Dust clogged up a baghouse

 

We were called in by a customer on one cold morning. Their dust collection system did not work when they turned on power as usual.

First, we checked the ductwork to see if there was any dust accumulated inside from the sucking points, to the fan, then to the baghouse. It seemed the ductwork was not the problem.

After being in the baghouse, the filtered air went back to the workshop.

Then we opened the access door of the baghouse hopper, and what we saw showed us the problem: it was packed with wood dust (Figure 1). 

Figure 1 baghouse hopper packed with wood dust

 Later, the access door on the clean side of the baghouse was opened, and one bag was taken out, it was very clear that the dust even accumulated between bags (Figure 2).

Figure 2 dust clogged up between bags

After the dust was removed from the baghouse, the system was turned on. In the first 20 minutes, the baghouse was warmed up without dust loading. 

When this happened, the daytime temperature outdoors went below the freezing point very often, and also after sunset and at night. We think the condensed water inside the baghouse froze and dust bridged above the airlock; as a result, more and more dust accumulated in the baghouse and paralyzed it. Consequently, the air flow was blocked off.

Leak Test, Air Balancing, Trouble-shooting, and System Evaluation services by Airvate

• Dye test for bag/cartridge leak 
• Dust collection system and industrial ventilation system Testing and Air Balancing
• Technical services: field survey and dust collection system evaluation and trouble-shooting
• New system start-up
• Dust sample analysis
• Dust collector selection and sizing: baghouse, wet scrubber, cyclone, settling chamber, drop-out box, etc.

Keywords:

Baghouse, hopper packed with dust, baghouse clogged up, wood dust, dust collection system not work,