This document discusses the health, safety and environmental issues caused by dust emissions during the loading of bulk materials. It describes common dust control methods like loading socks, telescopic chutes and dust suppression hoppers that have limitations. The key problem is uncontrolled displaced air during loading. Vortex loading spouts are presented as an effective solution, designed to control displaced air and dust at the source through enclosed or open loading configurations with dust skirts and in-line filters. Vortex spouts provide a flexible and scalable dustless loading system for various materials and throughput capacities.

2. The loading of bulk materials
into trucks, railcars, barges,
ships or stockpiles is fraught
with health, safety and
environmental issues.

3. The loading of bulk materials
into trucks, railcars, barges,
ships or stockpiles is fraught
with health, safety and
environmental issues.
Dust emissions in bulk loading
terminals can lead to:
• Employee respiration problems.
• Workplace slip hazards.
• Propagation of a potentially
explosive atmosphere.
• Contamination to local
neighborhoods & waterways
among others.

4. When material is discharged in mass flow,
dust becomes airborne due to impact forces,
air entrainment and friction between
material particles. This is exasperated by
the displacement of air within vessels,
which often creates clouds of
unmanageable dust in the loading area.

5. Over the decades, more
strict regulation has forced
companies to find solutions
for decreasing or eliminating
the presence of fugitive dust
in loading processes.

6. Currently, there are many methods
being used across manufacturing
industries to reduce dust emissions.
The most common practices include:
• Loading Socks
• Telescopic Chutes
• Dust Suppression Hoppers
• Cascading Chutes

7. Pros Cons
Flexible.
Low cost.
Wears quickly.
Cannot be automated.
Does not control displaced air at the
point of loading.
A cylindrical tube of fabric sewn
to be tapered – much like that of
a windsock.
Loading socks are typically made
from canvas or polyurethane fabric.
Loading Socks

8. Pros Cons
Longer service life than loading
socks.
Retractable.
Can “follow the load” and
progressively retract.
Heavy, high-plugged load that
creates dust on material impact.
Does not control displaced air at the
point of loading.
Telescopic Chutes
A tube-in-tube chute that travels
downward to load, and upward to clear
the transport vessel. Made from metal.

9. Pros Cons
A cost-effective solution for certain
materials and applications.
Heavy, high-plugged load that
creates dust on material impact.
Does not control displaced air at the
point of loading.
Dust
Suppression
Hoppers
A hopper that
attempts to lessen
the agitation of
particles, in order
to reduce dust.

10. Pros Cons
Can eliminate the need for a dust
collector (in open loading applications).
Is a “soft loading” solution, which
reduces material degradation.
High acquisition cost.
Heavy and oversized to overcome
capacity restraints.
Not effective for closed vessels
without dust collection systems.
Does not control displaced air at the
point of loading.
Cascading Chutes
Designed with angled cones to reduce
the velocity of material flow, thus reducing
frictional forces and material impact.

11. All four of these methods can be effective in
limited applications, but all fail to address
the primary causes of fugitive dust.

12. How to Manage
Displaced Air & Dust
In the loading process, the extraction of
displaced air is key to dust management. Vortex
loading equipment is specifically designed to
control this problematic mixture of air and dust,
to address the health, safety, and environmental
issues faced by industries today.
Vortex retractable loading spouts are designed
per the demands of each application to address
air displacement at the source.

13. Enclosed Loading
The Vortex loading spout design seals off the vessel’s loading
hatch and is equipped with a filter to guarantee dust-free loading
by means of a vacuum pull. The displaced air and dust mixture is
then aspirated out of the enclosed vessel via an in-line filter,
allowing the dust to be reintroduced into the material flow. This
creates a completely closed cycle, which minimizes material loss.

14. Open Loading
This approach can also be used in open loading circumstances,
such as truck, railcar, barge, or stockpiling. This is achieved by
attaching a dust skirt at the outlet of the spout, which rests atop
the product pile and seals the vacuum pull as the spout fills.

15. The Vortex loading spout design
is beneficial for its flexibility and
scalability. It can be used to
handle a wide variety of abrasive
and non-abrasive powder, pellet,
or granular materials by
modifying spout construction
materials and tolerances. In
certain cases, the spout’s base
design can be slightly altered to a
telescopic tube configuration,
with a multistage filter near the
outlet of the spout. Certain
configurations are even suitable
for use in food-grade
applications.

16. Model Max. Capacity Loading Type Max. Extended Travel Ex-Proof Standard
Vortex VOS-10 Loading Spout 100 ftᶾ/min
(170 mᶾ/hr)
Open 10 ft (3 m) ATEX, Class II, Div II & Div I
Vortex VOS-25 Loading Spout 250 ftᶾ/min
(425 mᶾ/hr)
Open 20 ft (6 m) ATEX, Class II, Div II & Div I
Vortex VOS-40 Loading Spout 400 ftᶾ/min
(680 mᶾ/hr)
Open 40 ft (12 m) ATEX, Class II, Div II & Div I
Vortex VES-10 Loading Spout 100 ftᶾ/min
(170 mᶾ/hr)
Enclosed 10 ft (3 m) ATEX, Class II, Div II & Div I
Vortex VES-25 Loading Spout 250 ftᶾ/min
(425 mᶾ/hr)
Enclosed 20 ft (6 m) ATEX, Class II, Div II & Div I
Vortex VES-40 Loading Spout 400 ftᶾ/min
(680 mᶾ/hr)
Enclosed 40 ft (12 m) ATEX, Class II, Div II & Div I
*Note: In cases where capacity exceeds 400 ftᶾ/min (680 mᶾ/hr), Vortex has larger
engineered loading spouts with throughputs exceeding 2,500 ftᶾ/min (4,250 mᶾ/hr).

17. Controlling dust at loading terminals is a critical concern
for many companies. Sourcing equipment that does not
manage displaced air and dust can lead to costly and
prolonged health, safety, and environmental issues.

18. Vortex
(888) 829-7821
vortex@vortexglobal.com
www.vortexglobal.com
Salina, KS – United States
Vortex Global
44 (0) 132-572-8577
global@vortexglobal.com
www.vortexglobal.com
Darlington, United Kingdom
Vortex Latin America
(785) 309-2138
ventas@vortexglobal.com
es.vortexglobal.com
Vortex Asia Pacific
86 (0) 21-5835-0100
asia.pacific@vortexglobal.com
www.vortexglobal.cn
For more information on how dustless loading spouts can
improve safety and profitability in your facility, contact: