SPARK COOLER

DONALDSON TORIT’S POWERCORE & THE TG SERIES LEAD THE MARKET

JimHowey — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:17:09 +0000

Over the last few months we have had the privilege to get to know the team at Donaldson Torit, and to review their product line. In short, we are very impressed with both. As the market leader in dust collection, Donaldson Torit continues to innovate, and we saw a classic example of market innovation in the PowerCore product line. PowerCore provides improved performance in a smaller footprint and at the same or lower cost than prior models. The product set most applicable to the metal dust applications, where the Spark Cooler is frequently applied, is the PowerCore TG Series.

Perhaps more importantly, we have seen firsthand that Donaldson is intent on delivering performance. The product and engineering teams work closely together to put the right products and solutions in the right process applications. This is a great fit for us here, as we have always been conservative in applying the Spark Cooler. We’ve found the Donaldson team to be extremely professional and easy to work with as well, so we’re writing this, for what it’s worth, to endorse both their products and the company. At the risk of turning this into a brochure, we thought we’d include some company and product information. See below.

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Donaldson Torit Public Website: http://www2.donaldson.com/torit/en-us/pages/default.aspx

Torit PowerCore TG Series Product Page: http://www2.donaldson.com/torit/en-us/Pages/Products/ToritPowerCoreTGSeriesDustCollectors.aspx

PowerCoreTG Series text from their website: The Torit PowerCore TG Series designed for thermally generated dust is reshaping the future of dust and fume collection technology. Torit PowerCore TG is in a category by itself with a footprint up to 65% smaller than most cartridge collectors and smarter technology housed in the widest range of completely packaged and assembled units available up to 10,000 cfm. Torit PowerCore TG is the new way to get cleaner air in welding, laser cutting, plasma cutting, and thermal spray applications. Torit PowerCore TG collectors’ strong and sleek all-welded housing is the ideal fit as a stand-alone on the plant floor or integrated into an OEM design. Factor in the energy saver package, quiet motor and smart controls specifically designed for metalworking, and the choice is clear. Torit PowerCore TG is the best combination of footprint, appearance and performance.

NECESSITY, THE MOTHER OF INVENTION: the origin of the Spark Cooler

JimHowey — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:23:14 +0000

Necessity is the mother of invention. The Spark Cooler is a perfect example. The product was developed in house at Blender Products, Inc. www.airblender.com , to address a problem of metal dust spark fires in our own dust collection system. After installing a high-definition plasma table and Donaldson Torit collector on our shop floor a few years back, our production team ran into regular interruptions due to fires in the collector that were not only filling the facility with smoke, but also damaging expensive filters. Our local rep, AirPro, was great in helping us design and implement alternatives, but the team was never satisfied with the outcome (i.e., subpar spark reduction, large pressure drop, additional maintenance, etc.). Ultimately, we built upon our core technology and developed the Spark Cooler, and have not had a fire since.

Over the years, some have asked us, isn’t this just your static air mixer packaged differently? The answer is that the design of the Spark Cooler is different, and involves a modification of the blade configuration and proprietary sizing that is specific to each size of Spark Cooler. While our 40 years of experience in engineering, designing and manufacturing equipment to condition air for temperature, velocity, humidity and other profiling, for a wide range of industrial processes, gave us the working knowledge that allowed us to eliminate some designs that make sense on paper, the Spark Cooler is a unique design. An example of this is that we quickly dismissed the “jet turbine” blade configuration we had used in other applications, knowing that the associated pressure loss outweighed the performance it delivered.

We believe the Spark Cooler achieves the sweet spot of performance to functionally address the persistent problem of sparks in metal dust process application. It is not a spark trap that promises 100% eradication of sparks, but, applied correctly it can dramatically reduce spark counts and the resulting fire events, and it does so with minimal negative performance and operating trade offs.

Connecting at FABTECH 2011

JimHowey — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 22:28:13 +0000

Off to FABTECH! Several from our team are heading to FABTECH 2011, and would welcome the chance to meet with anyone interested in discussing reducing combustible dust fires or the Spark Cooler. If you’d like to reach us, please just email us at info@airblender.com, and let us know how to track you down.

If you would like to see the Spark Cooler on display, it will be part of a Miler Electric equipment setup at the AirGas booth (#6146), so stop by there, or stop by the Donaldson Torit booth (#5322) to pick up a brochure. Our friends at both Miller (#5950 + #6154) and Donaldson Torit can provide good insight into the Spark Cooler from a 3^rd party, and have great technical insight generally.

