Bag Leak Detection Blog

Real World Complications

When unloading bulk material, sudden changes in air flow can create complications for material conveying systems. Rapid increases in material flows, or high volume air flow as material flow suddenly slows, can damage filters within the system filter receiver. Often this change occurs quickly, and even if operators are diligently observing, they may not react quickly enough to prevent damage.

How can plants avoid these issues and prevent damaging their filters?   

Common Causes of Sudden Increases in Flow Rates

In most cases, there are several causes of sudden increased material flow. 

Just because...it's time

Many plants change their baghouse filters based on a firm schedule. Others prefer to wait until the filters begin to show signs of leaking and then they replace them. Others use differential pressure as a guide, replacing the filters once the DP begins to trend above a certain level. And others simply wait until a reportable event, citation from an air quality inspector or massive loss in system suction (process flow) before taking action. What is the best method for scheduling filter replacement? 

Best Reasonable Solution for Emissions Monitoring

Many plants continue to use EPA Method 9 visual observations as their primary dust collector monitoring methodology. Even as newer plants have already moved on to modern monitoring technologies, such as triboelectric dust monitoring, these plants continue to hold fast to their Method 9 CAM plans. Does triboelectric dust emissions monitoring really provide a realistic alternative to visual observation? In many cases, visual observations were the most accurate and feasible solution at the time the air permit was written. And many are still following this method today. But technology has advanced significantly and today visual observation is less reliable, less accurate and substantially more labor intensive compared to electronic instruments.

Updating your bag leak detection system with today’s innovative, more efficient technologies doesn’t have to be rocket science; in fact, it’s quite easy to justify the investment, and find the ideal monitoring solutions for your facility. It all comes down to knowing what to look for in a new system, and how to treat the buying decision.

In this blog, we’ll focus on 5 major steps for installing the perfect emissions monitoring system in your facility, as well as how to overcome common barriers that many engineers face when making a purchase decision and integrating these technologies.

1) Determine Areas in Need

Direct and Indirect Dust Collector Performance Metrics

On smaller dust collection systems, differential pressure often is the only metric used by operators to monitor the performance and condition of the system. For smaller systems this often proves sufficient. However, as systems get larger and more complex, plants usually start including additional monitoring metrics into the mix with the goal of early warning and predictive monitoring to reduce down-time, prevent reportable incidents and manage the maintenance burden and costs. 

Predictive, Indicative & Alert Dust Collector Monitoring Metrics

An Opportunity Not a Hassle

Do you dread the task of managing you air permit renewal? Sure there's a process - but it's one that also provides a great opportunity to look at how your plant can improve operation while reducing costs.

The key is to take a different approach than simply copying the last permit application as many folks do. Certainly this involves more work, and requires an earlier start. (Want a reminder so that time doesn't slip away? We provide that service at no charge with a simple registration here.) By taking a fresh look, you'll often find opportunities to break the shackles of inefficiency that were built into your permit based on the best available technology at the time it was first written...which is often a decade or more ago. Imagine running today's plant with '90s computers!

Here are 3 tips to help you make your next air permit renewal a success and not just a refiling of paperwork. 

Tip #1 - Quit Taking Manual Readings and Automate Data Collection

Efficient but not Necessarily Easier

Many industrial facilities choose to recirculate air from a dust collector inside of their facility rather than exhaust it outside the building. However, doing so presents some engineering concerns that must be addressed, including attention to NFPA 654. Let’s consider 3 reasons why you might consider recirculating the air in your facility despite the potential complications.  

Climate Control Costs

Many options exist for monitoring various types of dust emissions including nuisance emissions, ambient/fugitive dust levels or emissions from a pollution control device such as an air scrubber or fabric filter dust collector. 

With ever more stringent regulations and the need for high performance from industrial processes in order to compete in a global marketplace, many facilities can no longer afford to install, operate and/or maintain outdated systems. The need for the best cannot be overlooked when considering operational and compliance issues for your facility. 

3 Reasons Why Accuracy Matters

Accuracy matters because accurate dust collection monitoring provides operators with the needed insight to operate, optimize and maintain these systems. Trying to operate a dust collector without accurate dust emissions data is like flying an airplane without an altimeter or driving a race car without a tachometer. Lack of data means poorer decision making and degraded performance.  

The "Alphabet Soup" of Industrial Dust Detection

Continuous Opacity Monitoring Systems (COMS) for dust detection form an integral part of many facilities’ environmental control systems. While we don't sell COMS dust detection systems, we field a lot of questions from engineering and maintenance teams about how they compare to other solutions. This article will answer a few of the common questions.

In many facilities, COMS systems were required by early permits to monitor particulate matter emitted from the facility. They were the "go to" CPMS (Continuous Parameter Monitoring System) for several years until USEPA first amended the MACT standards to incorporate triboelectric instruments.

Most COMS dust detection systems are placed after the emissions control system(s) such as a fabric filter dust collector to monitor its operation and efficiency at all times. They were an early technology, however, and in recent years, the limitations and inherent drawbacks of COMS for dust emissions detection have led some to investigate new technologies. One such technology mentioned is PEMS or Predictive Emissions Monitoring System.