Why Mining Transfer Chutes Generate Fugitive Dust

As ore falls within the chute, fine particles separate from the ore becoming airborne dust. As the ore exits onto the conveyor below, the dust is sucked out to the surrounding environment. The goal of dust control is to suppress this airborne dust while adding moisture (dust prevention) to the ore so less dust becomes airborne at the next transfer point downstream without over wetting the material. Adding too much water at once saturates the material, causing the ore to clump together. This clumping leads directly to material handling issues such as ore buildup in chutes and excessive carryback, which can force production stoppages for cleanup. At the same time, under-wetting does little to change particle behavior, so dust continues to expel out of the transfer point.

Abrasive particles and variable water quality cause nozzle wear and decrease performance – resulting in increased waste, narrowing spray angles and increased droplet size impacting performance and increasing material handling issues. To achieve the best results for dust control, adding smaller amounts of water more frequently yields better results without material handling issues – with each contact point resulting in less dust emissions downstream.

The Solution: An Engineered, Two-Part Strategy

A successful spray system meets these challenges with mining standards hardware, optimized nozzle placement, and automation to provide live feedback. By adding this solution at each Transfer Chute as part of a collective dust control will continuously reduce dust emissions through the entire process.

In best practice for dust control, it is easier to prevent rather than try to control once airborne, this requires two related tasks:

• Dust Prevention: The key to dust control, it involves directing water into the ore stream to agglomerate fine particles, making them heavier and significantly less likely to lift off in the first place, thus reducing dust emissions.
• Dust Suppression: For the ore particles that do become airborne, a second set of sprays is used to capture and knock down these suspended particles.

Both tasks use spray bars precisely designed to fit the chute geometry. Because every site must respect strict moisture limits, regulatory dust exposure limits, and water-use constraints, the system must control its application rate just as carefully as it controls its coverage.

Asset Location 3: Containment at Openings and Chute Discharge

At discharge and inspection points, the priority is capturing the remaining airborne dust plume and keeping it inside the enclosure and off the receiving belt. FlatJet® flat-fan nozzles create a continuous, uniform sheet across the opening, precisely angled to intercept the plume while avoiding liners or the belt. Operation is interlocked through the AutoJet® controller to run only when material is present or doors are opened, maintaining constant liquid pressure for predictable performance. During commissioning, experts verify full plume capture without exceeding site moisture limits – this is a repeat arrangement of Asset Location 1.

Special Cases: Low-Moisture and Respirable Dust

When moisture limits are very tight or when the smallest respirable particles must be addressed, consider atomization methods that maximize capture per unit of water. J-Series air-atomizing nozzles create an ultra-fine fog suited to minimal-water applications such as near vacuum extraction points, screen house or hydrophobic ore. Use of fine hydraulic atomizing sprays should not be used in mining as generally hard water is used and is highly contaminated. Air atomizing nozzles have larger orifices and needle clean out options that is better suited for the given water quality. The downside of air atomizing nozzles is they are a more complex arrangement and require compressed air.

Automation for Chute Dust Control

Nozzles are only effective when they are the correct type, placed in optimal spray position and operating at the correct pressure. Our AutoJet® valve assemblies with feedback, provides live data on operational status of the sprays, indicate faults, indicate when maintenance is required and self-purge cleaning strainers to ensure continuous long-term efficiency of nozzles and effective dust control. Adding data logging to the logic of the valve assemblies with feedback allows easy prediction of future maintenance which allows pre-planning so nozzle maintenance can be carried out in planned shutdowns.

Meet Our Mining Experts

Optimizing dust control in mining operations requires deep, hands-on expertise. Our team of sales engineers and technical specialists spends their days on-site at mines just like yours, solving complex spray and dust suppression challenges. With decades of combined experience focused solely on spray technology, we have an unmatched understanding of how to control fugitive dust, protect equipment, and improve safety and productivity.

We support our experts with regional Spray Technology Centers where we can conduct product demonstrations and on-site proof-of-concept trials. By combining practical field knowledge with precise spray system design and automation, we ensure solutions are reliable, efficient, and tailored to your mining operations.