Handling of Ultra-Fine Powders and Prevention of Dust Explosions

Recent dust explosions at West Pharmaceuticals and CTA Acoustics, both in the US have tragically demonstrated the importance of proper design and operation to dry-end process safety. The trend towards development and manufacture of finer combustible powders in many industries can be expected to increase this risk significantly . This session is seeking submissions related to all aspects of dust explosions from both theoretical and practical perspectives, including key learnings from incident investigations. Papers regarding the reactive hazards associated with preparation and handling of ultra-fine powders, such as self-heating behavior and pyrophoricity, are also welcome including those that address the areas related to electrostatic charging, suppression, inerting, venting and house keeping practices of the unit operations.