Dust Collection System Design for Pharmaceutical

Learn the fundamentals of pharmaceutical dust collection system design—from hoods and ducting to collectors and fans—plus practical tips on combustible dust mitigation and regulatory considerations. This session walks through real-world decisions (e.g., round vs. rectangular duct, conveying velocities, cartridge vs. baghouse, HEPA after-filters) and shows how to size systems using the classic Q = V × A approach.

Presented in partnership with Donaldson.

👷 Get help with design, retrofits, or troubleshooting: https://astengineering.ca

What you’ll learn

• Why dust control matters in pharma (air quality, exposure control, emissions, cleanliness, uptime)

• Where dust is generated: receipt, milling, mixing, granulation, tableting/coating, packaging, capsule filling

• Key design elements: hoods, ductwork, collectors, fans, and system balancing

• Rules of thumb: capture velocity, conveying velocity (incl. 4,000–4,500 fpm for combustible dust), air-to-media ratio

• Collector selection: when to use cartridge vs. baghouse for sticky/hygroscopic dust

• Filter choices (fine fiber vs. cellulose), HEPA after-filters, and bag-in/bag-out safety

• Combustible dust basics: fire triangle, flash fire, explosion pentagon; mitigation options (flameless vents, explosion isolation, suppression)

• Monitoring & uptime: connected monitoring (“IQ”) for DP, temperature, pulsing health, bin level

• Compliance context: ACGIH Industrial Ventilation manual, NFPA guidance, cGMP/FDA expectations