If you’re looking for a good restaurant, one of our guys used to live in Chicago and recommended the food at the Rosebud restaurant on Taylor in Little Italy – http://www.rosebudrestaurants.com/rest1.php .

Happy travels to all who will be attending.

Equipment Comparison: Alternatives to Reduce Sparks in Dust Collection Systems

JimHowey — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:12:41 +0000

As the inaugural post for this site, we thought it would be helpful to address a common question we get – what are the various options for addressing fires in dust collectors and how do they compare? At the outset, we want to be clear that this commentary is focused on metal dust sparks and other dry dust sparks (i.e., technically, “non-carbonaceous” dusts of non-agglomerating materials). In layman’s terms, we’re not talking about grain or wood applications, or sticky or stringy particles. The comments below will speak to metal dust, but for a number of applications, they apply as well to a wide range of materials, including certain fiberglass, rubber, charcoal, and even coffee chaff.

The Problem MIG and TIG welding, laser cutting, plasma cutting, grinding, and thermal spray processes generate dust, fume and sparks. Because these must be collected for both indoor and environmental air quality, and combustible dust control purposes, these particles and fumes are filtered or collected in collection systems. These hot and, or, burning particles are not benign; the spark particles are conveyed in the gas stream, and can damage or destroy cartridges and filters, duct and arms, and even dust collectors and fume extractors themselves.

Common Remedies Over the years, a number of devices have been used to reduce or entirely suppress sparks in metal processing applications. These devices range from those devised in house, such as hanging chains in the gas stream, directing the gas stream over water buckets or drums, baffle plates or improvised dropout boxes. Commercial alternatives include professionally engineered and fabricated baffle plates, drop out boxes, cyclone collectors, the Spark Cooler[1], and fire suppression systems. Below is our assessment of the various categories and alternatives, in increasing order of cost.

“HOME REMEDIES”

Overview: Can be of limited effectiveness, typically involve increased energy use & fan capacity requirement, added maintenance, and numerous iterations to achieve desire results.
Spark Reduction Effectiveness:	Low to Adequate
Pressure Loss:	High
Additional Maintenance Required:	Yes
Secondary Dust Collection point:	Yes
Explosion Prevention Device:	No
Floor Space Requirement:	Yes (typically)
Cost:	Low to Moderate

DROP OUT BOXES/BAFFLE BOXES – commercial

Overview: Wide range of effectiveness (adequate performance at best), significant pressure drop.
Spark Reduction Effectiveness:	Low to Adequate
Pressure Loss:	High
Additional Maintenance Required:	Yes
Secondary Dust Collection point:	Yes
Explosion Prevention Device:	No
Floor Space Requirement:	Yes
Cost:	Low to Moderate

SPARK COOLER

Overview: Very effective, very low pressure drop, inline device, no maintenance. Best overall mix of performance, operating benefits and cost. Not for wood or grain, or as standalone explosion prevention.
Spark Reduction Effectiveness:	High
Pressure Loss:	High
Additional Maintenance Required:	Yes
Secondary Dust Collection point:	Yes
Explosion Prevention Device:	No
Floor Space Requirement:	No
Cost:	Low to Moderate

CYCLONE COLLECTORS

Overview: Very effective, dramatic pressure drop.
Spark Reduction Effectiveness:	High
Pressure Loss:	High
Additional Maintenance Required:	Yes
Secondary Dust Collection point:	Yes
Explosion Prevention Device:	No
Floor Space Requirement:	Yes
Cost:	High

FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEMS

Overview: “Must have” item to address combustible dust applications with explosive potential. Significant cost. Does not address ignition source.
Spark Reduction Effectiveness:	100%
Pressure Loss:	Not applicable
Additional Maintenance Required:	Yes
Secondary Dust Collection point:	No
Explosion Prevention Device:	Yes
Floor Space Requirement:	No
Cost:	High

We hope this has been useful. The thoughts above are based on direct feedback from the field, engineering analyses, and our personal experience on the production floor. If you have questions or input, please comment here, visit our website http://www.sparkcooler.com/, or, better yet, give us a call at 800.523.5705. We answer application questions every day, and always benefit by working through real-world issues with manufacturers.

[1]
Although it is a brand name, we compare the Spark Cooler here as its own category because, as a patented product, with no comparably-performing products available as alternatives, the Spark Cooler is effectively its own category.