If you’re under pressure to find solutions for dust control problems – in addition to all the other pressures you face – you might consider the unique advantages of WeatherSolve wind shelters.

·        poles up to 100ft (30m) high and 120 feet (36m) apart can be adapted to suit very large stockpiles

·        access for vehicles of any size

·        openings for conveyors

·        fewer poles also means lower structural costs and far less disruption during construction.

·        self-cleaning

·        exceedingly low maintenance.

·        no daily consumables like oil, gas, electricity or water

A WeatherSolve wind shelter around the perimeter of a 1.1km x 0.4km coal stock pile can reduce fugitive dust to under 20% of pre-fence levels. ⁽¹⁾

You will gather from the above points that these wind fences are an economical option in terms of running costs. For most stockpiles, there is also value to keeping the dust on the pile.

Ore dust can have around 4 times the assay value of the general ore.  If you are losing say 1% of throughput to wind (a fairly typical number)⁽²⁾ this can add up. We are frequently asked how that could be as all the tons of dust should be piled up somewhere. The reason it doesn’t show is that the world is a dusty place. For example it was estimated ⁽³⁾ that 135- 245 million tons of dust is eroded off of the Sahara desert and into the atmosphere every year. At the other end of the scale, a deposition rate of 4 grams per square meter per month is one of the environmental limits ⁽⁴⁾ for dust (a tiny amount of less than teaspoon) but convert that into a square kilometer basis and you have 48 tons per square km per year. Remember, a good wind fence dust control system typically reduces dust levels to under 20% of pre-fence levels so you can save 80% of those losses.

WeatherSolve designs have been thoroughly proven in every extreme from Hurricane Andrew (Florida 1992) and South Pacific cyclones to the unrelenting heat of Oman and Bahrain, the severe cold of Canadian winters in Northern B.C. and the South American Andes at 16,000 feet.  We know of no other company anywhere near close to such experience. 

Worldwide, total area under WeatherSolve protection exceeds 1,000 acres.

1        Midwest Research Institute analysis

2        Miscellaneous personal comments, plus erosion analysis by Fryear Consulting

3        Reference

4        ‘Approved Methods &  Guidance for the Modeling and Assessment of Air Pollutants in NSW’ Australia DEC (2005)