Dust Collection in Breweries

With the implementation of updated NFPA standards, dust collection has become a hot topic for breweries. If you’re wondering why this has become a sudden priority for your facility or what options are available to you, here’s a quick guide.

 

1. The Explosive Risk of Grain Dust

Grain dust is more than just a nuisance. Because grain is flammable, increasing the surface area by milling it can make it explosive. The level of risk varies based on the type of grain, its moisture content, and fineness of grind. While hammer mills used in distilleries are more prone to these risks, breweries using roller mills are not entirely exempt.

Although explosions in breweries are relatively rare, the few recorded incidents have prompted stricter regulations. Updated guidelines, particularly the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) Standard 68, now emphasize measures to minimize dust-related hazards, ensuring safety and compliance.

 

2. Benefits Beyond Explosion Prevention

Dust collection systems provide much more than just a safeguard against explosions. Implementing a proper dust management strategy can yield multiple advantages for breweries:

• Enhanced Health Conditions: Reduces exposure to allergens and respiratory irritants caused by grain dust.
• Operational Efficiency: Reduces cleaning requirements, allowing workers to focus on production tasks.
• Beer Quality: Reduces presence of undesirable fines in your mash.
• Accident Prevention: Eliminates slippery surfaces caused by dust accumulation.
• Pest Control: Deters infestations by removing dust that can serve as a food source for pests. Once pests infiltrate a brewery, removing them can be a long and difficult process.

 

3. Choosing the Right Dust Collector

Dust collection systems are not one-size-fits-all, but most breweries only need to consider two sizes of collectors: smaller units for compact setups and larger ones for facilities with silos.

• Smaller Systems: Ideal for breweries without silos, these units are compact enough to fit into tight spaces and often avoid the regulatory threshold that requires explosion mitigation features. Using cartridge filters, they maximize filtration efficiency and minimize the frequency of filter changes. If additional capacity is needed (e.g., in facilities with bulk bag unloaders), a more powerful blower can be added without requiring a larger unit.
• Larger Systems: Necessary for breweries with silos, these units handle the blowback created during silo filling. Since only one silo is filled at a time, the same unit can accommodate multiple silos. Larger systems utilize bag filters, which allow for more time between filter changes compared to cartridge systems.

Both small and large units can be equipped with top-loading features for easier maintenance—an important consideration given the messiness of cleaning dust collectors.

According to Austin Robinett of ABM Equipment—which has recently announced their solutions for brewers here—, several customizable features are available for dust collectors designed for breweries, including:

• Bucket-style discharge mechanisms
• Pulse jet timers for automatic filter cleaning
• Differential pressure gauges for performance monitoring
• Construction options in painted carbon steel or stainless steel
• Tool-free hinged door entry for maintenance
• Explosion mitigation components like panels or gates

 

4. Configuration Options for Dust Collection

Depending on your brewery’s layout and operations, dust collection systems can be configured in one of the following ways:

• Whole-Room Negative Pressure: Suited for breweries with dedicated milling rooms, this method involves creating negative pressure by drawing air through vents in the ceiling. The smaller the room, the more effective this approach becomes.
• Equipment-Specific Dust Ports: For breweries with scattered grain-handling equipment or no dedicated mill room, dust ports can be installed on individual pieces of machinery. These ports connect to an external dust collector via ductwork, effectively managing dust while improving air quality throughout the facility.
• Hybrid Approach: In some cases, a combination of whole-room negative pressure and equipment-specific dust ports is necessary. This is common when certain machines generate dust that cannot be fully managed by room-wide ventilation.

 

Conclusion

Although dust collection is usually purchased as a requirement to guard against explosions, it also makes breweries cleaner, more efficient, and safer in ways beyond explosion.

Author Bio

ABM Equipment is the foremost provider of grain handling equipment, systems, and software to the brewing space. They serve startups and multinational breweries alike from grain intake to spent grain disposal. Their automation software, DSO Sentinel, has a module specifically for brewer’s grain equipment and works with any brand of equipment. ABM has recently announced their dust collection models for breweries to satisfy the updated NFPA 68 standards.