A & P Falmouth exports bulk woodchips with up to 2000t stockpiled adjacent to its quay ready for direct loading to bulk carrying ships. These operations can emit dust particles and, to maintain a healthy environment, the dust has to be contained to help minimise any harmful effects to personnel and the surrounding area.

Initially, A & P installed a fixed water sprinkler system around the storage bay and whilst this system was effective in a particular area, they soon discovered that they needed an additional solution for dust containment, when working in unsettled situations and in particular, whilst loading ships. The ship’s position and weather conditions are changeable and as such they needed a mobile dust suppression unit to create a water curtain and dampen the ground in the working area.

Following some research on the internet and a subsequent site visit by dust suppression specialist Keith Whitlock from ACE Plant, A & P port staff extensively trialled a Dustfighter 7500S from Ace Plant’s demonstration fleet. The unit proved very effective in limiting airborne dust with its micro-droplet spray. The angle and oscillation settings made it versatile and able to properly direct the spray to areas of high dust content.  

The Dustfighter 7500S is more commonly used on demolition sites to control harmful residual dust. It produces a fine mist of water through a series of high-pressure jets. The mist is propelled onto the site by a powerful fan, covering a wide area in just a few moments, rendering the area free from unhealthy and hazardous material. The Dustfighter 7500S has a range of up to 40m, covering an area of 4600m2 and is powered by three-phase electricity, with portability guaranteed via a 3–wheeled trolley. The Dustfighter 7500S is just one of a line of Dustfighters available from Generac Mobile Products Limited.

Commenting on this purchase, A & P‘s Jonathan Winnan said, “Now that we have purchased the unit it will be deployed throughout our cargo handling facility here at Falmouth. There is also scope to use the unit on other commodities where dust is an issue. As a company we have placed significant and on-going investment in dust suppression, ACE Plant supplied the equipment that is the best fit for our needs and we are confident their expertise on this occasion will be of equal value in the future.”