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| Operating and Preventive Maintenance
Procedures |
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| No dust control system can
perform reliably unless it is operated properly. To achieve reliability, the following
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- Educate operators on startup and shutdown procedures of dust control systems and the use of blast gates
- Instruct operators that all dust control systems should be in operation before any processing equipment is started
- Eliminate the use of compressed air jets to clean accumulated dust from equipment or clothing and substitute a vacuum cleaning system
- Use a vacuum cleaning system to clean spills and dust accumulations, void using brooms and shovels
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- Use water pressure, where applicable, to clean equipment during plant shutdown or as necessary
- Check the speed of belt conveyors and slow then down, if possible, to reduce dust circulation and spillage
- Install an alarm to sound when a dust collector stops operating
- Develop procedures of handling process upsets which may overload conveyors and dust collectors
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| Preventive Maintenance Program |
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| A preventive maintenance (PM)
program is the key to reliable and efficient operation of any dust control equipment or
system. When instituting a PM program, the following points should be considered: |
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- Conduct PM programs on all dust
control system hardware and components, as well as dust producing sources, during plant
shutdown or as recommended by the equipment manufacturer
- Carry all necessary spare parts
in sufficient quantities
- Give high priority to patching
holes, caulking and sealing cracks, and maintaining dust seals
- Inspect and adjust all belt
conveyors and their skirting rubber and dust seals
- Replace torn or defective
conveyor belts
- Inspect belt conveyor idlers
and nonmoving idlers
- Remove and replace missing or
broken idlers
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- Inspect all belt conveyor
training idlers, adjust as necessary so the conveyor belt does not travel laterally
- Shut and clamp all access and
inspection doors before any operation begins
- Inspect all dust seals and
repair or replace
- Rotate periodic cleanup among
crews
- Inspect belt scrapers on belt
conveyors and adjust, replace worn-out components
- Measure velocity and static
pressures weekly
- Check for plugged ductwork and
clean immediately.
- If plugging occurs repeatedly,
redesign the ductwork
- Develop safeguards to prevent
overflowing bins and overloading conveyors
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Examples of Common Problems
associated with dust collection systems |
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| The following link to
pictures which show problems often associated with dust collection systems. |
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