Combustible Dust Testing

Laboratory testing to quantify dust explosion and reactivity hazards

Safety Data Sheets

Develop critical safety data for inclusion in SDS documents

Gas and Vapor

Laboratory testing to quantify explosion hazards for vapor and gas mixtures

UN-DOT
Classification of hazardous materials subject to shipping and storage regulations
Hydrogen
Testing and consulting on the explosion risks associated with devices and processes which use or produce hydrogen
Safety Data Sheets

Develop critical safety data for inclusion in SDS documents

Thermal Stability

Safe storage or processing requires an understanding of the possible hazards associated with sensitivity to variations in temperature

Adiabatic Calorimetry
Data demonstrate the consequences of process upsets, such as failed equipment or improper procedures, and guide mitigation strategies including Emergency Relief System (ERS) design
Reaction Calorimetry
Data yield heat and gas removal requirements to control the desired process chemistry
Battery Safety

Testing to support safe design of batteries and electrical power backup facilities particularly to satisfy UL9540a ed.4

Safety Data Sheets

Develop critical safety data for inclusion in SDS documents

Cable Testing
Evaluate electrical cables to demonstrate reliability and identify defects or degradation
Equipment Qualification (EQ)
Testing and analysis to ensure that critical equipment will operate under adverse environmental conditions
Water Hammer
Analysis and testing to identify and prevent unwanted hydraulic pressure transients in process piping
Acoustic Vibration
Identify and eliminate potential sources of unwanted vibration in piping and structural systems
Gas & Air Intrusion
Analysis and testing to identify and prevent intrusion of gas or air in piping systems
ISO/IEC 17025:2017

Fauske & Associates fulfills the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2017 in the field of Testing

ISO 9001:2015
Fauske & Associates fulfills the requirements of ISO 9001:2015
Dust Hazards Analysis
Evaluate your process to identify combustible dust hazards and perform dust explosion testing
On-Site Risk Management
On-site safety studies can help identify explosibility and chemical reaction hazards so that appropriate testing, simulations, or calculations are identified to support safe scale up
DIERS Methodology
Design emergency pressure relief systems to mitigate the consequences of unwanted chemical reactivity and account for two-phase flow using the right tools and methods
Deflagrations (Dust/Vapor/Gas)

Properly size pressure relief vents to protect your processes from dust, vapor, and gas explosions

Effluent Handling

Pressure relief sizing is just the first step and it is critical to safely handle the effluent discharge from an overpressure event

FATE™ & Facility Modeling

FATE (Facility Flow, Aerosol, Thermal, and Explosion) is a flexible, fast-running code developed and maintained by Fauske and Associates under an ASME NQA-1 compliant QA program.

Mechanical, Piping, and Electrical
Engineering and testing to support safe plant operations and develop solutions to problems in heat transfer, fluid, flow, and electric power systems
Hydrogen Safety
Testing and consulting on the explosion risks associated with devices and processes which use or produce hydrogen
Thermal Hydraulics
Testing and analysis to ensure that critical equipment will operate under adverse environmental conditions
Nuclear Safety
Our Nuclear Services Group is recognized for comprehensive evaluations to help commercial nuclear power plants operate efficiently and stay compliant
Radioactive Waste
Safety analysis to underpin decomissioning process at facilities which have produced or used radioactive nuclear materials
Adiabatic Safety Calorimeters (ARSST and VSP2)

Low thermal inertial adiabatic calorimeters specially designed to provide directly scalable data that are critical to safe process design

Other Lab Equipment and Parts for the DSC/ARC/ARSST/VSP2 Calorimeters

Products and equipment for the process safety or process development laboratory

FERST

Software for emergency relief system design to ensure safe processing of reactive chemicals, including consideration of two-phase flow and runaway chemical reactions

FATE

Facility modeling software mechanistically tracks transport of heat, gasses, vapors, and aerosols for safety analysis of multi-room facilities

Blog

Our highly experienced team keeps you up-to-date on the latest process safety developments.

Process Safety Newsletter

Stay informed with our quarterly Process Safety Newsletters sharing topical articles and practical advice.

Resources

With over 40 years of industry expertise, we have a wealth of process safety knowledge to share.

Recent Posts

Combustible Dust, Flammable Dust, Explosive Dust: A Fire Hazard?

Posted by Fauske & Associates on 07.03.13

When thinking about dust hazards within your facility, the first thought is typically: “Is my dust an explosible hazard?” Even though that is a great question to investigate, another question to ask should be: “Is my dust a fire hazard?” Depending on the answer to this question, your dust may fall into the flammable solids category for identification.

According to BusinessDictionary.com, a flammable solid is "any solid, other than an explosive or blasting agent, that can catch fire in the following ways:

  1. through friction

  2. via absorption of moisture

  3. a spontaneous chemical change

  4. through heat retained from a manufacturing or other process, or

  5. that which can be ignited easily and, when ignited, burns so vigorously or persistently as to create a serious fire hazard.” 

Further, HAZMAT (Hazardous Materials) Class 4 Flammable Solids describes flammable solids as “any materials in the solid phase of matter that can readily undergo combustion in the presence of source of an ignition under standard circumstances, i.e. without:

  1. Artificially changing variables such as pressure or density; or

  2. Adding accelerants”

So, what is a solid exactly? While we might think of wood as a solid, for example, so are its many constituent fibers.  Medications are a solid as are the particles making up each pill.  Powder based makeup is made up of many particles before it is packaged.  Before you eat your morning cereal, your “crunchios” were once solid dusts capable of combustion. Other industries with flammable dust solids: plastics/polymers, manufacturing, agriculture and petrochemical.

Download Case Study on A Risk Based Approach for Combustible Dust Hazard  Mitigation

combustible dust,flammable solid

The Class 4 Division 4.1 – Flammable Solids Test is often referred to as the “UN 4.1 - Burn Rate Test”.  This test was designed to distinguish between materials that will barely ignite when an ignition source is present and those that will burn very rapidly.  This information is important when characterizing your material. 

The video attached is an example of a Class 4 Division 4.1: Flammable Solid – Packing Group II.  This means that the flame has traveled the entire length of the powder train in less than 45 seconds and has passed the wet zone.  The test is also used by OSHA and the EPA [as described in Method 1030] to establish the combustibility/ignitability of a material for regulatory purposes dealing with employee safety and waste disposal safety.

The test method is fairly straightforward and provides semi-quantitative data (burning rate and burning time) that can be used to qualify a material’s hazard class. This test is used by the US Department of Transport [DOT] for rules governing ground transportation of hazardous chemicals; but it is also used in the Dangerous Goods Regulations [DGR] established by the International Air Transport Association [IATA] and in the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code [IMDG Code] establish by the International Maritime Organization [IMO] for safe air and sea transport, respectively.

For more information on this subject, the Burn Rate Test, a simple Go/No-Go test (simple screening test to see if you need more) and combustible dust, please visit www.fauske.com  

FAI's 3 Step Approach to DHA

 

Topics: Combustible Dust, Flammability, UN-DOT Testing

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Is My Dust Combustible?

A Flowchart To Help You Decide
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