Southeast Asia · Case study

Phu My Port (Viet Nam), Dust Suppression Hoppers for Grain and Soybean Meal Transfer

Thi Vai River, about 70 km from Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam2023 (installation profile published 2023; reported September 2024)

Phu My Port is a dry bulk port on the Thi Vai River that handles agricultural commodities such as soybeans, soybean meal, corn and wheat (WATTAgNet, n.d.).

Transferring dry, granular cargo between ships, trucks and warehouse storage generated a lot of airborne dust. Workers experienced "very low visibility and poor air quality", which created health, safety and housekeeping problems (Powder & Bulk Solutions, 2024).

Approach

Control dust at the point of transfer. The port installed DSH dust suppression hoppers where grain and soybean meal are discharged. This contains dust where it is generated instead of extracting it afterwards (Powder & Bulk Solutions, 2024; DSH Systems, 2023).

Use passive equipment. The hopper has a spring-suspended design with no internal moving parts. It works without electricity, hydraulics or compressed air, which keeps maintenance low (Powder & Bulk Solutions, 2024).

Address worker exposure and product loss together. The hoppers were installed to improve air quality and visibility for ground staff, and also to reduce product waste and contamination (Powder & Bulk Solutions, 2024).

Results

Ground operations staff at Phu My Port reported a dust reduction of up to 85 percent after installation (Powder & Bulk Solutions, 2024). The supplier also reports improved worker safety, less product waste and contamination, and more usable storage capacity. These results were reported through the supplier, and no independent air quality monitoring has been published.

Transferability

Many DMC ports handle grain, fertilizer, clinker and other dry bulk with grabs and open hoppers, often with limited power and maintenance capacity at the berth.

Passive transfer-point controls like this need no utilities, so they can be retrofitted to existing grab-and-hopper operations at lower cost than enclosed conveyors or baghouse extraction. They are a practical first step before larger capital investments

Sources

All information used for this case study was based on publicly available resources.