Heavy industrial ductwork fabrication is a type of air pollution control product. It's made with thick steel plates and requires a custom order. You can't buy a prefabricated product. What you need is custom fabricated ducts. Learn more about how the ductwork fabrication process works and the industries served.

1. © 2016 Southern Metal Fabricatorswww.southernmetalfab.com
P.O. Box 743
Frazier Rd.
Albertville, AL 35950
(800) 989-1330
www.southernmetalfab.com
CUSTOM FABRICATED
INDUSTRIAL DUCTS

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WHY CUSTOM METAL
FABRICATION?
Heavy industrial ductwork fabrication is a type of air
pollution control product. It is made from thick steel plates
and is made to order. You can’t buy a prefabricated
product. What you need is custom fabricated ducts.

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INDUSTRIES THAT BENEFIT FROM
CUSTOM INDUSTRIAL DUCTWORK
Companies that often require custom fabricated industrial
ductwork include:
• Cement plants
• Manufacturing plants
• Mining operations
• Power-generation facilities

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THE INDUSTRIAL DUCTWORK
FABRICATION PROCESS
Creating custom-fabricated industrial ducts follows a
straightforward six-step process.

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Evaluate a customer’s
design or assist in creating
a viable design that meets
a customer’s application
requirements.
STEP ONE

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STEP TWO
If design work is required, provide design drawings for
customer review prior to fabrication.
Alternatively, produce shop drawings from customer’s
design drawings and present shop drawings for approval.

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STEP THREE
Once drawings are approved, confirm the production
schedule.

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STEP FOUR
Release shop drawings to
determine the following
production requirements:
• Fit-up
• Weld-out
• Finishing

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STEP FIVE
Administer in-process
quality control (QC)
inspections to ensure that
design requirements,
industry standards, and
quality expectations are
met and maintained.

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Conduct final QC inspections and prepare for shipment.
STEP SIX

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PROCESS DUCTWORK
Process ductwork is used in heavy industrial applications to
convey material — usually hot gas and particulates — from
one place to another. It needs to be thick and durable to
resist the corrosive materials it comes in contact with.

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PROCESS DUCTWORK DETAILS
• Process ductwork is often coated with thick shellac or
lined with ceramic to resist abuse.
• It can also be lined with insulation to minimize heat.
• It can be round or rectangular in profile.
– The mining industry generally favors round ducts.
– Power plant ductwork is often rectangular with spacers to
minimize vibrations.

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Commissioned by a sand
plant in Texas, this was a
multi-floor installation that
connected multiple silos to a
single baghouse.
• 4” to 30” diameter
• Carbon steel
SAND PLANT DUCTS

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These 12,462 lbs. of custom
fabricated Flue Gas
Regulation (FGR) ductwork
were insulated and included
channel and angle pieces.
• 42” outer diameter
• A36, A515, and A516
steel plate
• Flame control insulation
POWER PLANT DUCTS

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HVAC DUCTWORK
HVAC ductwork is used in all plants for heating, ventilation,
and air conditioning (HVAC). As part of the environmental
system, it ensures indoor air quality and regulates air
temperature by supplying and removing air from a facility.

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This cladded ductwork was
designed to handle high-
temp, high-velocity airflow.
• 483’ total ductwork
• Carbon steel
• Two layers of 2”-thick
8PCF mineral wool
insulation throughout
• Flame Control
TemperKote paint
CLADDED DUCTWORK

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OTHER POLLUTION CONTROL
COMPONENTS
Other pollution control components that can be created by
a custom metal fabricator include baghouses, cyclones,
and dust collectors. As with ductwork, these products
demand precision and must be custom fabricated.

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A fab and install job, this
custom industrial cyclone
was fabricated for a plant in
Birmingham, Ala.
• 36” diameter x 203: OAH
• AR400 plate
• 8 weeks from P.O. to
installation
CYCLONE

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These dust collectors came
equipped with a quarterly
maintenance plan.
• 6’-4” x 13’-7” collector
with 35’-5” 12”-diameter
duct
• A36 carbon steel
• Primer and industrial
enamel finish
DUST COLLECTOR

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
For more information about custom fabricating heavy ductwork, please take a
look at these articles from our blog:
• Heavy & Custom Metal Ductwork Fabrication
• How Heavy Ductwork Is Custom Fabricated
• New OSHA Guidelines for Industrial Ductwork & Other Confined Spaces
• Finishing Grades for Ductwork Fabrication
And if you’d like to see more examples of ducts and other air pollution control
equipment we’ve made, please visit the pollution control page on our website.

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THANK YOU!
Southern Metal Fabricators
(800) 989-1330 | www.southernmetalfab.com