(134a) Metal Powder and Nanoparticles:  Combustible Dust Safety Challenges?

In recent years, production processes have changed in many key industry sectors—food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic—as well as in metal pigments production. Nano particles are needed to more easily incorporate a given substance into production media to achieve properties previously unrealizable.

Whereas, in the past, extremely fine particles generated in production were removed by wet (dust collection) processes, increasing cost and environmental concerns resulted in a demand for collecting and handling very fine materials in dry processes, generating challenges in handling high risk, combustible compounds. Dust clouds with hazardous particle concentrations can form and remain for extended periods of time due to reduced sedimentation velocities.

Among the risks/challenges:

1. High ignition risks

2. High energy content risks

3. Smoldering risks

As a rule of thumb, the smaller the particulate of a material, the higher the combustion risk will be. This article will provide an overview of the correctness of such assumptions as well as provide some solutions for safely preventing or mitigating explosion risks when handling combustible nano particulates.