Dust Explosions and Fire Prevention Handbook: A Guide to Good Industry Practices

Up-to-date and thorough coverage of the causes, repercussions, and prevention of dust explosions and fires by one of the most well-respected environmental scientists and worker safety litigation specialists in the world

This handy volume is a ready “go to” reference for the chemical engineer, plant manager, process engineer, or chemist working in industrial settings where dust explosions could be a concern, such as the process industries, coal industry, metal industry, and others. Though dust explosions have been around since the Earth first formed, and they have been studied and written about since the 1500s, they are still an ongoing concern and occur almost daily somewhere in the world, from bakeries to fertilizer plants.

Dust explosions can have devastating consequences, and, recently, there have been new industrial standards and guidelines that reflect safer, more reasonable methods for dealing with materials to prevent dust explosions and resultant fires. This book not only presents these new developments for engineers and managers, it offers in-depth coverage of the subject, starting with a complete overview of dust—how it forms, when it is in danger of exploding, and how this risk can be mitigated—as well as a general overview of explosions and the environments that foster them.

Dust Explosion and Fire Prevention Handbook covers individual industries, such as metal and coal; offers an appendix that outlines best practices for preventing dust explosions and fire and how these risks can be systematically mitigated by these implementations; and incorporates a handy glossary of terms for easy access, not only for the veteran engineer or chemist, but for the student or new hire.

This ready reference is one of the most useful texts that an engineer or chemist could have at their side. With so many accidents still occurring in industry today, this must-have volume pinpoints the most common, sure-fire ways for engineers, scientists, and chemists working with these hazardous materials to go about their daily business safely, efficiently, and profitably, with no extraneous tables or theoretical treatises.

Dust Explosion and Fire Prevention Handbook:

• Provides a general overview of the characteristics and parameters that can be the cause of dust explosions
• Features discussions on the various factors that influence dust explosibility, including but not limited to particle size and particle size distribution, dust concentration, oxidant concentration, ignition temperature, turbulence of the dust cloud, maximum rate of pressure rise, admixed inert dust concentration, and the presence of flammable gases
• Contains chapters on specific industrial settings for potential dust explosions and how to manage the risks, including the coal industry, metals, and the process industries
• Covers the most up-to-date information and safety guidelines as well as a glossary of terms for easy reference and an appendix outlining the best practices for industrial applications

About the Author

Nicholas P. Cheremisinoff is a graduate of Clarkson College of Technology, where he received his B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in chemical engineering. He has nearly 40 years of industry, applied research, and international business experience and is the author of numerous engineering reference textbooks concerning good industry practices in the management of dangerous and hazardous materials. He is the principal of No-Pollution Enterprises, a firm specializing in environmental and worker safety litigation support.