Comparison of the 10-mm Nylon Cyclone, Horizontal Elutriator, and Aluminum Cyclone for Silica and Wood Dust Measurements

Abstract

Abstract The relative performance of the 10-mm nylon cyclone, the horizontal elutriator, and the aluminum cyclone were compared for silica and for wood dust by determining respirable dust concentrations simultaneously using the three devices in an environmentally controlled chamber at various humidity levels. The aluminum cyclone consistently reported significantly higher levels than the elutriator (22 percent higher for silica and 25 percent higher for wood dust), which in turn reported significantly higher levels than the nylon cyclone (21 percent for silica and 41 percent for wood dust). Humidity was found to significantly affect the ratio of nylon cyclone/ elutriator concentration and the ratio of nylon cyclone/aluminum cyclone concentration for respirable silica, with the ratio decreasing as humidity decreased. The type of dust was found to significantly alter the relationships between the various size-selective devices. The nylon cyclone appeared to collect proportionately less wood dust than silica...