BLOOMINGTON, MINNESOTA, U.S. — A new standard has been developed to help grain handlers evaluate dust collection system.
Published in June 2016, ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 199 is a voluntary test method for filtration manufacturers. It was developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers to improve on Minimum Efficiency Reporting Values (MERV), a rating system developed for HVAC filters but applied to dust collectors in the absence of more-relevant test methods.
• Operating pressure drop on the filters, which relates to operating cost and filter life;
• Particulate matter in the vented emissions, an indication of efficiency; and
• Energy consumption for compressed air to clean the filters.
“The more grain handlers and other filtration customers demand Standard 199 test data from filtration manufacturers, the more our industry will rush to fulfill that need,” said Chris Fischer, Industrial Air Lab supervisor with Donaldson Company, Inc. and chair of the ASHRAE Standard 199 committee. “The reports will provide apples-to-apples performance data that really matter.”
Until then, Fischer said, grain handlers should use the test’s performance criteria to ask important questions before making a dust collector purchase.
“Ask about emissions performance, energy consumption, and filter life, which are all interrelated and comprise total cost of ownership,” Fischer said. “A high MERV rating may not be all that important. Emissions released and total energy consumed to run your system for a year may be more relevant performance metrics to your business.”
The ASHRAE Standard 199 committee represented competing dust collector manufacturers as well as end users and leading test laboratories. Fischer also is convening an ISO trade group working to apply the U.S. standard internationally.
“At Donaldson, we’re actively adopting the standard both in our internal test labs as well as contracting with certified external labs,” Fischer said. “While we don’t intend to test our legacy products on the market, we’re engineering our new dust collection systems with this standard in mind.”
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers advances the arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world. With more than 55,000 members from over 132 nations, ASHRAE is an organization that represents building system design and industrial processes professionals around the world.
Founded in 1915, Donaldson Company, Inc. is a global leader in the filtration industry with approximately 140 sales, manufacturing and distribution locations in 44 countries. Donaldson’s innovative filtration technologies improve people’s lives, enhance customers’ equipment performance and protect the environment.
