We recently surveyed a job site where the owner of the mill wanted to relocate his environmental dust collector, or baghouse, from its current location to the other side of the mill. For reference, baghouses contain fabric filters to remove dust particulates (solids) from an incoming stream of gas or air. Removing the collected dust from the filter bags can be performed by using a mechanical shaking device, commonly referred to as a shaker baghouse, or with a pulse of compressed air.
The mill in this application is a casting mill, with several baghouses ranging in age from 30 to 40 years old. The original location chosen for the baghouses in the 1970s no longer fit.
the requirements of the current production needs. Also, after so many years of use, the system presented itself as very dated and inefficient.
EC&S had been tasked to evaluate whether it was feasible to move the existing system nearly 600 feet, and over the top of the mill. After evaluation of their complete system, assessing their current capacity needs, and surveying the proposed ‘new’ location, we recommended to the customer that they do not undertake the project. Although this is a project that EC&S can accomplish, it was our opinion that we would rather help the customer install a new, modern system on the new location, as opposed to moving the existing outdated system. We would have made more revenue from doing the move, but at the end of the day, we always want to recommend the best course of action for the customer.
As we wrapped up our meeting, the customer had changed his mind about enduring the cost of moving the old system. He was looking at costs that included: production time loss, the engineering feat to relocate the system, inspecting and repairing the old system, and the physical constraints to access the new location with heavy equipment.
With the new system, we have flexibility on how and where it is installed, experiencing no gap in production. Also, the new system will take on the load for the entire plant…allowing the customer to scrap four separate baghouses! The owner also felt much better about how his plant was ‘partnering’ with the local community, by staying environmentally compliant.
At EC&S we have 40+ years of experience installing environmental dust collectors (baghouses). We are a Turn-Key supplier and will partner with you as a single source to solve your toughest applications.