Pages

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Fire in U.K. Factory-Potential Cloudburst

The fire in the manufacturing site’s main vent and piping was caused by a faulty extractor fan.

A firefighter who was at the scene called the incident a "close call" and said the blaze could have led to a "cloudburst" operation – declared after major accidents like chemical leaks.

Never heard about a “Cloudburst Operation," until now What sort of potential cloudburst situation are they referring to in the news article?

Posted via web from ComDust

School Fire causes $300k damage in Wood Shop

fire began when a spark from a circular saw being operated by a staff member ignited sawdust and set fire to the extractor system.

Globally it is a regular occurrence at educational institutions of fires occurring in the dust collector systems. NFPA 664: Standard for the Prevention of Fires and Explosions in Wood Processing and Woodworking Facilities is an excellent resource in providing guidance of best engineering practices for minimizing the severity and reducing the consequence of future incidents. Would a spark detection and flame suppression system minimized the $300,000 of damage in this incident? News Video

Posted via web from ComDust

Explosion Hazards in Baghouses and Dust Collectors

Transport of sparks through ducts. ...This spark and the hot gas associated with the spark can travel hundreds of feet in a duct... Spark suppressors are placed in the duct to change the laminar flow to turbulent (coarse) flow. This agitation or turbulence strips the air from around the ember and cools the spark below ignition temperature.

Gary Berwick, P. Eng. at Quality Air Management shares with readers his informative article, "Explosions and Fires; Baghouses, Cartridge Dust Collectors." Fascinating video on the QUENCHER™ in-line spark arrester device for spark Cooling and air blending for dust collection systems.

Posted via web from ComDust

Resources
Quencher spark arrester Video

Combustible Dust Housekeeping with Vacuums

Vacuum Cleaning = First Defense Against Dust
In nearly all industries, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends vacuum cleaning as the preferred first defense method of controlling fugitive dust. NFPA 654 states “vigorous sweeping or blowing down with steam or compressed air produces dust clouds.”

Informative article on housekeeping and the importance of using a vacuum in cleaning accumulations of combustible dust. Housekeeping violations were the second most cited violation according to the recent OSHA Combustible Dust NEP status report.

Posted via web from ComDust

Resources
Housekeeping Solutions
by Walter L. Frank, P.E. and Mark L. Holcomb, MS, CIH, CSP

 

Questions, Problems, Feedback? Please send email by clicking this link...Thanks

©Copyright 2008-2012. Combustible Dust Policy Institute
The information in http://dustexplosions.blogspot.com/ is not meant to be a substitute for the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Federal Register, and other OSHA documents, which should serve as the primary source of regulatory guidance. The information on this site should not be used in place of appropriate technical or legal advice related to your company's specific circumstances. Combustible Dust Policy Institute tries to provide quality information, but we make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to this web site and its associated sites. Combustible Dust Policy Institute has no liability arising from or relating to the use, interpretation, or application of the information or its accuracy or inaccuracy. Copyright notice: All materials in this site are copyrighted by the Combustible Dust Policy Institute. No materials may be directly or indirectly published, posted to Internet and intranet distribution channels, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed in any medium without permission.