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INNOVATIONS Dust Control Technology Tower Units Extend Reach, Improve Aiming Dust Control Technology now offers a family of tower mounts for the com‐ pany's atomized misting equipment, which extends droplet hang time and range, while providing more precise aiming capability. Complementing a product line that already includes wheeled carriages and skid mounts, by delivering millions of 50‐200 micron droplets per minute from above dust‐ generating activities, tower‐mounted units help commercial operations achieve superior particle control and prevent dust from migrating off‐site. The company developed the new tower designs specifically to address ongoing operations that generate dust in fixed locations. They are well suited for slag handling, aggregate processing, recycling operations and coal handling. "The tower mounts can deliver a fo‐ cused mist to the areas where dust is created," said General Manager Laura Stiverson. "This allows the DustBoss units to concentrate virtually their en‐ tire output directly to the source of the problem." Designed to withstand wind loads of at least 100 mph, the towers are constructed of carbon steel pipe, hot dip galvanized to resist corrosion. To further customize a dust solution for individual customer sites and con‐ ditions, any of the fan‐driven units can be modified to address specific particle sizes or service environments. "In some applications such as slag han‐ dling, the dust particles can be so small that they are more effectively managed with smaller droplets," Stiverson said. "In other situations, reduced flow may be preferred to protect moisture‐sensi‐ tive materials." In either case, the company can apply its Variable Particle Sizing (VPS) tech‐ nology to match the dust to the most appropriate droplet size and water de‐ livery. "The most effective suppression takes place when the dust particles and droplets are roughly the same size," Stiverson said. Three tower sizes are currently avail‐ able. The 6‐in. base tube is generally employed on tower heights under 15 ft., and is compatible with the standard oscillation package. For greater eleva‐ tion, 8‐in. diameter towers are used. The heavy‐duty design is the 10‐in. di‐ ameter flange‐mounted towers, which are secured directly into concrete. Available in heights up to 20 ft., the large diameter allows hoses and power cords to be routed inside the tower for protection and a "cleaner" appearance. The flange‐mounted units feature pro‐ grammable oscillation, with a cus‐ tomer‐settable range from 0‐359 de‐ grees. Climbing rungs, work platforms, booster pumps and additive metering systems are all available as options. Once installed, users have two options for raising and lowering the tower. The manual jack has a long handle at‐ tached, allowing operators to rotate the handle to change the height from the ground. When fitted with the op‐ tional electric jack, changes can be made via the control panel or remote control unit. With motion limits set by the program, the operator simply acti‐ vates the jack until it reaches the de‐ sired position, allowing quick and easy adjustments to accommodate weather changes or specific work activities. The ability to network multiple ma‐ chines and/or automate the on‐off cy‐ cles can be a big advantage to large operations. "Automated units can be operated from a single radio‐con‐ trolled, hand‐held remote to conserve resources and avoid over‐saturation, with the units running only during dust‐generating activity," Stiverson said. The radio‐powered remote con‐ trol allows rapid start‐up or adjust‐ ment of the machines by a single operator, without any manual contact. In fully automated systems, the net‐ work can be equipped with sensors that track wind and weather details, with customized software and pro‐ grammable logic control via computer. Driven by proprietary software, the re‐ sulting "intelligent" systems can be programmed to manage start/stop cy‐ cles based on dust monitor readings, motion sensors or weather input. The technology allows users of DustBoss equipment to automatically adjust ele‐ vation, oscillation range and other fea‐ tures on any number of machines to improve suppression efficiency and free up manpower for other tasks. CDust Control Technology, www.dustboss.com www.rockproducts.com ROCKproducts • AUGUST 2012 7