Aluminum dust explodes..........

During numerous operations in our industry aluminum fines may be generated. Most commonly by activities such as casting, grinding, sawing, cutting, sanding, etc. At least some of the fines generated will be small enough in diameter to be potentially explosible. The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog has a story where aluminium fines ignited in a collection system. Here is the story:

Hillsboro, Oregon (in the USA)  contained a fire one day during the week of March, 16, 2014 at DeMarini Sports, which makes softball and baseball bats. The business has a system in which aluminum dust from the manufacturing process is stored in a container outside the building, said a Hillsboro Fire spokesman. The dust is supposed to cool in the container, but somehow became too hot and ignited.

An explosion occurred, the Hillsboro Fire spokesman said, but the business had safety features in place that prohibited the explosion from going back into the building. Smoke made its way into the structure, he said, but no fire. Fire crews evacuated employees. No one was injured.

Firefighters, the Hillsboro Fire spokesman said, are ventilating the building. They used a fire extinguisher that works for metal fires, he said. Four fire engines, one ladder truck and two chiefs responded to the 9:40 a.m. call, a Hillsboro Fire spokesman said. Fire investigators are looking for the cause.

For educational purposes here is a short video of a few grams of aluminium fines igniting. 

The APSB would like to commend DeMarini Sports for having installed safety features in the ductwork that prevented the explosion from going back into building.

It is recommended that when an incident arises plant personnel should be evacuated prior to the arrival of  the local fire department. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has useful information on evacuation plans and procedures which can be viewed here. In addition OSHA has a document titled How to Plan for Workplace Emergencies and Evacuations, which can be downloaded here.

The North American Die Casting Association (NADCA) has a great Powerpoint presentation titled: The Preventing Dust Explosions and Fires in the Die Casting Industry. This presentation is useful for any plant that generates aluminium fines. The presentation can be downloaded here.

 

The Aluminum Association has a great document titled: Guidelines for Handling Aluminum Fines Generated During Various Aluminum Fabricating Operations. It can be viewed here.

The Aluminium Times Magazine had an column about aluminium fine safety last year shown below. 

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