Dust Explosions

Safe handling of solids

Dust Explosion Control
 Introduction
 Basic concepts of dust explosions
 Ignition sources
 Electrostatic ignitions
Solids Handling
 The safe handling of solids is becoming more important
because the production and the processing of solids is
increasing.
 More chemicals are being produced and handled as
solids to eliminate reactions with volatile and hazardous
solvents.
 Emphasis to produce products as powders (versus
liquids).
 More chemicals are transported in reusable “super
sacks”
Flammable gases & vapors
 When dealing with flammable
gases and vapors, the
generally accepted major
requirements for a fire or
explosion are fuel, oxygen
and ignition.
 In chemical industry they try
to eliminate or reduce one or
more of the sides of the
triangle.
Explosive Dusts Hexagon
For Dust explosions there is a
more complex situation
needed before an explosion
occurs.
 Fuel – any dust such as,
chemicals, grain, wood dust,
flour, polymers, lint etc.
 Moisture – when fuel contains a
higher moisture content, then the
dust burning process is
extinguished.
Explosive Dust Hexagon (cont)
 Dust and Air Suspension:
Particles must be below a certain minimum size to
be able to be suspended.
Particle loading (concentration) must be between
certain limits:
– Lower 20 to 60 g/m3
– Upper 2 to 6 kg/m3
Dust loading must be fairly uniform to be explosive.
Effects of suspension
 In the upper picture a bin
(with a vent) that
contains dust is ignited.
 In the lower picture, an
additional pile of dust
was located in the path
of the venting flame.
 The dust become
suspended and caused a
secondary explosion.
Prevention of Dust Explosions
 Eliminate fuel
 Prevent dust suspensions
 Add moisture
 Keep fuel below LFL
 Reduce oxygen below MOC
 Eliminate ignition sources
Flammable Dusts
 Acetamide  Milk
 Adipic Acid  Nylon
 Aluminum  Paper
 Barley  Polystyrene
 Carbon  Starch
 Cellulose  Steel
 Coffee  Sucrose
 Corn  Wheat
 Epoxy Resin  Wood
 Iron  Zinc
 Minimum Ignition Energies
 Dusts  Versus Vapors
Aluminum 10 mJ Acetone 1 mJ
Corn (2%moisture) 110 mJ Acrolein 0.1 mJ
Epoxy Resin <10 mJ Benzene 0.2 mJ
Milk Powder 50 mJ Carbon Disulfide <0.1 mJ
Sugar 30 mJ Heptane 0.2 mJ
Sulphur <10 mJ Toluene 0.2
mJ
Elimination of suspensions
 Good housekeeping – If dust is not lying around it
cannot get suspended which results in an explosive
situation.
 Dust on beams is especially a problem since an
explosion in one part of the facility will cause the dust to
be suspended and exacerbate the hazard.
 Often moisture is added to solids to minimize
suspensions and also to reduce explosivity.
Keeping fuel below LFL
 Venting of area and/or hooding used to collect dust.
The collected dust is sent to a collections system such
as a bag house, cyclone or electrostatic precipitator to
remove and collect the dust.
 Pelletize solids to minimize amount of material in air
suspendable size range.
 Inerting the area where dust will be present to reduce
oxygen to below MOC. Often not practical in large
systems.
Common Ignition Sources
 A United Kingdom study of dust explosions and
fires cited the following causes of ignition
sources
Mechanical 18% Welding 7%
Overheating 17% Electrical 3%
Open flames 15% Other 29%
Static Electricity 11%
Static Electricity Discharges
 Static electricity is the fourth largest cause of
ignition sources in dust explosions.
 Because of the nature of solids, the handling
and transportation of solids can actually be the
cause of the static electricity
Dust Explosion Control
 Introduction
 Basic concepts of dust explosions
 Ignition sources
 Electrostatic ignitions
Accumulation of charges
Electrostatic discharges
 Deadly Dust II (Video)
Fundamentals of Static Electricity
 Handling solids often leads to the accumulation of static
electricity. This accumulation can lead to a spark that
then serves as an ignition source.
 One method to prevent static electricity is to prevent the
accumulation of charge.
 Charge Accumulation:
Contact and Frictional
Double layer
Induction
Transport
Contact and Frictional Charging
 Dust transport
e.g. pneumatic transport of powders/solids
 Pouring powders
e.g. pouring solids down chutes or troughs
 Gears and belts
e.g. transporting charges from one surface to
another
Double layer charging
 Caused by friction at interfaces on a microscopic
scale.
 Liquid-liquid
 Solid-liquid
 Solid-solid
 Gas-liquid
 Gas-solid
 Induction charging
 Occurs when an isolated
conductor is subject to an electric
field. Charges of different polarity
are induced on opposite sides. If
an earthed electrode touches or
approaches the body then the
charges closest to electrode flow
away leaving the body with a net
charge of opposite sign.
 Occurs by walking across carpet.
 Nonconductive shoes are a
problem.
Charging by Transport
 Results from a charged dust, liquid or solid
particles settling onto a surface and transporting
their charges to this new surface.
 The rate of charge accumulation is a function of
the rate of transportation.
 Lightening is an example of this type of charging
phenomenon.
Dust Explosion Control
 Introduction
 Basic concepts of dust explosions
 Ignition sources
 Electrostatic ignitions
Accumulation of charges
Electrostatic discharges
 Deadly Dust II (Video)
Electrostatic Ignitions
 Static electric ignitions are the result of transferring the accumulated
charges to another surface via a discharge.
 The accumulated charge may be safely leaked away to earth by
grounding.
 If energy of discharge exceeds MIE then fire or explosion can occur.
 Static electric Discharges
Sparks
Propagating brush
Brush
Corona
Conical pile (Maurer)
Spark discharges
 Discharges between two
conductors.
 Very energetic with
energies ranging up to
10 Joules.
 Can ignite flammable
gases and dusts
Propagating brush discharge
 Occur between a conductor
and a non-conductive lining.
 Very energetic, can be greater
than 100 Joules.
 Major contributor to static
electricity ignitions.
 If breakdown voltage of lining
is less than 4 kV, then
propagating brush discharges
are not possible because
charge will pass through lining.
Brush discharge
 Occurs between non-conductor
and a conductor.
 Energetic < 5mJ
 Nonconductive lining or surface
must have a breakdown
voltage greater than 4kV and a
thickness greater than 2mm.
 Can ignite flammable vapors
but rarely ignites flammable
dusts.
 Nonconductive coating can be
a layer of the powdered solid
Corona discharge
 Corona discharge similar to
brush discharge but occurs
when electrode more pointed.
 Occurs over a longer period of
time than a spark and may
give faint glow and hissing
sound.
 Can cause ignition of
flammable gas mixtures with
low MIE.
 Usually considered non-
incendive to dusts.
Conical pile discharge (Maurer discharge)
 Occur between sliding solids and
charged air.
 Vessels larger than 1 m3.
 Nonconductive particles with
resistance greater than
1010Ohm•m
 Particles larger than 1mm
diameter
 Relatively fast filling rate, greater
than 0.5 kg/s
 Energetic ~ 1 Joule
 Can ignite flammable dusts and
vapors
Preventing Electrostatic Ignitions
 Handout gives a
thought process
procedure to
prevent
electrostatic
ignitions from dust
or dust/flammable
vapor systems.