GSA ‘s FSP2 personal sampling system is equipped with a cyclone. This is a licensed sampling system that is used, for example, for particle measurements of dust fractions of A-dust or E-dust at the workplace in order to determine the dust load there.
Measuring dust exposure at the workplace is always useful when occupational limit values must be complied with.
If there is exposure to dust at the workplace, it is the employer’s duty to protect their employees in the best possible way. This is done via the safety measures documented in the risk assessment. Particle measurements can be used to check the safety concept and optimize it if necessary.
How the cyclone works in the measuring device FSP2
When measuring dust, the cyclone integrated in the GSA measuring device FSP2 separates the dust into individual fractions.
A cyclone, or centrifugal separator, is generally used to separate solids from gases. The mixture (e.g. the dust-laden ambient air) is fed tangentially into the upper part and set in rotation by its own flow. The special design of the cone becomes narrower towards the bottom, so that the movement becomes faster and faster. The centrifugal forces acting in this way press the dust particles against the cone walls and slow them down so much that they sink to the bottom. The now purified gas flows downwards through the dip tube in the middle of the cone.
Particle measurements of dust fractions at the workplace – how can dust be differentiated by particle size?
Dust
Dust describes the finest particles dispersed in the air that are set in motion by turbulence.
A distinction is made between dust fractions such as A-dust and E-dust. However, the outdated terms fine dust (A-dust) and total dust(E-dust) are still commonly used. They differ in their particle size, which is described by means of aerodynamic diameter.
A-dust
With a diameter of up to 10µm , the A-dust fraction is alveolar, which means that the dust particles can penetrate into the alveoli. There they can cause severe irritation and inflammation of the lung tissue.
E-dust
The E-dust fraction describes the “larger” particles that can be inhaled but only reach the upper respiratory tract. However, this does not mean that the hazard is less. However, it should be noted that it depends on the substance as to how great the health risk actually is.
In all cases, however, exposure must be kept as low as possible and appropriate protective measures must be taken.
Other suitable measuring devices for particle measurements of dust fractions such as A-dust and E-dust are the SG5200 sampling device or the measuring device SG5100ex.
Sources:
[10]
[11][1]: https://www.chemie.de/lexikon/Fliehkraftabscheider.html
[2]: https://tu-dresden.de/ing/maschinenwesen/ifvu/mvt/ressourcen/dateien/downloads/ba_gvt/zyklonabscheider.pdf?lang=de
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[4]: https://www.chemie-schule.de/KnowHow/Fliehkraftabscheider
[5]: https://www.dguv.de/ifa/fachinfos/arbeitsplatzgrenzwerte/probenahmegeraete/gravikon-pm-4/index.jsp
[6]: https://www.dguv.de/medien/ifa/de/pub/grl/pdf/2011_132.pdf
[7]: https://www.intensiv-filter.com/fileadmin/user_upload/downloads/Lexikon_der_Entstaubung_Intensiv-Filter.pdf
[8]: https://www.infastaub.de/fileadmin/documents/downloads/Normen-Lexikon/Lexikon_Entstaubung_Infastaub_web_201909.pdf xm