Reducing aluminum dust explosion hazards: case study of dust inerting in an aluminum buffing operation

Metal powders or dusts can represent significant dust explosion hazards in industry, due to their relatively low ignition energy and high explosivity. The hazard is well known in industries that produce or use aluminum powders, but is sometimes not recognized by facilities that produce aluminum dust as a byproduct of bulk aluminum processing. As demonstrated by the 2003 dust explosion at aluminum wheel manufacturer Hayes Lemmerz, facilities that process bulk metals are at risk due to dust generated during machining and finishing operations [U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, Investigation Report, Aluminum Dust Explosion Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc., Huntington, Indiana, Report No. 2004-01-I-IN, September 2005]. Previous studies have shown that aluminum dust explosions are more difficult to suppress with flame retardants or inerting agents than dust explosions fueled by other materials such as coal [A.G. Dastidar, P.R. Amyotte, J. Going, K. Chatrathi, Flammability limits of dust-minimum inerting concentrations, Proc. Saf. Progr., 18-1 (1999) 56-63]. In this paper, an inerting method is discussed to reduce the dust explosion hazard of residue created in an aluminum buffing operation as the residue is generated. This technique reduces the dust explosion hazard throughout the buffing process and within the dust collector systems making the process inherently safer. Dust explosion testing results are presented for process dusts produced during trials with varying amounts of flame retardant additives.