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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
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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

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Evaluate electrical cables to demonstrate reliability and identify defects or degradation
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Analysis and testing to identify and prevent unwanted hydraulic pressure transients in process piping
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Dust Hazards Analysis
Evaluate your process to identify combustible dust hazards and perform dust explosion testing
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Properly size pressure relief vents to protect your processes from dust, vapor, and gas explosions

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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.

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Safety analysis to underpin decomissioning process at facilities which have produced or used radioactive nuclear materials
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Low thermal inertial adiabatic calorimeters specially designed to provide directly scalable data that are critical to safe process design

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Published January 4, 2017

The Economics of Fugitive Dust (Combustible Dust Hazards)

By: Ursula Malczewski, Chemical Engineer – Onsite Safety Services, Fauske & Associates, LLC

The Basics

Having fugitive dust in a facility is literally like throwing money out of a process. Emissions from a system shop vac.pngwaste the raw material costs and diminish both the quantity of product and potential revenue. Furthermore, it is a waste of resources (both time and money) for an employee or external company to be hired to clean the dust emissions. The finest, most hazardous material settles on hard to reach surfaces such as rafters, between drop ceilings, and on the tops of tall process equipment. In addition, equipment required to safely clean combustible dust can be expensive; and regular shop vacs cannot be used. If a hazardous quantity of explosible dust accumulates or can be suspended in air, it is required that equipment in the local area be properly rated and classified (Table 1). To convert or construct an area to be electrically classified can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

 NFPA 654 Guidance for Area Electrical Classification for General Combustible Dust* [1]table for newsletter.png

The Worst Case Scenarios

If fugitive dust isn’t addressed immediately, the costs of these emissions can be much greater. Under the adverse conditions, hazardous dust can cause fires or explosions leading to loss of life, loss of property, and loss of public favor. Fuel (fugitive hazardous dust) outside of process equipment results in a higher probability for secondary explosions to occur which can be more devastating and occur milliseconds after the initiating event. If the fire or deflagration does not cause complete closure of the facility, there may still be significant expenses: increased insurance premiums, lawyer bills, OSHA fines, repair or purchase of new equipment, construction of a new facility, etc. During this downtime, the line or whole plant will not be generating revenue and clients may be lost as they take their business elsewhere to meet their needs. Many times after such industrial disasters, companies can never recover. [2]

Figure 1: Increasing Costs of Fugitive Combustible Dust

increasing cost of fugitive comb dust.png

The Solutions

There are two strategies to minimize fugitive dust emissions in a process: containment and collection. All components of enclosed systems that handle combustible particulate solids are required to be designed to prevent the escape of dust. If equipment cannot be designed for dust containment – as is the case, for example, for some pouring or transfer operations or open process equipment – a properly designed dust collection system with appropriate explosion protection would need to be installed. Another important factor is preventative maintenance. Preventative maintenance would preclude any issues if the source of emissions is a leak from faulty equipment. If the above methods are not enough to mitigate fugitive hazardous dust, housekeeping must be completed to meet thresholds and frequencies as specified in industry or commodity specific NFPA standards. [3]

Keep money in your pockets by keeping explosible dust contained in your process. If you have any questions regarding fugitive dust emissions in your facility or assessing your risk for combustible dust fires and explosions, don’t hesitate to contact us at DHA@fauske.com.

33.jpg   22.jpg   11.jpg

Images are used with permission from Hughes Environmental 

Figure 2: Fugitive dust from cotton, iron, and paper industries on equipment and overhead ductwork

References

1. NFPA 654 (2017) Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing, and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids, 2017 Edition. NFPA, Quincy, MA
2. Completed Investigations - Combustible  Dust Explosions and Flash Fires. U.S. Chemical Safety Board. Web. , 2 Oct. 2016. <http://www.csb.gov/>.
3. NFPA 652 (2016) Standard on the Fundamentals of Combustible Dust, 2016 Edition. NFPA, Quincy, MA.

For a further discussion, please contact Ursula Malczewski malczewski@fauske.com 630-321-4784

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