Book Illustrates Dust Explosion Data

There is a new book out entitled, "Guidelines for Safe Handling of Powders and Bulk Solids", by Stanley S. Grossel, and Robert G. Zalosh, AIChE, 2005. The authors have compiled the most comprehensive summary of loss data that is currently available. They drew from sources worldwide which are carefully cited in the book. Here are some of the highlights:

Dust explosions by material type:
1. Wood/Paper
2. Coal
3. Metals
4. Plastics
5. Food/Grain
6. Pharmaceuticals/Organic
7. Other/Unknown


Equipment involved in dust explosions:
1. Dust Collectors
2. Grinders/Pulverizers
3. Silos/Bunkers
4. Conveying System
5. Dryer/Oven
6. Mixer/Blender
7. Other or Unknown


Fires after dust explosion?
1. Yes – 70.3% of the time
2. No – 25.2 % of the time
3. Unknown – 4.5% of the time


Injuries and fatalities:
1. 103 fatalities and 492 injuries occurred in 357 dust explosions in Germany
2. 100 injuries and 5 fatalities in 140 dust explosions in the UK from 1988 – 1993
3. 827 injuries and 30 fatalities in 1273 dust explosions in a more recent UK study
4. 16 fatalities and 147 injuries in 122 grain dust explosions in the US in 2001


The book illustrates these statistics with case histories of actual events to demonstrate how dust explosions can occur and what the consequences can be. It is perhaps the best source of this type of information that has ever been compiled in one place. Beyond just statistics, the book breaks the subject of dust explosions down in a logical, straight-forward manner. The first half of the book covers particulate materials, their characteristics, hazard scenarios, and actual case studies. The second half of the book covers equipment, processes, operation and maintenance, and personnel issues related to this risk. There is a wealth of supplemental material to further elucidate the subject in appendices, a glossary, and an index. This book is available from Amazon and it should become a part of the library of every person interested in and working in the dust explosion field.

CV Technology specializes in the prevention and elimination of explosion hazards in all industries which process powders and dry bulk materials, using revolutionary and completely unique dust explosion prevention and mitigation technologies.

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