Significance of Water Tankers in Construction and Mining Industries

07 January 2020

Water tankers can be seen driving up and down sandy construction sites. On the grounds of an active mining complex, the same truck sprays water on loose soil because clay and dust have been freed-up by the mine’s excavation activities. So, what’s the role of these vehicles? Why are they driving freely around worksites? Think about it, wildly out of control due to the conditions, these granulated deposits are site hazards.

Dust Suppression Solutions

That’s the problem with major excavations, the fact that they generate tons of dust. A layer of topsoil is stripped away on a city worksite, then the dirt below dries out under the sun. It’s even worse on the grounds of a mine, with huge chunks of sod being scooped away by massive heavy plant vehicles. Dust takes flight afterwards, and this cloud of loose soil is blown further into the air by a light breeze. The air quality becomes bad, workers need to don respirators, and there’s a consequent drop in job productivity. Finally, what about machine workings and job visibility? It is bad news, for all of that grit is going to gum up a crane or digger’s hydraulics while it also causes a visibility hazard. Seen initially as a nuisance, the clouds of dust have become a very real site hazard. No worries, water tankers quickly eliminate these dust plumes.

Deconstructing an Industrial Water Tanker

It’s a fairly compact vehicle, although it has a chassis that’s designed to handle a large tank, one that’s loaded with a substantial volume of dust-suppressing water. Elsewhere on its reinforced frame, there’s pumping gear and tubes. The network of tubes and hoses lead back to the rear of the tanker, where a powerful array of nozzles provides a focused discharge point. Water sprays strongly from these nozzles, then the discharge arcs downward. As the truck navigates a dusty patch of land, the water soaks the terrain until dry clouds of dust can no longer become airborne. The water binds the soil. Construction and mining industries use this service before site employees and heavy plant equipment get to work, and it’s used again whenever the dust threatens.

A passing layperson might think this service is straightforward, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Water must be utilized with great care so that great equipment slowing puddles cannot form. Outside the wide tracts of industrial land, there are also haulage roads and newly formed transportation paths. Water tankers and their operators are expected to keep these roadways accessible. At the end of the day, this is an occupation. Harder than some, there’s are water levels to manage, nozzle and spray patterns to decide, and all kinds of dust suppression strategies to supervise, too.

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