Patent ID: 7322785

Claim:
A method of controlling dust produced as part of a rail car material dumping operation in a rail car dumping facility, the rail car dumping facility comprising a rotatable frame wherein material contained within a rail car is dumped into a pit, the pit having a dump side toward which contained material is dumped and an opposing back side, a back side diverter being located within the pit on the back side, the method comprising the steps of: positioning the rail car on the rotatable frame within the rotary dumping facility; rotating the rotatable frame and car through a predetermined rotational motion above the pit from an upright position where the contained material is within the car to a dumping position wherein the contained material exits the car, thereby emptying the car of the contained material; substantially sealing the rotatable frame to the back side diverter with a plurality of baffles to inhibit dust from escaping from the pit between the rotatable frame and the back side diverter; controlling air inflow into the pit on the dump side of the pit thereby inducing tumbling of a cloud of particulate matter and air formed within the pit from the dumping operation; exhausting the particulate matter and air through a plurality of air intakes located within the pit; and in a rings out dumping facility positioning an end ring baffle that extends from a grizzly upwardly to approximately the perimeter of a supporting ring and from the backside diverter toward the dumpside of the pit whereby dust laden air is substantially prevented from escaping from the pit under the end ring baffle.