Dust suppression cannons
MobyDick dust suppression cannons, also called fog cannons or mist cannons, throw a fine mist that knocks airborne dust out of the air at the source. Spray distances run from 20 to 90 metres across the Cannon Line, with custom TailorMade systems for sites with special requirements. Aqua Energy Group supplies, installs, and supports them.
How dust suppression cannons suppress dust
Dust is generated wherever material is broken, moved or dropped. On a demolition site, stockpile, haul road, or quarry face, fugitive dust particles travel well beyond the work area, reducing visibility and carrying airborne contaminants to workers and neighbours.
A dust suppression cannon attacks dust in the air, not on the ground. The cannon’s pump pressurises water and forces it through special nozzles, atomising it into a fine mist of tiny droplets. A high-performance cone, or turbine, drives a powerful airflow that carries the mist to the dust source. There, the droplets collide with airborne particles, bind to the dust particles, and the heavier combined droplets fall to the ground before the dust can leave the site.
Droplet size matters: droplets that are too large push air and dust aside, and droplets that are too small evaporate before they meet the dust. Getting it right makes dust suppression effective, and it is why the spray nozzles and cone are engineered as a set.
This atomisation and agglomeration process lets a cannon capture fine dust that would otherwise settle slowly on its own, including the PM10 and PM2.5 fractions that air quality limits are set against. Reducing on-site dust helps protect worker health, improves visibility for plant operators, and limits dust migrating beyond the site boundary, supporting compliance with environmental conditions.
Fog cannons compared with water trucks and sprinklers
Water trucks and fixed sprinklers wet the ground. That stops dust lifting from a surface, but it does little for dust already in the air from crushing, loading, demolition or material handling. A fog cannon treats airborne dust at the point it's generated, covering a large area from one position with no pipework across the site.
Because the water is atomised rather than poured, a fog cannon keeps water usage well below hosing or watering the same area, and keeps haul roads and work surfaces from turning to mud. Many sites use both water trucks or dust suppressants on haul roads and fog cannons where dust is generated to control dust at the source.
Water supply and dust management
A dust cannon is only as reliable as the water feeding it. Where the site supply cannot deliver the flow and pressure a cannon needs, we supply the pump set, intake and filtration to match the source water, drawing on the same engineering as our high pressure booster pumps. See the full range of mining pumps for water supply and transfer packages. That makes us one contractor for the whole dust management system, from the water source to the mist.
The MobyDick Cannon Line
Aqua Energy Group is MobyDick's Australian partner. MobyDick is the dust control and wash system brand of Swiss manufacturer Frutiger Company AG. The Cannon Line is a range of proven standard dust suppression systems and dust control solutions built for intuitive operation and minimal maintenance.
At the heart of every model is the high-performance cone of fibre-reinforced plastic, developed with the Institute for Aerodynamics at Zurich University of Applied Sciences. Its aerodynamic shape and integrated stators give an outstanding range with low noise emissions, and the cone is corrosion-resistant and easy to repair. Stainless steel rings of special nozzles inject water into the airflow, fed by a MobyDick pump through an integrated two-level filter system that protects the nozzles. Each cannon sits on a hot-dip galvanised steel frame with lifting points for forklift and crane.
- 30 to 90 m
Cannon Multi
The Cannon 3060 and 3090 Multi models let the operator adjust thrust, power consumption, radius of action and water consumption at any time to suit changing wind and site conditions. A segmented nozzle ring with 15 plus 15 special nozzles, plus a nozzle head with 15 special nozzles, produces five spray patterns with different water volumes for dust control at 30 to 90 metres. Multi models include a frequency converter, a Siemens control cabinet and automatic horizontal and vertical swivel.
- 50 to 90 m
Cannon Single
The four Cannon Single models (50, 60, 80 and 90) include all the important functions for effective dust control at an appealing price to quality ratio. A segmented nozzle ring produces two spray patterns with different water volumes, for demanding applications at 50 to 90 metres.
- 20 to 30 m
Cannon Cart
The Cannon Cart is the compact mist cannon, with low energy and water consumption, for smaller and medium dust sources that can be treated close up. Its ring of 15 stainless steel or ceramic nozzles gives an effective spray pattern at 20 to 30 metres, with manual swivel.
- Custom
TailorMade dust control systems
For sites with special requirements, the TailorMade Line produces customised dust control systems after a detailed analysis of the application, tailored to the site, the dust source and the water available.
Where dust suppression systems are used
Demolition sites and demolition zones
Construction sites and civil projects
Mines, quarries and gravel plants
Stockpiles, bulk material handling and port facilities
Tunnel construction
Recycling facilities and landfills
Indoor dust sources, such as sheds and processing buildings
Features and benefits
Features
- High-performance fibre-reinforced plastic cone with aerodynamic stators
- Stainless steel special nozzles in segmented rings and heads
- Adjustable throw, spray pattern and water volume (Multi models)
- Automatic horizontal and vertical swivel (Multi and Single models)
- Integrated two-level filter system and MobyDick pump
- Hot-dip galvanised steel frame with forklift and crane lifting points
Benefits
- Airborne dust knocked down at the source
- Spray distances from 20 to 90 metres
- Lower water usage than watering the same area with hoses or trucks
- Minimal maintenance and low noise
- Helps improve safety, visibility and air quality on site
- Custom systems for special requirements
MobyDick Cannon Line specifications
| Model | Spray distance | Nozzles | Swivel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cannon Multi (3060 and 3090) | 30 to 90 m | 15 + 15 segmented nozzle ring and 15 nozzle head, five spray patterns | Automatic |
| Cannon Single (50, 60, 80 and 90) | 50 to 90 m | Segmented nozzle ring, two spray patterns | Automatic |
| Cannon Cart | 20 to 30 m | 15 nozzle ring (stainless steel or ceramic) | Manual |
Frequently asked questions
How does a dust suppression cannon capture airborne dust?
A pump forces water through special nozzles to atomise it into a fine mist, and a high-performance cone drives an airflow that carries the mist to the dust source. The droplets bind with airborne dust particles and fall to the ground.
What is the difference between a fog cannon and a mist cannon?
They are the same type of equipment. Fog cannon, mist cannon and dust suppression cannon are all names for a fan-driven unit that throws atomised water to capture airborne dust particles.
How far can a dust suppression cannon spray?
Across the MobyDick Cannon Line, spray distances run from 20 to 90 metres. The Cannon Cart suits 20 to 30 metres, the Cannon Multi models 30 to 90 metres, and the Cannon Single models 50 to 90 metres. Wind and weather affect the actual distance.
How much water does a dust cannon use?
Depending on the model and spray pattern, Cannon Line models use from about 12.5 litres per minute (Cannon Cart) up to 90 litres per minute (Multi and larger Single models).
Where are dust suppression cannons used?
Typical applications include demolition sites, construction sites, mines, quarries, stockpiles, bulk material handling, ports, recycling facilities and tunnel construction, anywhere dust is generated over an area too large or too changeable for fixed sprays.
Talk to us about dust suppression cannons.
Design, supply, install and commissioning delivered as one turnkey package, built to Australian and International Standards. Send us the duty, the site and the timeline, and we'll come back with a proposal.
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