Dust collector with spark arrester

Abstract

A spark arrestor and dust arrestor for same are provided. In one embodiment, the spark arrestor includes a housing having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the outlet is positioned on a dust arrestor mounting side of the housing, and a turn baffle disposed in the housing in a position that creates a tortuous flow path through the housing between the inlet and the outlet. The tortuous flow path includes a low inertia channel formed in the housing having an orientation that directs particles passing through the low inertia channel through an upper portion of the outlet of the housing, and a high inertia channel formed in the housing, wherein a downstream portion of the high inertia channel has an orientation that directs particles passing through the high inertia channel through a lower portion of the outlet of the housing.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A dust collector, comprising:
 a housing having a filter mounting arrangement configured to retain replaceable air filters within the housing, the housing having a dust collection hopper positioned below the filter mounting arrangement; and   a spark arrestor attached to the housing, the spark arrestor having no dust collection hopper, the spark arrestor configured to separate high inertia particles flowing through the spark arrestor in a tortuous flow path preferentially into a first channel relative to a second channel by particle inertia, wherein the first channel is defined between a scalping baffle and a turn baffle, and the second channel, defined below the scalping baffle, has having an orientation that directs high inertia particles exiting the spark arrestor into the housing in a downwards trajectory towards the dust collection hopper.   
     
     
         2 . A method for removing sparks comprising:
 separating high inertia particles and low inertia particles into separate airstreams;   preferentially directing the low inertia particles to a first region of a dust collector, wherein a turn baffle and a top portion of a scalping baffle, formed in the housing, define the low inertia channel; and   preferentially directing the high inertia particles to a second region of the dust collector, wherein the second region of the dust arrestor is clear of filters.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the high inertia particles comprise sparks. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 preferentially directing high inertia particles inadvertently directed towards the first region towards the second region of the dust collector.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein separating high inertia particles and low inertia particles into separate air streams comprises creating a tortuous flow path.