Technical Solutions to Reduce the Amount of Dust Particle Breakthrough when Cleaning Emissions from the Production of Reinforced Concrete Products Using Dust Collectors with Counter Swirling Flows

Abstract

Introduction. The production of reinforced concrete products, being the basis of modern industrial construction, is a very significant source of dust emissions. Traditional cleaning methods are often unable to ensure the compliance with air quality requirements, and replacing them with more modern ones requires significant capital and operational costs. One of the most promising ways to solve the problem is the use of a new class of inertial dust collectors with counter swirling flows, combining constructive simplicity and low operating costs with sufficiently high work efficiency. The aim of the work was to analyze the factors influencing the magnitude of the breakthrough coefficient of fine dust particles, as well as the development of constructive solutions aimed at reducing it. Materials and Methods. An analytical review of technical solutions aimed at reducing the breakthrough magnitude was carried out, on the basis of which the designs of the lower input of dust collectors with counter swirling flows were developed. Methods of computational experiment and field measurements were used to confirm the effectiveness of the developed structures. Results. By means of numerical experiments, the information about the aerodynamic flow pattern in the separation chamber of the CSF dust collector was obtained, and the breakthrough magnitude of dust particles was estimated. The solutions were developed for the design of the lower coaxial input of the swirling flow of dust collectors on the counter swirling flows, taking into account the features of dust pollution generated during the operation of technological equipment of reinforced concrete production. Discussion and Conclusion. The presence of a displacement of the axis of the secondary swirling flow from the axis of symmetry of the separation chamber was established. The consequence of this was the non-coaxiality of the primary and secondary flows, which led to a decrease in the intensity of the twist, the formation of parasitic vortices, and, as a consequence, an increase in the value of the breakthrough coefficient. This effect was especially pronounced with a large proportion of fine dust particles, characteristic of dust pollution formed during the production of reinforced concrete products. The proposed design of the coaxial input of the secondary swirling flow reduced the magnitude of this eccentricity, which made it possible to achieve a significant reduction in the breakthrough magnitude of fine particles characteristic of dust emissions of reinforced concrete industries. The results obtained can be effectively used both in the production of reinforced concrete products and in other branches of construction production, which is characterized by intensive formation of fine dust emissions.