The ventilation sleeve provides localized dust and vapor control at the point of product transfer, transforming a large, dusty working area into a small, contained ventilated region.

• Provides high-velocity ventilation 360 degrees around the perimeter of the localized working area, creating a cross-sectional plane of exhaust.
• Designed so that the liner or funnel of the discharging drum or vessel is positioned below the slotted exhaust plane of the sleeve for the discharging process. Any airborne dust or vapors rising up through the sleeve are captured in this exhaust plane, significantly reducing airborne particle levels.
• Through monitoring operations, the ventilation sleeve, when used with proper technique and with the drum manipulator in a reactor charging application, has consistently achieved airborne particle levels below 10 micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m^3). 
• Removable cover allows for easy cleaning and validation purposes.
• Custom fabricated from high-grade stainless steel with a pharmaceutical-grade finish (30 micro-inch Ra or better) for use in a variety of applications. 
• Includes a grounding tab and handles for ease of use.

There are several accessories that can be added to the ventilation sleeve to improve its performance in specific situations:
Bag Disposal Port
Counterweighted Damper
Cross Bars

Bag Disposal Port

This option improves dust control by eliminating the need for the operator to pull the dusty open end of the drum liner out of the sleeve to discard it.

Instead, the operator can keep the open end within the sleeve below the exhaust plane, then wrap up the entire liner within the sleeve and dispose of it through a port on the sleeve that’s located below the exhaust plane (see video for example).

Counterweighted Damper

During the charging operation, it can be a challenge to maintain an inert environment at the manway opening of a reactor or similar vessel. Yet this objective is essential in sustaining a safe working environment.

The inert environment may be compromised as the ambient atmosphere mixes with the vapors of the vessel at the manway opening. As dry solids are introduced to the reactor, the static properties of these solids introduce an explosion risk as the solids are charged through this oxygen-rich opening. 

The counterweighted damper, an option for the ventilation sleeve, provides additional protection at the manway opening. This option is a mechanical valve that closes the manway opening when no material is being transferred. This aids in maintaining an inert environment during the charging process.

This figure illustrates the valve, as it’s fabricated inside the ventilation sleeve channel:

This balance-valve is actuated when the material load on its exposed surface reaches approximately 100 grams. As the load approaches this threshold, the valve balance-weight is counter-balanced, causing the valve to open.

Cross Bars

The ventilation sleeve can also be equipped with a set of cross bars, located in the bottom portion of the sleeve, that prevent the loss of a drum liner into the receiving vessel.