Dust control system and related methods

Abstract

The present invention provides an improved dust control system for removing debris and particulate matter from a fouled air stream. The system may be incorporated into crop harvesting equipment to eliminate the dust pollution generated by conventional harvesting equipment. The dust control system may use a multi-stage air filtering process that employs inertial separation techniques to eliminate particulate matter from the fouled air, without the need for water or electrostatic mechanisms to capture the fine particulates in the fouled air.

1 . A crop harvesting system having a dust control system for removing debris and fine particulates form an airstream, comprising:
 a. a crop collection assembly operable to retrieve a crop from the ground;   b. an air-moving device for reducing air pressure within the dust control system to create an airstream through said dust control system operable to collect dust intermingled with said crop;   c. an air filtering stage operable to remove fine particulates from said airstream, said second air filtering stage comprising a plurality of vortex tube separators.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each of said plurality of vortex tube separators includes
 a. a proximal section for receiving particulate-laden air from said first air filtering stage that includes central deflection cone, angled blades positioned between an axial center of the vortex tube and a perimeter of the vortex tube,   b. a body in which the particulates are concentrated along the circumference of the body by a vortex generated by said angled blades, and   c. a distal section having a clean air collection duct for collecting clean air from the central area of the body, and a perimeter collection duct for collecting particulate material from the perimeter of the body for delivery to the central chamber.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein said plurality of vortex tube separators are arranged in a vortex tube housing having a central chamber operable to receive particulate matter from each of said vortex tube separators through the perimeter collection duct. 
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . The system of claim  3 , wherein clean air is passed through a distal clean air collection duct into a plenum distal to said vortex tube housing. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising an additional a air filtering stage, said additional air filtering stage including at least one cyclone separator. 
     
     
         7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein said cyclone separator is operable to remove fine particulate matter from dirty air received from said central chamber by concentrating said particulate matter along the circumference of the cyclone separator by a vortex generated within the cyclone separator. 
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . A crop harvesting system having a dust control system for removing debris and fine particulates form an airstream, comprising:
 a. a crop collection assembly operable to retrieve a crop from the ground;   b. a mechanism for reducing air pressure within the dust control system to create an airstream through said dust control system;   c. a vortex tube air filtering stage operable to remove fine particulates from said airstream, said second air filtering stage comprising a plurality of vortex tube separators; and   d. a cyclone separator air filtering stage comprising at least one cyclone separator, said cyclone separator air filtering stage being operable to receive a scavenged particulate-laden air from said plurality of vortex tube separators.   
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23 , further comprising a first air filtering stage comprising
 i. a screen for preventing passage of debris of a pre-determined size, and   ii. a cleaning device operable to continuously remove dust and debris from said screen and pass said dust and debris into an airlock chamber; and   
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein each of said plurality of vortex tube separators includes
 a. a proximal section for receiving particulate-laden air from said first air filtering stage that includes central deflection cone, angled blades positioned between an axial center of the vortex tube and a perimeter of the vortex tube,   b. a body in which the particulates are concentrated along the circumference of the body by a vortex generated by said angled blades, and   c. a distal section having a clean air collection duct for collecting clean air from the central area of the body, and a perimeter collection duct for collecting particulate material from the perimeter of the body for delivery to the central chamber.   
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein said plurality of vortex tube separators are arranged in a vortex tube housing having a central chamber operable to receive said scavenged particulate-laden air from each of said vortex tube separators through the perimeter collection duct. 
     
     
         27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein a cleaned airstream is passed through a distal clean air collection duct into a plenum distal to said vortex tube housing. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein said cyclone separator air filtering stage receives said scavenged particulate-laden air and is operable to remove fine particulate matter from said scavenged particulate-laden air by concentrating said particulate matter along the circumference of at least one cyclone separator by a vortex generated within the at least one cyclone separator. 
     
     
         30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . A method of removing dust and debris from an airstream, comprising the steps of:
 a. reducing air pressure within a dust control system to create an airstream through said dust control system;   b. passing said airstream through an air filtering stage operable to remove fine particulates from said airstream, said second air filtering stage comprising a plurality of vortex tube separators; and   c. passing dirty air through an additional air filtering stage having at least one cyclone separator.   
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein each of said plurality of vortex tube separators includes
 a. a proximal section for receiving particulate-laden air from said first air filtering stage that includes central deflection cone, angled blades positioned between an axial center of the vortex tube and a perimeter of the vortex tube,   b. a body in which the particulates are concentrated along the circumference of the body by a vortex generated by said angled blades, and   c. a distal section having a clean air collection duct for collecting clean air from the central area of the body, and a perimeter collection duct for collecting particulate material from the perimeter of the body for delivery to the central chamber.   
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein said plurality of vortex tube separators are arranged in a housing having a central chamber operable to receive particulate matter from each of said vortex tube separators through the perimeter collection duct. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein air is received by said second air filtering stage through said clean air collection duct. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising passing said clean air through said distal clean air collection duct into a plenum distal to said housing. 
     
     
         37 . (canceled) 
     
     
         38 . (canceled) 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein said at least one cyclone separator receives said dirty air from said central chamber of said housing. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein said cyclone separator is operable to remove fine particulate matter from said dirty air by concentrating said particulate matter along the circumference of the cyclone separator by a vortex generated within the cyclone separator. 
     
     
         41 . (canceled) 
     
     
         42 . (canceled) 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claims 32 , further comprising passing said airstream through a first air filtering stage comprising:
 i. a screen for preventing passage of debris of a pre-determined size, and   ii. a cleaning device operable to continuously remove dust and debris from said screen and pass said dust and debris into an airlock chamber.