Storage piles are found at mines, coal-fired power plants, mineral processing plants and other bulk material processing or storage facilities and can contain any type of material including, but not limited to coal, clinker, cement, aggregate, asphalt, sulfur, or limestone. Piles are frequently left open and exposed to weather.
They are one of the largest sources of PM10 and PM2.5 emissions in bulk material handling operations. Dust from storage piles can be generated at several points of the process including during material loading onto the pile, loadout of the pile, and from movement of equipment and trucks in the area.
Wind erosion also plays a large factor. An estimated 30% of storage pile dust emissions is created from “particle uptake” which occurs when the wind speed is above a threshold velocity for the material to stay grounded. This threshold is determined by the type of stored material, moisture content, and the specific gravity of the dust particles.
The DustTamer Wind Fence system significantly reduces wind velocities around a storage pile and reduces the amount of air infiltration onto the pile, preventing particle uptake. Other advantages include: