Location of Mist Collectors

Location of Mist Collectors

The design, filtration size, and air handling capacity of industrial filtration systems like oil and coolant mist collectors are often discussed for their impacts on air quality. However, the location of the oil mist collector is an overlooked but critical aspect of your air filtration strategy. The location of the mist collector is a key consideration for any deployment made by Aeroex. By ensuring the proper placement and integration of the mist collector, the right capture strategy can be used that provides optimal efficiency. 

Types of Locations for Mist Collectors

There are two general ways of locating your coolant and mist collector. You directly integrate the filtration system with your machine to provide source control as a closed system, or you can install it nearby on the wall or ceiling (often paired with your existing ventilation) to provide ambient control. Each provides benefits and rationale, although for machining operations Aeroex recommends starting with source control first. 

Location of Mist Collectors for Source Control

Source control means capturing contaminant air particles directly at the source of release by maintaining close proximity and a direct feed between the source and the method of filtration. The advantage of this technique is that the duration between release and capture is limited, there are fewer opportunities to enter the atmosphere, and a higher concentration of particles can be captured before they begin to diffuse. A source control solution is highly efficient as a result – a higher concentration means less air is circulated through the filter for the same amount of particles captured. However, a source control solution can be more demanding for the air filtration system. If it cannot efficiently remove the large number of particles, you may get a buildup or disruptions like clogging. 

Aeroex systems are designed for source control locations first and foremost, with depth loading filters, screening methods to optimize filter efficiency, good drainage, and large volumes of filter media. This is the most efficient way to target oil and collant mists that come from a discrete source. In machine shops, oils and coolants are usually sprayed within an enclosure, making them opportune for a source control strategy. 

Location of Mist Collectors for Ambient Control

If an ambient control strategy is being used, typically the filtration system will be installed on the ceiling or with an existing ventilation system to oversee a broader area or a series of operations and sources. Normally, an ambient strategy is only recommended when a contaminant source is not discrete or there are too many sources for a source control strategy to be feasible. Some machine operations like grinding also pose source control challenges. Ambient control can also complement source control – for example, if you had several grinders equipped with source control measures you may also use ambient control as the finishing method to eliminate any remaining contaminants.  

An ambient control solution applies to the entire room of a facility, meaning it will need to circulate more air than a source control method to replace contaminants with clean air. This is due to the effects of dispersion. As well, the lower circulation frequency compared to source control (enclosures can often be cycled in seconds) mean that there is the potential for interim exposure in the atmosphere. 

While source control is most common for machine operations, ambient control is common in other applications like healthcare and institutional settings.

Mounting Oil Mist Collector for Source Control Strategy

Aeroex is committed to the source control strategy, so much so that we have created a wide range of mounting options to ensure that whatever the circumstance, models like our Mist Fit can integrate into your shop. Where other suppliers may opt for a less efficient strategy due to accessibility issues, we will go to extra lengths to ensure a source control strategy is feasible. We understand space is a scarce commodity in any machine shop, and mounting to a machine can therefore require some creativity. Our install kit provides mounting options by including custom and prefabricated base plates, flanges, base plates with side suction, side mounts, elevated base plates, side mount extensions, pillar stands, wall mounts, and more.

How to Choose the Location of Mist Collectors

When choosing the location of your mist collector, we will assess the footprint of your facility, the existing ventilation, the location of your machines, conflicts with other devices and utilities, routing, accessibility, and other factors. From there, we will assess the options for a source control strategy. Often this is straightforward but if not the Aeroex team will get creative in providing you with a safe and optimal location solution. In almost all cases, source control is achieved.

Learn More in This Case Study of Determining the Location of a Mist Collector 

For an example of the installation process, check out Aeroex’s video feature in popular Youtuber and custom knife fabricator Grimsmo Knives. 

Grimsmo Knives is a Canadian business making custom knives. The process includes operations like lathing with common machine brands like Nakamura. In this video, we visit John Grimsmo’s shop and learn about the buildup of oil and coolant mist experienced in the shop when machines are in operation. Grimsmo Knives has a small shop with limited ventilation and there were initially some questions about how best to locate the oil mist collector, but over the course of the video viewers get to see the process for a full installation. The hosing in our installation kit made the process go by quite smoothly. By the end of our site visit, the Mist-Fit 550 was fully installed and providing immediately noticeable clean air. 

You can also learn more by reading our Grimsmo Knives case study.