Combustible Dust Cleaning

 

Combustible Dust has been fueling tremendous explosions that can be avoided.
Thomas Monacelli of Advanced Indoor Air Quality care sighted a few for us that happened in recent years. Dust explosions throughout the US are more common than many people realize.

 

What do all of these explosions have in common? Combustible dust. If properly cleaned such tragedies can be avoided.

dust explosion incident at a sugar plant dust explosion incident at a sugar plant

In Kreamer Pennsylvania a sawdust silo exploded. This was the 4th incident in this plant in seven years. An explosion in a foundry in Massachusetts took the lives of three and nine were also injured. Another example in 2003, a pharmaceutical plant in North Carolina had an explosion that killed 6 and injured 38. Just one month after, 7 lives were lost in an explosion in a Kentucky acoustics insulation manufacturing plant and 37 were injured. In Georgia a sugar refinery plant left more tragically 14 dead and 38 injured.

Industrial facilities especially manufacturing ones generate dust during operations. When the dust becomes airborne it settles on surfaces throughout the facility. It is believed that 1/32 of an inch of dust covering more than 5% of a room’s surface can cause an explosion. In order for an explosion to happen, a “fire triangle” must occur. The other elements are oxygen and heat. When combined with other factors, these elements mix and cause a “dust explosion pentagon”

combustible dust "fire triangle" combustible dust "fire triangle"

There are different kinds of dust. It is important to recognize what type of dust is found in each facility and whether it is listed as an explosive dust according to OSHA. There are agricultural, carbonaceous, metal, chemical and plastic dusts. Some require more serious management than others. 

 

An OSHA listing is posted on Advanced IAQ Care’s website (see below). Also the fines for not cleaning the facilities are far greater than the cost of cleaning. One such example is a grain company was fined $293,000 in penalties for dust that was and eight of an inch deep.

A Professor at the University of Michigan, an expert in explosions caused by dust, says there is only one way to avoid dust explosions - remove the dust. Advanced Indoor Air Quality Care Technicians clean using explosion proof vacuums. They also offer other services such as duct cleaning for the facility.

 

For more information please contact the office at 1-888-498-7949 or email at iaqcare@optonline.net or their website iaqcare.com

Combustible Dust
Does your company or firm process any of these products or materials in powdered form?
If your company or firm processes any of these products or materials, there is potential for a "Combustible Dust" explosion.
Agricultural Products
Egg white
Milk, powdered
Milk, nonfat, dry
Soy flour
Starch, corn
Starch, rice
Starch, wheat
Sugar
Sugar, milk
Sugar, beet
Tapioca
Whey
Wood flour

Agricultural Dusts
Alfalfa
Apple
Beet root
Carrageen
Carrot
Cocoa bean dust
Cocoa powder
Coconut shell dust
Coffee dust
Corn meal
Cornstarch
Cotton
Cottonseed
Garlic powder
Gluten
Grass dust
Green coffee
Hops (malted)
Lemon peel dust
Lemon pulp
Linseed
Locust bean gum
Malt
Oat flour
Oat grain dust
Olive pellets
Onion powder
Parsley (dehydrated) Peach
Peanut meal and skins Peat
Potato
Potato flour
Potato starch
Raw yucca seed dust Rice dust
Rice flour
Rice starch
Rye flour
Semolina
Soybean dust
Spice dust
Spice powder
Sugar (10x)
Sunflower
Sunflower seed dust
Tea
Tobacco blend
Tomato
Walnut dust
Wheat flour
Wheat grain dust
Wheat starch
Xanthan gum

Carbonaceous Dusts
Charcoal, activated
Charcoal, wood
Coal, bituminous
Coke, petroleum Lampblack
Lignite
Peat, 22%H20
Soot, pine
Cellulose
Cellulose pulp
Cork
Corn
Chemical Dusts
Adipic acid Anthraquinone
Ascorbic acid
Calcium acetate
Calcium stearate Carboxy-methylcellulose Dextrin
Lactose
Lead stearate
Methyl-cellulose Paraformaldehyde Sodium ascorbate Sodium stearate
Sulfur

Metal Dusts
Aluminum
Bronze
Iron carbonyl Magnesium
Zinc

Plastic Dusts
(poly) Acrylamide
(poly) Acrylonitrile (poly) Ethylene
  (low-pressure process)
Epoxy resin
Melamine resin
Melamine, molded
  (phenol-cellulose)
Melamine, molded
  (wood flour and
  mineral filled
  phenol-formaldehyde)

(poly) Methyl acrylate
(poly) Methyl acrylate,
  emulsion polymer
Phenolic resin
(poly) Propylene
Terpene-phenol resin
Urea-formaldehyde/
  cellulose, molded
(poly) Vinyl acetate/
  ethylene copolymer
(poly) Vinyl alcohol
(poly) Vinyl butyral
(poly) Vinyl chloride/
  ethylene/ vinyl
  acetylene suspension
  copolymer
(poly) Vinyl chloride/
  vinyl acetylene
  emulsion
  copolymer
Dust Control Measures

The dust-containing systems (ducts and dust collectors) are designed in a manner (i.e., no leaking) that fugitive dusts are not allowed to accumulate in the work area.

The facility has a housekeeping program with regular cleaning fre- quencies established for floors and horizontal surfaces, such as ducts, pipes, hoods, ledges, and beams, to minimize dust accumulations within operating areas of the facility.

The working surfaces are designed in a manner to minimize dust accumulation and facilitate cleaning.

 

Ignition Control Measures

Electrically-powered cleaning devices such as vacuum cleaners, and electrical equipment are approved for the hazard classification for Class II locations.

The facility has an ignition control program, such as grounding and bonding and other methods, for dissipating any electrostatic charge that could be generated while transporting the dust through the ductwork.

The facility has a Hot Work permit program. Areas where smoking is prohibited are posted with “No Smoking” signs.

Duct systems, dust collectors, and dust-producing machinery are bonded and grounded to minimize accumulation of static electrical charge.

 

The facility selects and uses industrial trucks that are approved for the combustible dust locations.

Prevention Measures

The facility has separator devices to remove foreign materials capable of igniting combustible dusts.

MSDSs for the chemicals which could become combustible dust under normal operations are available to employees.

Employees are trained on the explosion hazards of combustible dusts.

 

Protection Measures

The facility has an emergency action plan. Dust collectors are not located inside of buildings. (Some exceptions)

Rooms, buildings, or other enclosures (dust collectors) have explosion relief venting distributed over the exterior wall of buildings and enclosures.

Explosion venting is directed to a safe location away from employees.

The facility has isolation devices to prevent deflagration propagation between pieces of equipment connected by ductwork.

The dust collector systems have spark detection and explosion/ deflagration suppression systems.

Emergency exit routes are maintained properly.