Combustible Dust Hazards: Assessment, Prevention, and Protection
Our dust explosion courses discuss and illustrate how dust explosion hazards arise and the practical techniques available for both preventing dust explosions and protecting people and facilities from their effects. Training courses are offered at 3 levels:
- Introductory Level
- Core Competency
- Advanced
Here we illustrate a typical course at the Core Competency level. Sample course
Who Should Attend
This course will benefit staff with an interest in process safety, EH&S, process design and operations including plant management, technical staff, supervisors and maintenance personnel. It is especially relevant to those who work in the chemical & processing industries, including bulk and finished pharmaceuticals, bulk and fine chemicals, food, plastics, metals, textiles, paper, lumber, agrochemicals, dyes and paints.
Learning Objectives
This course will demonstrate the practical techniques available for both preventing dust explosions and protecting people and facilities from their effects based on the requirements of NFPA 652. It employs a systematic approach to dust explosion hazard assessment directed towards obtaining a “Basis of Safety for a process. Upon completion of the course, participants will better understand dust explosions, how they arise, and how the concept of “basis of safety can be applied to protect against the dust explosion risk. An understanding will also be gained of both explosion prevention and explosion protection techniques and how they can be used in practice.
Course Outline
- Introduction
- Conditions for Dust Flash Fires & Explosions
- Laboratory Tests
- Applicable Codes and Standards
- NFPA 652 – Standard on the Fundamentals of Combustible Dusts
- Compliance Options
- Combustibility Characteristics
- Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA)
- Hazard Management – Mitigation and Prevention
- Combustibility Assessment Using Standardized Laboratory Testing
- Ignition Sensitivity
- Explosion Severity
- Thermal Instability
- Explosion Prevention Measures
- Control of Dust Cloud Atmospheres
- Elimination/Control of Potential Ignition Sources
- Mechanical Sparks, Electrical Arcs/Sparks, Self-Heating, Electrostatic Discharges
- Explosion Protection: Application of explosion safeguards
- Containment
- Suppression
- Venting
- Isolation
- Video Presentations
- Quiz
- Q&A/Group Discussion
Course Description
Powders form explosible dust clouds when the particle size is small, moisture content is low and the concentration of dust in the atmosphere falls between certain critical limits. Such conditions are routinely found inside material handling/processing equipment and, which is where explosions frequently begin; however, most damage and injuries result when the explosion forces break free of the process plant. Measures can be taken to reduce the likelihood of dust explosions occurring in your process plant, and a variety of safeguarding measures are available to control explosion forces if a dust explosion does occur. In every case, it is critical to be able to answer the question, “Why is my plant safe?, which introduces the concept of “Basis of Safety — the identification of a clear reason why facilities can safely operate without risk to people, equipment and the business. This course is largely structured around the work of The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), which has unified its existing dust-hazard-related standards and consolidated the best general practices for all combustible solids, irrespective of industry and powder/dust type, in the new NFPA 652: Standard on the Fundamentals of Combustible Dust. Why Work With Stonehouse Process Safety
We also offer virtual process safety training courses such as Exploding dusts, Explosions, Static Electricity and HAC (Hazardous Area Classification). Find out more here.