New wash box reduces power plant dust levels by 60%

Power plants will be able to reduce dust levels by 60% by using the new Wash Box^TM that has recently been released by US-based company ASGCO.

Current guidelines for combustible dust control are vital to any safe operating coal-fired power plant – or any operation handling materials that can create combustible dust, ASGCO said in a statement.

The wash box was installed at a power plant with a tripper floor that had a large unhealthy volume of dust suspended in the air. This made it difficult to see from one end of the room to the other. Operators at the power plant were required to wear dust masks and respirators and at times even this was not suitably adequate.

The dust control team from the power plant worked with ASGCO to help with installation and operating procedures of the wash box to help reduce dust and carry-back in the tripper room.

The wash box designed by ASGCO is a self-contained belt cleaning system, which uses a combination of water sprays, tungsten carbide belt cleaners and rubber/urethane squeegee’s to help.

The power plant implemented and refined the system and programmed the water source to turn on upon startup of the conveyor and shuts the system down five minutes after the conveyor belt shuts off.

As a result of the installation of the wash box, the air quality tests performed at the power plant proved that the airborne dust levels in this area of the plant showed a reduction of dust levels of 60%.

“Operators that were originally set against implementation of the Wash Box, now insist that it runs every day.,” ASGCO said.

Dust levels without the wash box averaged 6mg/m³ and dust levels with the wash box average less than 2 mg/m³.

Adapted from press release by Sam Dodson

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/coal/27112013/dust_levels_at_power_plant_reduced_298/