An Introduction to Dust Explosions

Paul Amyotte is a Distinguished Research Professor and Professor of Chemical Engineering at Dalhousie University (Halifax, Canada). He is a chemical engineering graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada (Bachelor’s), Queen’s University (Master’s), the Technical University of Nova Scotia (PhD) and a registered professional engineer in Nova Scotia. Dr. Amyotte is a member and past president of Canadian Society of Chemical Engineering, a member of American Institute of Chemical Engineers, a Fellow of Chemical Institute of Canada, the Engineering Institute of Canada, Canadian Academy of Engineering, Engineers Canada, and the Canadian Academy of Engineering. Dr. Amyotte has an extensive record of authorship, with six books, several book chapters, and over 350 papers published in peer-reviewed journals or presented at national and international conferences. He has presented invited plenary lectures at symposia in Canada, France, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Taiwan, and the United States. He is the current editor of the Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, and a past president of the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering, Engineers Nova Scotia, and Engineers Canada. He has also served as chair of the Canadian Engineering Qualifications Board, member of the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board, and co-chair of the Materials and Chemical Engineering Evaluation Group of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Dr. Amyotte has consulted on numerous industrial projects involving hazard analysis, incident investigation, and material explosibility. Dr. Amyotte is a recipient of distinct awards including Cybulski Medal from the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Trevor Kletz Merit Award from the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center, and the Process Safety Management Award from the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering.

"Amyotte arranges his treatment around 20 common myths about dust explosions, and the realities they hide, with a further organization by elements of the explosion pentagon: fuel, ignition source, oxidant, mixing, and confinement. Among the myths are dust explosions happen only in coal mines and grain elevators; dust ignites only with a high-energy ignition source; taking away the oxygen makes things safe; airborne dust will quickly settle out of suspension..." --ProtoView.com, January 2014"For those working with powders and dusts, then this small, unusual book makes entertaining and interesting reading…The book should be essential reading for all managers, engineers, and scientists working in the chemical and related industries (e.g., food, where dust explosions are, unfortunately, quite common), since all dust explosions are preventable if the correct equipment is installed, the correct procedures are followed, and staff are properly trained." --Organic Process Research & Development online, December 24, 2013

• 1. INTRODUCTION: Dust Explosions – Myth or Reality?2. MYTH NO. 1 (FUEL): Dust does not explode.3. MYTH NO. 2 (FUEL): Dust explosions only happen in coal mines and grain elevators.4. MYTH NO. 3 (FUEL): A lot of dust is needed to have an explosion.5. MYTH NO. 4 (FUEL): Gas explosions are much worse than dust explosions.6. MYTH NO. 5 (FUEL): It’s up to the testing lab to specify which particle size to test. 7. MYTH NO. 6 (FUEL/IGNITION SOURCE): Any amount of suppressant is better than none. 8. MYTH NO. 7 (IGNITION SOURCE): Dusts only ignite with a high-energy ignition source. 9. MYTH NO. 8 (IGNITION SOURCE): Only dust clouds – not dust layers – will ignite.10. MYTH NO. 9 (OXIDANT): Oxygen removal must be complete to be effective.11. MYTH NO. 10 (OXIDANT): Taking away the oxygen makes things safe.12. MYTH NO. 11 (MIXING): There’s no problem if dust is not visible in the air.13. MYTH NO. 12 (MIXING): Once airborne, a dust will quickly settle out of suspension.14. MYTH NO. 13 (MIXING): Mixing is mixing; there are no degrees.15. MYTH NO. 14 (CONFINEMENT): Venting is the only/best solution to the dust explosion problem.16. MYTH NO. 15 (CONFINEMENT): Total confinement is required to have an explosion. 17. MYTH NO. 16 (CONFINEMENT): Confinement means four walls, a roof and a floor.18. MYTH NO. 17 (PENTAGON): The vocabulary of dust explosions is difficult to understand19. MYTH NO. 18 (PENTAGON): Dust explosion parameters are fundamental material properties.20. MYTH NO. 19 (PENTAGON): It makes sense to combine explosion parameters in a single index.21. MYTH NO. 20 (PENTAGON): It won’t happen to me.22. CONCLUSION: Dust Explosion RealitiesINDEX