Continuous dust monitoring to identify emission sources

Dust emissions during handling and processing of bulk solids cannot be avoided, e.g. in handling systems for coal and ores, during crushing and transport of slag, in power plants, cement factories or steel mills. However, the reasons should be eliminated as far as possible. With their new ADIM3 system (Automated Dust Immission Measurement) the Belgian Metal Consulting Agency offer a solution that has already proved a success when handling coal and ore as well as in various steel mills, e.g. at Arcelor-Mittal (Fig.). The system continuously measures the weight of the dust in the air and transmits the values to an evaluation and monitoring module, which indicates the instantaneous dust load. The system determines the source and the scope of emissions by means of computational fluid dynamics of the dust transport based on meteorological data, such as the direction and velocity of the wind. Cameras installed in the plant make it possible to identify the emission sources on the basis of video recordings. The ADIM3 dust monitoring system is operated according to the direct deposition process, i.e. the dust falls through a hopper onto yellow-coated discs, the weight of which is measured by a balance with a resolution of ± 1 mg. This corresponds to an immission of
± 10 mg/m²/day. The system comprises up to 32 discs, which are inserted in the balance by an automatic transport mechanism in specified time intervals. Since the discs are stored in the apparatus, the long-term documentation of the emissions is ensured. Furthermore, it is not necessary to change the discs every day.

MCA bv Deutschland, Osterholz-Scharmbeck (D),

Tel.: +49 4791-140019, www.staubmodell.de