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

All Resources

Blog

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Process Safety Newsletter

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Resources

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

MIT, LIT, MIE - Combustible Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA) Demonstrated

Posted by Fauske & Associates on 08.01.17

Testing your plant or manufacturing facility for possible hazardous dust or combustible dust will seem perplexing until you understand simple terminology outlined by OSHA, NFPA and other regulating authorities. An effective facility safety plan will include periodic but regular Dust Hazards Analysis (DHA). The results of routinely updated testing will dictate types of vacuums, if needed, and when vacuums need to be altered. If your dust is found to be non-explosible and your processes do not change, then testing will be needed with less frequency.

First, here are some key terms to know for how your dust will be tested per US ASTM and European EN standards:

Minimum Autoignition Temperature of a Dust Cloud - (MIT)

ASTM E1491 - Determines Safe Operating Temperatures at Which a Dust Cloud Will Not Autoignite
EN50281-2-1:1999 - Electrical Apparatus for Use in the Presence of Combustible Dust - Part 2-1: Test Methods - Methods for Determining the Minimum Ignition Temperatures of Dust

Hot Surface Ignition Temperature of Dust Layers - (LIT)

ASTM E2021 - Identifies Dangerous Operating Temperatures at Which a Dust Layer Will Self-Heat
EN50281-2:1999 - Electrical Apparatus for Use in the Presence of Combustible Dust - Part 2-1: Test Methods - Methods for Determining the Minimum Ignition Temperatures of Dust

Minimum Ignition Energy - (MIE)

ASTM E2019 - Standard Test Method for Minimum Ignition Energy of a Dust Cloud in Air
EN13821:2002 - Potentially Explosive Atmospheres - Explosive Prevention and Protection - Determination of Minimum Ignition Energy of Dust/Air Mixture

Please enjoy our latest video to demonstrate these terms and tests. For more videos or help, please see below or contact: Mark Yukich at dustgroup@fauske.com, 630-321-4788

IS My Dust Combustible?

Topics: Combustible Dust, Testing