Fire and Explosion Risks in Industrial Manufacturing

How Wet Dust Collection Can Help

The potential for dust to cause an explosion or flash fire is a constant threat in nearly every industry. The reason? Just about everything – wood and metal dust, fabric fibers, plastic particles, and vaporized chemical solids have the potential to ignite when in dust form. To avoid this danger, indoor air cleaning can be used to remove airborne impurities that increase the risk of combustion in industrial manufacturing.

What is Combustible Dust?

According to OSHA, combustible dust is defined as any particles or powders that can act as a fire or detonation hazard when suspended in air or mixed with another oxidizing medium within a specific concentration range.

In industrial manufacturing, any airborne emissions are capable of igniting under certain conditions. Therefore, great care must be taken to maintain safety.

Fire & Explosion Basics

Because floating bits of dust can settle on equipment, in halls and corridors, and recesses not noticeable to the naked eye, unawareness can result in disaster if even one speck of dust ignites. The resulting spark propels the dust back into the air, where the heat from the initial spark ignites more recent airborne emissions and causes additional explosions. The primary spark usually affects only the space of ignition origination; a secondary explosion tends to spread more extensively, proving far more damaging.

Industrial Application Illustration

As previously mentioned, most industries can potentially be affected by the hazards posed by combustible dusts. Wood mills, food processing centers, auto plants, and pharmaceutical laboratories are all examples. Take the aerospace industry as a specific example:

Aircraft engines, parts, and missile systems require high-performance materials like fine metals and super-alloys. Metals such as aluminum, magnesium, iron, and titanium are considered to be highly flammable under certain conditions. To illustrate, consider magnesium:

The measure of combustibility of the metal dust produced by magnesium is ten times that of wood dust, making the element extremely dangerous. The metal’s low ignition temperature, combined with its rapid rate of combustion, means that even a minor spark can trigger a devastating fire. To add to this, magnesium fires emit extreme heat and blinding light, which pose substantial risks of eye injuries and thermal burns for nearby workers. If the worst does occur and magnesium dust ignites, the vulnerabilities associated with such fires are considerable. Magnesium fires and explosions are difficult to extinguish, as water can intensify a blaze by releasing hydrogen gas upon contact. To further compound the difficulty, traditional dry chemical containment methods often fall short of completely stopping an active fire.

How to Eliminate Chance of Combustion

Not all fires cause loss or destruction but occupational threats are always present unless proper steps are taken to mitigate risk.

OSHA recommends the Three Cs for fuel and dust fire avoidance:

 •  Capture dust before it escapes into a work area by using properly designed, installed, approved, and maintained dust collection systems.

•  Contain dust within equipment, systems or rooms that are built and operated to safely handle combustible dust. 

•  Clean work areas, overhead surfaces, and concealed spaces frequently and thoroughly using safe cleaning methods to remove combustible dusts not captured or contained. 

OSHA’s Three C’s strategy works to control the fuel element of both fires and explosions. Controlling dust accumulation helps prevent high concentrations and dispersion necessary for a dust explosion.

At AIR Systems Inc., we protect our customers in industries at risk of fire and explosion by offering stellar air cleaning products such as our EAW2500 Wet Dust Collector that safely collects aluminum, titanium, and other potentially explosive particles at the source of emissions. Contact us today for a free indoor air quality assessment from one of our skilled and experienced environmental specialists.