ASBESTOS CASE STUDY
Will a ventilated bulk-loading spout reduce dust emissions?

Loading bulk whole grain sand into trucks and railroad cars can be a major dust generating operation.
This asbestos case study was conducted to determine if a ventilated loading spout, as compared to a non-ventilated spout, could significantly reduce dust emissions.

Whole grain sand was being loaded into railroad cars from a non-ventilated spout and into trucks from a ventilated spout at a sand mine.

Asbestos exposure monitoring with note-taking was used to compare dust concentrations between the two types of spouts while filling different types of vehicles. Spreadsheet analysis of the data compared dust generation from each type of spout during filling operations.

The non-ventilated loading spout used to fill railroad cars was a flexible hose from the silo connected to a metal pipe fitted with a manually operated slide gate. Sand flowed by gravity at approximately 4,500 lb/min (45 ft3/min).

The spout was positioned over an open hatch, the flow gate opened to fill a portion of the car. The gate was closed while the car was moved forward, and filling was resumed through the next hatch until the car was filled.

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