Chemical industry benchmark, Rhodia, implements Nederman's dust collection and filtration system

Acclimating the plant of São Bernardo do Campo, Sao Paulo, to the international standards of the group was the main objective for the company. After the implementation of the Nederman system, the day-to-day operation was even safer, reinforcing compliance with legislation.

In 2016, Nederman came in contact with Rhodia, which is part of the renowned international Solvay group, through its main partner in system assembly, Pratt Assemblies and Equipments. The project involved capture of dust with combustible characteristics, a subject not yet explored by many companies. However, at Rhodia, due to its high degree of professionalism and responsibility, it had long been a priority.  

In competition with a company from outside Brazil, Nederman’s proposal was selected and the installation of a Nederman system began at the Master Mixes location at Rhodia. In the production area, heavy dust additives are prepared and used in the production process. A dust collection system with the FMCZ 12A filter, which is ATEX certified (Explosive Atmospheres) was selected as part of the solution. "Although dust concentrations already meet local regulations and risks are controlled, Nederman's system has greatly improved the unit's suction points and the dust removal at the plant. Along with this, the concentration of dust in the environments have been significantly reduced”, explains Mariana Maioli, Production Manager at Rhodia.  

Mariana praise the new system that also provides several advantages for day-to-day operation, such as frequent cleaning due to Delta-P (Pressure Differential), filter cleaning at the end of the day (offline), and a digital panel with an error alarms to facilitate the identification of deviations. 

According to an engineer at Rhodia, Nederman was also chosen because of its vast aftermarket experience and local presence. Rhodia did not want to take the risks of choosing a supplier from outside Brazil, risking inadequate technical support during execution of the project or after installation. "Nederman, which is in Brazil, teamed up and collaborated with the contracted company Pratt, which made things much easier for us," says the engineer.

How the system works, step-by-step: 

1. In the area of Master Mixes, some additives, most of them being dust, are placed on weighing scales used in the production of the final products made of polyamide-based engineering plastics.  
2. At the time of dust handling, the finer particles that are suspended in air and the heavier particles that fall around the scales are picked up by the extraction system from Nederman.
3. Through a network of ducts, the particles are routed to the filter, which is installed in the external area of the production facility. 
4. In the filter, the particles are collected in the filter elements, and the cleaned air is returned to the external atmosphere.
5. The equipment has a backpack system with ATEC certified explosion relief panels directed upwards.  
   
    

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rhodia is very demanding about presenting the technical information of the systems, which shows how committed they are to good safety, quality and environmental practices. At this project, we also had a relatively short deadline. Even so, I always strive to do my best to study and understand the client's needs, so that we can arrive at the most appropriate solution for the process without reworking the proposal during the phase of negotiations, and with proven effectiveness of the results. It was in this way that trust and a strong relationship was built between Nederman and Rhodia. They are now in the process of acquiring another system to be installed in another part of the production process, aiming at the same approach to suit the São Bernardo do Campo unit to the standards of the international companies in the group"  Engineer Claudio Visibeli, business coordinator of Nederman with more than 10 years of experience in the area of industrial ventilation. ____________________________________________________________________________