Question 1

What does Fowlerex do?

Accepted Answer

Fowlerex designs and engineers industrial air pollution control equipment — wet scrubbers, baghouses, wet and dry electrostatic precipitators, cyclones and multicyclones, carbon adsorption towers, thermal oxidisers, industrial fans, and ducting systems. We have delivered installations across 20+ countries over more than 50 years, with process guarantees written project-by-project against measured inlet conditions and target outlet limits.

Question 2

What gas chemistries can you treat?

Accepted Answer

Acid gases (HCl, HF, SO2), NOx (with NaOCl oxidation), ammonia and amines (H2SO4 acid-wash packed bed), mercury vapour (sulphur-impregnated carbon), HCN, sub-µm particulate, condensable fume and oily aerosol, VOCs and HAPs, and hot abrasive metallurgical dust. We match the technology — venturi, packed bed, WESP, baghouse, carbon, or thermal oxidiser — to the specific chemistry of your gas stream.

Question 3

Do you work outside Australia and New Zealand?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We have delivered projects across 20+ countries including Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire, Mauritania, DR Congo, Mongolia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, New Caledonia, Canada, and across the Pacific.

Question 4

What is the difference between a baghouse and a wet scrubber?

Accepted Answer

A baghouse filters dry particulate through fabric media — best for dry dust where outlet emissions need to be tight and the gas is below the bag’s temperature limit. A wet scrubber absorbs soluble gases (HCl, SO2, NH3) or captures condensable fume in a liquid stream — best for gas chemistry that filtration cannot remove. We often pair them where the gas stream has both dust and acid components.

Question 5

When do I need a wet electrostatic precipitator (WESP)?

Accepted Answer

A WESP is the polishing tool for everything dry collection cannot catch: sticky and condensable particulate, sub-µm aerosols, acid mist, SO3, pyrolysis tars, oily fume from fibreglass or plastics production, and blue-plume mitigation from acid plants. Outlet PM under 10 mg/Nm3 is achievable on appropriate duty.

Question 6

What materials do you fabricate in?

Accepted Answer

We specify the shell material to the gas chemistry, not to a default catalogue: 3Cr12 for hot abrasive duty, 304 / 316 stainless for general SS service, Duplex 2205 / 2507 for chloride-bearing acid, FRP (vinyl-ester or dual-laminate) for cold acid and mixed halides, CPVC / PP for chlor-alkali, and Hastelloy C-276 for severe acid environments.

Question 7

What standards do you design and build to?

Accepted Answer

AS/NZS 5131 (structural steelwork), AS/NZS 1554.6 (welding of stainless), ASME Section IX (welding qualifications), AS 1210 (pressure vessels) where the duty applies. ISO 9001 / 14001 / 45001-aligned QHSE management system. NFPA 68/69 and ATEX-compliant explosion protection on combustible-dust duty.

Question 8

Do you do installation and commissioning, or design-only?

Accepted Answer

Both. Full turnkey — design, manufacture, install, cold and hot commissioning, plus operator training. Or design-only / supply-only / commissioning-only as discrete scopes if you prefer to integrate.

Question 9

Do you retrofit equipment supplied by other manufacturers?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We retrofit fabric filter internals, ESP mast discharge electrodes, and replace pneumatic rappers with electric types. We supply spare parts for ESPs (JOY-Western Precipitation, TAPC, Lurgi, Flakt, Lodge Cottrell), fabric filters, scrubbers, multicyclones, and rotary valves.

Question 10

What information do you need to give me a quote?

Accepted Answer

Gas composition, mass or volume flow, temperature, target outlet emission limit, available utilities, footprint and access restrictions, and regulatory drivers. The more specific the inlet conditions, the tighter the outlet guarantee we can write.

Question 11

What is a typical lead time?

Accepted Answer

Depends on scope: design 6–12 weeks, fabrication 8–16 weeks, installation 2–6 weeks. Large turnkey packages from enquiry to commissioning typically take 9–18 months.

Question 12

Do you handle combustible or explosive dusts?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Anti-static filter media, NFPA 68/69-rated explosion vents, ATEX-compliant equipment where required. Specification is driven by the dust deflagration index (Kst), MIE, and concentration profile of your process.

Question 13

How efficient are your systems?

Accepted Answer

Removal efficiency depends on the technology and the duty. Baghouses 99.9%+ on dry particulate. WESPs achieve

Question 14

What industries do you work in?

Accepted Answer

Mining and minerals processing (gold, lithium, iron, nickel, copper, uranium, graphite, rare earths), glass and cement manufacturing, fibreglass insulation, chemical and acid plants, fertiliser production, agriculture and food, plastics recycling, foundries, charcoal and wood processing, boiler emission control, and bulk port handling.

Question 15

Who fabricates your equipment?

Accepted Answer

Our group manufacturing companies — Taylors Manufacturing and Taurus Engineering — fabricate in New Zealand and Australia to Fowlerex’s engineering specifications.