The Wolfson Centre for Bulk Solids Handling Technology

Hudson River port turns to dust control cannon

(Posted on 16/08/18)

A leader in dust control solutions has helped a port located along the Hudson River control fugitive particle emissions at the dock and in the industrial park using atomized mist technology. The Port of Coeymans employs two DustBoss DB-60 atomized mist cannons from BossTek for dust suppression in a variety of activities and applications. One machine is mobile, used to control particle emissions during the unloading and storage of bulk materials. The other is tower-mounted to suppress particulates at the metal scrap yard. This provides operators the versatility to address surface suppression and airborne control at different areas of the port, resulting in a drastic reduction in fugitive dust.

About 40-50 vessels per year arrive from Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Spain, delivering nearly 33,000 tons (30,000 metric tons) per week of clinker, a dry chalky substance used as a binder in cement products. When the ship arrives, large clamshell shovels controlled by tower cranes unload the material from the ship’s cargo hold, over the ship’s deck -- from 25 (7.5 meters) to as high as 120 feet (to 36.5 meters) in the air -- to a 20-foot-tall (6 meter) hopper, which discharges into a 40-ton (36 metric ton) haul truck. The truck drives the material the short distance to the adjacent industrial park, where it is stored for further transport.

“The most dust was produced when the substance was dropped into the hopper, and although it has a bag house attached, a percentage would still escape,” explained Stephen Kelly, Vice President of Sales and Business Development at the Port of Coeymans. “We realized that we also needed dust suppression for scrap metal storage and other operations in the industrial park. Our goal was to improve air quality for the safety of our employees and the surrounding community.”

The 300-foot (91.4 m) wide dock receives vessels of up to 750 feet (228.6 m) in length overall (LOA). With no beam restrictions, it accepts ships with a draft (depth) of 31 feet (9.4 m). In addition, a 300-foot (91.4m) by 60-foot (18.3 m) inlet channel with a 15 foot (4.5 m) draft allows loading/unloading from both sides.

Like many other facilities handling bulk materials, the Port of Coeymans limits fugitive dust emissions by employing a couple of simple methods. One is limiting the distance the dust-emitting cargo travels from the ship’s hold to the dock. This is done by using a clamshell shovel suspended from a crane to slowly unload the material into a tall portable hopper with a baghouse dust collection system.

To further mitigate dust, crane operators reduce the amount of material collected by the shovel. Although this extends the unloading time, it curbs the amount of material escaping from the top or sides of the shovel and thus further limits dust emissions.

Another area that needed dust suppression was in the industrial park. Located about 700 feet (213 m) inland from the Hudson River with no natural wind barrier, the surface is a combination of concrete, packed earth and gravel. Scrap metal from various sources (demolition projects, old cars, dismantled ships, etc.) is transferred from barges and deposited into storage piles. During windy conditions, the unprocessed metal can emit dust both during offloading from vessels and loading onto ground transport.