Quick-release manifold bracket for DustBoss units

New device designed to minimize downtime and limit worker exposure to harsh service environments

DUST Control Technology (DCT), innovators in open-area dust suppression, have introduced a new quick-release manifold bracket, engineered to limit worker exposure to harsh service environments and potential safety hazards, while minimizing process downtime.

Designed to fit all fan-driven models of DustBoss atomized mist dust-suppression equipment, the new bracket design allows removal and replacement of the manifold in about 5 min, with no tools required.

The stainless steel bracket and pin mounting system secures the manifold in position, allowing maintenance personnel to remove and replace it quickly for routine cleaning or other service.

Initially developed in response to customers seeking to reduce potential risk to employees in harsh service conditions, the design is expected to find utility among any customers wanting to avoid work stoppages and maximize process time.

‘The nozzles are one of the critical elements of atomized mist technology,’ explained Carl Harr, sales representative for Dust Control Technology. ‘No matter what water source is used for dust suppression, it’s going to contain minerals and other dissolved solids which build up on a microscopic level until, eventually, the accumulation interferes with droplet production.

‘In the past, some customers have purchased a spare set of nozzles, which helped reduce downtime by allowing maintenance workers to install clean nozzles on their own schedule, rather than when the nozzles were getting plugged. But in some industries that still required a worker to shut down the machine and spend 20–30 min in hostile conditions to remove and replace nozzles for cleaning. And in many cases, if the dust suppression stopped, the operation went on hold.’

The new bracket can be retrofitted to any of DCT’s existing fan-driven designs. Customers can order one mounting kit to fit DustBoss models DB-45, DB-60 or DB-100, while the smaller DB-30 incorporates a different stud size and pattern and requires its own mounting kit. Both kits feature the pin mounting system with ‘no tool’ removal. The specially designed pin is permanently affixed to a lanyard.

Mr Harr said that depending on the type of accumulation which accrues, customers have used wire brushes, lime-dissolving products and even sonic cleaners to remove the build-up.

‘Some choose to have a spare manifold on hand for each DustBoss machine, while others stock just one. As long as you have one extra, you can rotate it into service at your discretion,’ he explained. ‘You can plug in the new one and take the one that was in service back to the shop for cleaning. Once the nozzles have been cleaned, it can be installed on another machine to permit cleaning of that manifold, and so on.’

With worker safety foremost in the minds of customers, the new design is already gaining popularity. One customer said: ‘It makes changing the manifold a two-minute job. We switch them out every three months because of the operating conditions, so we can inspect and clean them as needed.  Having a spare manifold on hand facilitates quick replacement on our schedule, rather than when we’re forced to do it.’