Optimal Silo Dust Collector Selection for Cement Plant in Canada

We are familiar with the sizes of the most common silo containers, which we will refer to as standard small and medium ones. These are used in industries such as concrete production.

For such applications, we have developed silo filters that we have been supplying for several decades. They have a standardized design and clear performance specifications. Usually, knowing the silo capacity is enough to propose one of our standard BREEZE filters.

The most precise way to select equipment is by providing us with the following data:

1. What is stored in the silo? Cement, sand, gravel, or other bulk material. For example, let's take cement.
2. Required filter airflow performance. This can be based on the performance of the pneumatic pump used to load the bin. The required performance can be determined by the loading frequency and the pneumatic pump’s capacity.
3. Frequency of silo loading. For example, twice a week or twice a day. This helps us, firstly, select the self-cleaning method for the dust collector, and secondly, determine the cloth ratio, as more filter material is needed for higher dust loads (more frequent silo loading).
4. Size of the pipe for loading cement or other product into the silo. This is necessary to ensure the performance is correct.
5. Is an emergency pressure relief valve required? This valve is installed separately and prevents silo deformation, for example, if the filter gets clogged to the point where it cannot pass air, leading to excessive pressure in the storage unit.

We understand that it's not always possible to provide all this data. Therefore, we usually ask for as much detail as possible and tend to apply a safety factor of 1.2-1.5, meaning we select a more powerful filter to ensure there is a margin for safe operation of the silo.

A fundamental question we face is: Which dust collector should be used — a cartridge filter or a baghouse?

• Cartridge filters will be cheaper at the start.
• Baghouses are more expensive initially but handle heavier workloads with frequent silo loading and higher dust volumes better. The key factor here is cost-saving.

The most common mistake when choosing a silo filter is trying to save money upfront by selecting a filter that cannot handle the operating conditions. This will eventually lead to higher maintenance costs and more frequent replacement of filter elements.

Here’s what a silo dust collector looks like when it’s incorrectly selected for the operating conditions and the type of filtering element.

The issue arose because the facility operates continuously without breaks, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with a heavy load on the silos. A filter was selected that is designed for short-term operation with a small filtration area. Instead, a single aspiration system with a central dust collector, like the Blizzard baghouse, should have been installed, or individual baghouses with larger filtration areas for each silo should have been used.

But now, let's move on to our client.

We developed two dust collectors for the silo at the client's request. Both are suitable for their needs, with the only difference being the filtering elements — one option uses cartridges, while the other uses bags.

#1 SILO DUST COLLECTORS BREEZE with Cartridges
Volume of air (ACFM) — 2000 cfm
Air to Cloth Ratio — 0.74

#2 SILO DUST COLLECTOR BAGHOUSE BREEZE C Pneumatic-215
Volume of air (ACFM) 2000 cfm
Air to Cloth Ratio 9.4

At the client's request, we proposed bag-based dust collectors with an air-to-cloth ratio of 1.5 m³/m²·min or less.
SILO DUST COLLECTOR BAGHOUSE BREEZE C Pneumatic-215
Performance — 2000 CFM (1.47 m³/m²*min)
Filtration area — 414 sqft (38.5 m²)
Weight (clean) — 1000 lbs

The optimal dust collector was selected according to the client's technical requirements, ensuring excellent air cleaning from the silo.