Extraction system helps foundry environment

Melton Mobray, UK -- Flextraction Ltd has recently supplied and installed a lead/copper dust and fumes extraction system to Daido Industrial Bearings Europe Ltd, based in Ilminster, Somerset. The project was designed enable Daido to meet the requirements of its local authority environmental department and receive their pollution prevention and control (PPC) permit.

Daido produces plain bearings, bushings and thrust bearings for medium speed diesel engines, turbochargers and a range of other rotating and reciprocating machines. The products are use mainly in the engineering, shipbuilding and power generation sectors.

Melton Mowbray-based Flextraction’s system is being used in the production of castings for bearing casings on dross tanks, crucibles and cooling stations. In total there are nine extraction points with various hoods, including fishtail hoods and billet hoods.

Daido previously had a 24” square ductwork system with inline fans extracting the contaminants into the atmosphere, explained Alan Riste, Daido’s health & safety Co-ordinator. “It became clear we needed a new system primarily to meet the environmental standards for our 600mm diameter high cover stack system with a jet cowl. Also the air flows of the old system needed to be continually maintained to control the hazard of lead to the operators.”

Since the system was installed in December 2006, continued Riste: “our last round of personal air monitoring in the area of the system has seen our lowest levels of lead, with improvements both on health and safety as well as for the local environment,. We work both a day and night shift so the system is in constant use and it has been very easy to maintain with the filters meeting our expectations and requirements.”

The Flextraction system comprises 1.5m diameter galvanised mild steel ductwork with centreline radius bends, a Kiekens 12-FTEN-500/0.9, centrifugal, 400V 30kW, IP55 classification fan/air mover with a maximum air extraction rate of 18,200 m3/hr extracting from all the extraction points at the same time.

The equipment also includes a Donaldson Torit primary cartridge filter/air cleaner with 24 ultra web flame retardant filter cartridges, having reverse jet air filter cleaning, automatic flame retardant filters and 423.6m2 filter area with a filtration velocity of 0.72m/min. There are also six 32m2, HEPA, EU 13, 370Pa gauge secondary filters in line with a magnehelic monitoring gauge.