AAAR 34th Annual Conference
October 12 - October 16, 2015
Hyatt Regency
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
A Mini-baghouse to Control Respirable Crystalline Silica Dust Generated by Sand Movers
EMANUELE CAUDA, Art Miller, Barbara Alexander, Eric Esswein, Micheal Gressel, Jerry Kratzer, Amy Feng, Bradley King, NIOSH
Abstract Number: 398 Working Group: Control Technology
Abstract Exposure risks to workers at oil and gas extraction sites include respirable crystalline silica (RCS). Repeated exposure to respirable crystalline silica can cause serious or even fatal diseases, including silicosis and lung cancer. To reduce exposures, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) researchers have developed a mini-baghouse assembly prototype, to be mounted on the thief hatches on top of sand movers, one of the largest sources of dust generation. This contribution presents the results of the performance evaluation of the NIOSH mini-baghouse prototype. The performance of the mini-baghouse was tested by collecting respirable dust samples on and around the sand mover operating with and without the control technology installed. A single trial test was repeated several times to minimize the effect of variable atmospheric condition, especially wind, around the mini-bag house by collecting sufficient data for statistical analysis. Two approaches were used to analyze the samples. The majority of the samples were analyzed by an accredited laboratory for respirable dust and RCS. Results indicate that use of the mini-baghouse effectively reduced both respirable dust and RCS downwind of the thief hatches. Reduction of airborne respirable dust concentrations ranged from 85% to 98%, and reductions in airborne RCS concentrations ranged from 79% to 99%. In addition, a small portion of the collected samples was analyzed on the field right after collection by using an innovative field-based silica monitoring solution currently investigated by NIOSH. The finding generated by the two analytical approaches were compared and the field-based monitoring solution showed accurate assessment the performance of the mini-baghouse.