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Training

Hazard Awareness:
Combustible Dust
Presenter: Justin Clift
Title: PRB Consultant

www.hct-world.com 1
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HCT Consulting Solutions

• Experiences
– Visited and Toured over 200 Coal Facilities
– Conducted +150 Training Course for FD and Plant
Personnel
– Committees
• Electric Power Safety & Security
Conference
• Industrial Fire Safety & Security
Conference
• Best Guidelines and Practices for PRB
Coal
– Memberships
• NFPA, SFPE, PRB Coal Users
– Loss Control Solutions Service • Technical:
– HCT’s Emergency Response Team
– Longstanding Members of the NFPA
– Participation on technical committees
• Field Training:
– Society of Fire Protection Engineers
- Combustible Dust Awareness Training
– PRB Coal Users Group
- Silo Fire Fighting Training
- Coal Handling Hazards
- F-500 Applications
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Course Objectives:
• The purpose of this course is to assist in establishing safe operating
practices that efficiently and effectively control and extinguish fires,
thus minimizing the impact of fires on plant assets.
• Recognizing the major hazard areas of the plant
• Understand the characteristics of Low Ranking Coal and its Bunker
behavior.
• Coal fire prevention, detection, suppression
• Coal handling hazards
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Coal – The Bad

• Coal is a Combustible Dust
– PRB coal’s explosive index is 4 to 5 times greater than Eastern coal
– Most coals are classified as explosive by the U.S. Bureau of Mines
• Volatile & Moisture content leads to spontaneous combustion
• Coal is extremely dusty, creates talcum size particles
– Most systems were designed for different grade coal
– Dust particles less than 10 microns are not visible
– Smaller particles have a higher oxidation rate and release more
heat than larger particles.
• Most coals degrade rapidly
– The size may vary based on the method of transportation and
handling prior to crusher and system design.
– The bulk of the coal is typically less than ½” in size.
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PRB Degradation
Day 1 5 hrs Day 2

Day 4 Day 6 Day 6

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Fugitive Dust Effects

• Fugitive builds up around transfer points and under conveyors
– Create an abundance of fuel if fire is present
– Contains Coal Fines
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Float Dust Effects

• PRB coal dust builds up on horizontal surfaces
– light fixtures, beams, ducts, piping, and floors
– Contains Coal Fines
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FM Global FM Data Sheet 7-76 Coal Dust Layer Calculation

HAtot
Tex = 87.5pA
dust

Tex = thickness of dust layer (in) required to great a room explosion hazard
P = bulk density of deposited dust (lb/ft3)
Adust = total area of suspendable dust deposits within the room or building
volume (ft2)
H = height of room or building (ft)
Atot = total floor area of room or building (ft2) use 20,000 as an upper limit
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Footprints to Disaster
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Two most important properties of Combustible Dust are:

• The Maximum Pressure (Pmax) (Pressure rise)
– Determined through closed vessel explosion testing conducted
using a 20-liter vessel
» PRB (psig) >100 typically
• Deflagration Index (Kst) (Magnitude of Explosion)
– Determined as a function of the change in pressure with
respect to time and volume (speed of flame front)
– PRB’s deflagration index is greater than any coal and/or
carbonaceous dust
» PRB (Kst) 220ish
» Eastern (Kst) 130ish
» Lignite (Kst) 150ish
» Sugar (Kst) 120ish

• Explosions occur instantaneously .045 sec.

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• Combustible Dust Characteristics

– Kst – Measures the relative explosion severity
– Pmax – Predicts the severity of the consequence
– (dp/dt)max – Predicts the violence of an explosion
THE BIGGER THE NUMBER
THE BIGGER THE BOOM

– MIE - Predicts the ease and likelihood of ignition

– MEC – Minimum amount of dust dispersed in air
– AIT - Auto Ignition Temperature

THE SMALLER THE NUMBER

THE EASIER THE BOOM
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• Combustible Dust
– The CSB concluded that `combustible dust explosions are a serious
hazard in American industry'
• NFPA 654
– “Any finely divided solid material that is 420 microns or smaller in
diameter (material passing a U.S. No. 40 Standard Sieve) and presents
a fire or explosion hazard when dispersed and ignited in air”
• Includes: dusts, fibers, fines, chips, flakes, chunks or a combination

Combustible Dust Categories

Level Kst Explosibility Example
ST- 0 ≤0 Non-Combustible Salt
ST- 1 < 200 Weak Sugar, Grain, Bit-Coal
ST- 2 < 300 Strong PRB Coal
ST- 3 > 300 Very Strong Magnesium
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Coal Dust Explosion

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Coal Dust Explosion

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Coal Dust Explosion

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Coal Dust Explosion

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West Pharmaceutical Services

– In 2003, Dust Explosion at West Pharmaceutical Services in NC
• Extensive housekeeping program in place; However unseen
Combustible Dust gathered above the ceiling tiles
6 Dead
36 Injured
Plant Destroyed
Inspectors failed to
address Hazard
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Imperial Sugar Revisited

• Plant History of near miss incidents
• Baltimore, MD Spring 2007
– Sugar Refinery Dust Explosion
• Port Wentworth, GA Feb 7, 2008
– Killed 13
– Injured 32
– Plant Destroyed
– 8.7 million in Fines
• Gramercy, LA Mar 17, 2008
– Shut down by OSHA citing Imminent Danger
– Edwin Foulke Jr., Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA
• “There was a very thick dust level”
• “Imminent danger situation”

The same company failed to learn for it’s mistakes!

