dust-explosion.pptVIP

DUST EXPLOSION PREVENTION RONALD C. JESTER University of Delaware, Extension Safety Specialist STATS OVERVIEW First documented dust explosion – Turin, Italy in 1785 Major modern-day explosion – Corpus Christi, Texas in 1981. It resulted in 9 fatalities, 30 injuries and $30 million in damages Ten year average – 13 explosions/year FIRE TRIANGLE Fuel Heat Oxygen DUST EXPLOSION Fuel Heat Oxygen Confined space Prevention: Disconnecting the Triangle Or Simply Removing a Leg of the Triangle THE FUEL DUST DUST CLOUDS COMBUSTIBLES FLAMMABLES THE HEAT SOURCE Welding and cutting operations Overheated bearings Metallic objects in system Slipping belts Smoking Improper electrical fixtures in a potentially explosive atmosphere Static electricity And many more OXYGEN It is everywhere Not a factor that can be eliminated TYPES OF DUST EXPLOSIONS Primary – initiated by an ignition source Secondary – occurs when the blast wave (shock wave) from a primary explosion propagates and causes layers of dust in other areas to become suspended in air. Dust suspension by the primary explosion is extremely flammable HAZARDS OF DUSTS Ignition sensitivity - ease of ignition [ ] ignition temperature [ ] minimum energy of ignition Explosion severity – severity of the ensuing explosion [ ] maximum explosion pressure [ ] maximum rate of pressure rise EXPLOSIBILITY INDEX A product of the ignition sensitivity and the explosion severity EXPLOSIBILITY INDEX EXPLOSIBILITY OF AGRICULTURAL DUSTS MOISTURE Moisture in dust particles raises the ignition temperature of the dust The moisture in the air surrounding a dust particle has no significant effect on the course of deflagration once ignition has occurred DUST CONCENTRATION LEL – lower explosive limit Sample purity, oxygen concentration, strength of ignition source, turbulence of dust cloud and uniformity of dispersion all effect LEL UEL – upper explosive limit There is a question of wh