculate d displace d air (ft3/m in) Q ind = calculate induce d air (ft3/m in) 3.3.1 - Displaced A ir W he n coffe e is poure d into an e m pty cup, the air inside is.displace d by the coffe e . The sam e e ffe ct occurs whe n the load chute is fille d with conve ye d product: the air in the chute is displace d by the m ate rial. The am ount of this displace d air incre ase s with the size of the load chute and the volum e of m ate rial m oving through it. To calculate the displace d air: Q dis = conve ye d product (lb/m in) bulk de nsity (lb/ft3) lb/m in = t/h x 2000 60

3.3.2 - Induced A ir C onve ye d m ate rial lying on the be lt and trave ling along the be lt will have a sm all am ount of air e ntrappe d in the product be d. As the m ate rial le ave s the he ad pulle y in the norm al traje ctory, the body of product be com e s large r, as e ach particle of m ate rial colle cts an am ount of air. W he n the conve ye d product lands, this induce d air is the n re le ase d, causing substantial positive pre ssure flowing away from the ce nte r of the load zone . The following m e thod is use d to calculate the m ove m e nt of induce d air.

Q ind = calculate induce d air (ft3/m in) Au = e nclosure ope n are a at upstre am e nd (ft2) (at the point whe re air is induce d into syste m by action of failing m ate rial) R = rate of m ate rial flow (t/h) S = he ight of m ate rial fre e fall (ft)
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D = ave rage m ate rial diam e te r (in ft) 3.3.3 - Generated A ir Anothe r source of m oving air m ay be de vice s fe e ding the load zone such as crushe rs, wood chippe rs, ham m e r m ills, or any de vice , whe re turning cre ate s a fan-lik e e ffe ct. To de te rm ine the am ount of air ge ne rate d by this e quipm e nt, the e nd use r should contact the m anufacture r. Anothe r, m ore challe nging solution is to actually m e asure this air flow. A m e chanical dust colle ction syste m will be re quire d whe n the total air flow in the loading zone e x ce e ds 1,000 ft3/m in (28,320 l/m in). This total air m ove m e nt m ust be com pe nsate d for by the installation of a m e chanical dust colle ction e quipm e nt e qual to or gre ate r than the value of the total air flow. 3.4 - Engineering Dust Collection Systems Afte r e ach dust cre ation point is e valuate d, and the quantity of air to be proce sse d from e ach point is e stim ate d, the n the type of dust colle ction syste m should be se le cte d. The re are thre e basic approache s to dust colle ction syste m s: ce ntral, unit, or inte grate d syste m s. The ce ntral m e thod of handling dust colle ction would be to conne ct all the individual colle ction points by m e ans of ducting to a single filte r in a single , m ore -or-le ss re m ote location. The unit conce pt consists of sm all, se lf-containe d dust colle ctors for individual or sm all and conve nie ntly groupe d dust ge ne ration points. A logical e x te nsion of the unit conce pt is the inte grate d syste m , whe re inse rtable filte rs are installe d within the dust ge ne ration point itse lf. If the total air m ove m e nt - the total of displace d, induce d, and ge ne rate d air - is not conside re d whe n se le cting the chute wall dim e nsions, se ve re ve locitie s will be cre ate d. If the e nclosure is too sm all, air will be force d from the high pre ssure are a inside the e nclosure through any ope ning to the lowe r pre ssure outside . Pushe d out by the pre ssure of the ge ne rate d and induce d air, this air will pick up spe e d until it pick s up dust particle s to carry outside the syste m . It is im portant that the m ate rial fine s be allowe d a chance to se ttle , e ithe r of the ir own accord or due to a wate r spray or fog syste m , be fore the colle ction points (tak e -offs) are installe d. O the rwise , e ne rgy will be waste d re m oving dust that would have shortly se ttle d on its own, and the dust colle ction syste m will be large r (and m ore e x pe nsive ) than ne ce ssary. The transfe r point's sk irtboard should be of sufficie nt he ight and le ngth to se rve as a ple num to contain the dust giving it tim e to se ttle . The goal is to m ak e the e nclosure large e nough that the air ve locity is be low 200 ft/m in (61 m /m inute ). A good rule -of-thum b for le ngth is two fe e t pe r hundre d fe e t of be lt spe e d on be lts with m inor air m ove m e nt. O n be lts with large calculate d air m ove m e nt, the transfe rpoint le ngth should approach thre e fe e t pe r hundre d fe e t of be lt spe e d. C hute walls ne e d to be high e nough to stop air pick ups pulling fine s off the pile . Multiple dust colle ction pick -up points are usually re quire d. A com m on practice is to locate one pick up at the e ntry are a be hind the load zone , to re m ove approx im ate ly one -fourth the total calculate d air m ove m e nt, and to install a se cond dust colle ction pick up at approx im ate ly two be lt widths afte r the loading chute , to colle ct the re m aining thre e -fourths of the air m ove m e nt. It is critical that colle cte d dust be re turne d into the m ain m ate rial body in a m anne r that avoids re -e ne rgizing the dust back into the air. Section 4: - Three Systems Into One Solution The k e y to succe ss in dust control is to provide prope r containm e nt first. Analyzing the load zone to ide ntify are as contributing to the e scaping m ate rial should be the first ste p in re ducing the dust e m issions. Afte r m ate rial is containe d in the syste m , the prope r application of dust suppre ssion and colle ction will re sult in e ffe ctive control of fugitive m ate rial. Give n the ir individual diffe re nce s, transfe r points re quire individual solutions to control fugitive m ate rial. The re asonable answe r to fugitive dust arising from be lt conve yors is to form a dust control "triad" of all thre e syste m s - containm e nt, suppre ssion, and colle ction - work ing toge the r. An in-de pth look at how fugitive m ate rial is ge ne rate d will supply the inform ation ne e de d to de vise a solution that pre ve nts fugitive m ate rial at any spe cific transfe r point. The re are m any options and variable s within e ach of the se thre e syste m s - alm ost as m any variable s as the re are transfe r points. It is e sse ntial the thre e syste m s all be conside re d care fully, individualiy and toge the r. A craftsm an unde rstands the ne e d for and the use of e ach of the diffe re nt tools in his toolbox . A golfe r doe s not k now in advance which of his clubs will be re quire d on a give n round, but the sk ille d golfe r k nows how and whe n to use e ach club in spe cific circum stance s. Sim ilarly, the solution to fugitive m ate rial will re quire the wise se le ction and e ffe ctive use of e ach of the thre e basic syste m s of dust control.

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