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Fire & Dust Explosion Incident Data

• OSHA incident data from 1980-2005, included 256
combustible dust fires and explosions.
• Dangerously underreported
• Reported Fires in 2010 = 133 (All Utility Incidents)
• Coal dust fires/explosions per yr in US Power Plants = 11
• Media Reported Incidents:
– Fires or Explosions in 2008, Media Accounts = 156
– Fires or Explosions in 2009, Media Accounts = 100

For the latest Information:

Visit: The Combustible Dust Forum on LinkedIN
Set Up: Google Alerts for Industrial Incident Info
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CSB Report Dust Incidents, Injuries, Fatalities 1980-2005

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Combustible Dust History

2003 Series of Dust Explosions
2006 CSB Combustible Dust Hazard Study
2007 OSHA issues Combustible Dust NEP
• Deposit thicker than 1/32 infraction
2008 Imperial Sugar Refinery Dust Explosion
2008 OSHA reissues Dust NEP
2008 Congress drafts a Combustible Dust Bill
• Passes in the House of Representatives
2010 OSHA Stakeholders Meetings Held

• CSB Dust Education Video

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The Top 3 Reason Dust Explosions Occur in the Power Industry

Failure to respect potential hazards
• Failure to address near miss warning events “Puffs”
• Failure to maintain safety systems
• Lack of maintenance of production systems
• Lack of housekeeping procedures
• Complacently leads to human error
Lack of proper engineering and design
• Lack of technical expertise
• Failure to comply with NFPA standards
• Lack of documentation, hazard analysis or review on design modifications
Lack of preparedness
• Lack of procedures or training for abnormal operations
• Failure to plan for emergency response
• Failure to prepare community for emergency (FD)
• Younger in-experienced workers, replacing veterans
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Conveyor Protection System Problems

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Housekeeping Methods:
• Wet/Dry Mop or Sweeping: does not provide adequate cleaning
• DO NOT USE Compressed Air Hoses
• DO NOT USE a fire suppression system and equipment for
Housekeeping
– Ages equipment
– Excessive amounts of water
– Emergency Response concerns
• Vacuum:
– Must have appropriate equipment to reach elevated structures
– Must be rated for hazardous environment Class II Group F
• Wash Down: is preferred with Water or an Agent
– Manual Wash Down
• Daily wash-down is beneficial but not totally effective
– Fixed Wash Down Systems
• Reduce labor cost
• Significantly improve housekeeping
– Choosing between these methods often depends on Environment,
Drainage, Water Supply and Staffing available
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Local Fire Department (GET THEM INVOLVED)

• Outside fire departments typically have
little knowledge of PRB coal fires.
• Most are not prepared for dealing with
hazards in power plants.
• If they don’t know about PRB coal
characteristics, they are NOT prepared.
• Unfair to expect them to fight a fire and a
fuel of which they know nothing about
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A Successful Combustible Dust Program

Site-Specific Guidelines to address
– Purpose – Audits Internal/External
– Responsibility – Ignition Sources
– Requirement – Record Keeping
– Emergency Action Plan – Dust Control Equipment
– Scope – Fire Prevention
– Housekeeping – Management of Change
– Preventative Maintenance − Training New Employees

Guidelines should be reviewed during Annual Safety Seminars,

Monthly Safety Meetings and Pre-Shift Safety Meetings
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• Housekeeping
– Unseen Hazards, check elevated and hidden locations regularly
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Take pride in your plant

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Improve Lighting throughout the Coal Handling System and

apply shed plating to all beams.
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Methods for Managing Dust

• Containment (Preferred)
– Straight Skirt Boards
– Sealed Transfer Points
• Suppression
– Water Based Suppression System
– Tackifier Applying System
• Collection
– Dust Collectors System
– Dust Extraction System
• Clean-up
– Housekeeping
• Combinations are most beneficial
– Manage Dust at Point of Source
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Preventative Procedures
• Hazardous Communication Program
– MSDS’s for Coal On-Site
– Health Hazards Communicated
– Employee Rights – How to Access Information
– Training
• Emergency Action Plan
– Fire Prevention Plan
– Drills and Their Frequency
– Emergency Response (Industrial Fire Brigade)
• Ignition Control Programs
– Hot Work Process
– Smoking Policy
– Electrical Practices
Hazard Awareness Tools: Google Alerts
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Summary:
Dust Control Program should be designed to minimize hazards with a
mixture of housekeeping, good maintenance practices and routine
audits to sustain progress

Coal Fires
• Fires and hot spots detected in the coal handling system must be extinguished
• Do not attempt to run through the mill or the conveyor
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Are there any questions?

jclift@hct-world.com