In wet separators, water is used to separate dust, chips and other particles. The water acts as a filter as particles from the polluted process air combine with the water droplets. The air is first sucked by a fan into a water vortex, a water wall or a water basin and then passes through further filter stages in the extraction system. All ABSAUGWERK wet separators have a specially developed stainless steel metal mesh in the second filter stage which separates the moisture from the cleaned air. When processing carcinogenic substances such as stainless steel dusts, we use an additional HEPA H14 filter as a third filter stage, which also effectively filters fine dusts and particles of 0.001 µm such as viruses, pollen or mold spores.

• Flammable dusts
• Explosive dusts
• Stainless steel dusts/steel dusts
• Chips
• Metal dusts (aluminum, magnesium, titanium)
• Plastic, rubber
• Fibers, lint
• Wet dusts
• Sticky powder

The areas of application for wet separators are as varied as the technologies. Not every wet separator is equally suitable for all types of dust, powder or chips. When selecting the right dust collection solution, we consider numerous parameters to ensure you an economical and sustainable extraction system.

Wet separators are particularly suitable for filtering flammable, explosive, sticky, fibrous or moist media (dusts, fibers, powders and much more). The filter medium water extinguishes sparks and reduces fires or dust explosions. Industrial exhaust systems are subject to so-called ATEX directives (ATmosphères EXplosibles), which require a special design and technical components.

Wet deduster are used in a wide variety of industries for production processes such as grinding, polishing, cutting, cutting off.

The operation of wet separators in Germany is regulated by the 42nd Ordinance for the Implementation of the Federal Immission Control Act (42. BImSchV), which was issued in 2017. This was supplemented by guideline VDI 3679 of the VDI/DIN Commission. This legal situation results in a whole series of obligations for operators of wet separators with regard to the useful water for filtering in exhaust air operation.

Before commissioning a unit, an independent risk assessment including action plans must be carried out by a hygienically competent person if the limit values are exceeded.

• The operator is obliged to keep a logbook with documentation of the samples.
• Regular laboratory tests must be carried out, including verification.
• A reference value for germ contamination must be established and adhered to.
• The unit must be inspected at least every 5 years by an expert or an accredited inspection body.

Note: The 42nd BImSchV only applies to exhaust air operation. In principle, the water in recirculation mode should be tested regularly, as legionella can form in equal measure and endanger employees.

Cleaning
Wet separators should be cleaned regularly, depending on the degree of contamination, in order to avoid deposits and to ensure constant separation performance. Various inspection openings and a cleaning set with hose are available for this purpose.

Maintenance
We recommend at least annual maintenance of your extraction systems in order to comply with product safety and operational safety regulations.

Disposal
Wet separators use water as the main filter medium, and some products have additional filter stages. The contaminated process air is drawn through the exhaust system and filtered by water. In the process, light suspended matter and particles remain in the water, while coarser particles sink to the bottom and are disposed of as so-called sludge discharge. The less residual water there is in the discharge, the less expensive it is to dispose of. Our sludge tanks therefore contain a sieve together with filter fleece, which separate the water from the sludge.

Numerous parameters must be taken into account for the selection of the ideal dust removal system. Whether a wet separator or dry separator can be used depends on the following factors, among others:

• Material composition and quantity of the extracted medium
• Carcinogenic, flammable or explosive substances
• Daily operating time/shift operation
• Sparks
• Flammable or explosive dusts
• Required air volume and extraction power
• Energy consumption and operating costs
• Capture and discharge system

Depending on the manufacturer and product, the filter medium in wet separators consists of a water basin or water vortex and further filter stages. The cost of replacement filters is partially eliminated by using water, but disposal of the sludge is significantly more expensive than dry dust. When purchasing, care should be taken to use washable filter media, e.g. stainless steel mesh filters.

Explosion protection exhaust systems

Wet separators are particularly suitable for combustible and explosive dusts or processes with high levels of flying sparks, as here the filter medium water reduces possible fires or explosions in advance. Only a few manufacturers also produce ATEX dry dust extractors.

• Wash tower / packed column
• Jet scrubber (exhaust gas cleaning)
• Vortex wet separator
• Rotary wet separator
• Venturi wet separator
• Bypass channel scrubber

Our wet separator series B works with a specially developed channel bypass with innovative flow division, which is already patent pending. By dividing the air flow, wet separators from ABSAUGWERK consume significantly less energy and water, with 50% higher extraction power.