Testing of dust clouds for the electrostatic-spark ignition hazard in industry. Need for a modified approach?

Current standard test methods for electric-spark minimum ignition energies (MIEs) of dust clouds in air require that a series inductance of at least 1–2 mH be included in the electric-spark discharge circuit. The reason is to prolong the spark discharge duration and thus minimize the spark energy required for ignition. However, when assessing the minimum electrostatic energy ½CU² for dust cloud ignition by accidental electrostatic-spark discharges, current testing standards require that the series inductance of at least 1–2 mH be removed from the spark discharge circuit. No other changes of apparatus and test procedure are required. The present paper questions whether this simple approach is always adequate. The reason is that in practice in industry accidental electrostatic-spark discharge circuits may contain large ohmic resistances due to corrosion, poor electrical grounding connections, poorly electrically conducting construction materials etc. The result is increased spark discharge durations and reduced mechanical disturbance of the dust cloud by the blast wave emitted by the spark. Therefore, testing for minimum ½CU² for ignition by accidental electrostatic spark discharges may not only require removal of the series inductance of 1–2 mH from the standard MIE spark discharge circuit. Additional tests may be needed with one or more quite large series resistances R_s inserted into the spark discharge circuit. The present paper proposes a modified standard test procedure for measurement of the minimum electrostatic-spark ignition energy of dust clouds that accounts for these effects.     

Measurement of minimum ignition energies (MIEs) of dust clouds – History,present, future

Nearly 130 years ago Holtzwart and von Meyer (1891) demonstrated by experiments that explosible dust clouds could be ignited by inductive electric sparks. Then more than half a century passed before the publication of the important quantitative research of Boyle and Llewellyn (1950) and Line et al. (1959). They worked with capacitive electric sparks and found that the minimum capacitor energies ½CU² required for ignition of various dust clouds in air decreased substantially when a large series resistance, in the range 10⁴–10⁷ Ω, was introduced in the discharge circuit. When considering that the net energies of the sparks themselves were only of the order of 10% of the ½CU² discharged, the minimum net spark energies required for ignition with a large series resistance were only a few per cent of the net energies required without such a resistance.Line et al. observed that the essential effect of increasing the series resistance, and hence increasing the discharge time of the sparks, was to reduce the disturbance of the dust cloud by the blast wave from the spark. This phenomenon was explored further by Eckhoff (1970, 2017), and subsequently by some simple experiments by Eckhoff and Enstad (1976). Franke (1974, 1977) and Laar (1980) confirmed the additional finding of Line et al. (1959) that the minimum ½CU² for ignition is also substantially reduced by including a series inductance in the discharge circuit, rather than a series resistance. The basic reason is the same as with a large series resistance, viz. increased spark discharge time and hence decreased disturbance of the dust cloud by blast wave from the spark. For this reason inclusion of an appreciable series inductance in the spark discharge circuit is an essential element in current standard MIE test methods.In experiments with spark ignition of transient dust clouds produced by a blast of air in a closed vessel, it is necessary to synchronize the occurrence of the spark with the formation of the dust cloud. The precision required from this type of synchronization is typically of the order of 10 ms, which can be obtained even by mechanical arrangements, such as rapid change of spark gap length, or of the distance between two capacitor plates. The present paper reviews some methods that have been/are being used for achieving adequate synchronization of dust cloud appearance and spark discharge. Some current standard experimental methods for determining MIEs of dust clouds experimentally have also been reviewed. The same applies to some theories of electric-spark ignition of dust clouds.At the end of paper some suggestions for possible future modifications of current standard methods for measuring MIEs of explosible dust clouds are presented. With regard to justifying significant modifications of existing standard methods, the “bottom line” is, as quite often in many connections, that any modifications should be based on realistic cost/benefit evaluations.     

The WWDU (Work With Display Units) Conference as a Platform for Occupational Health and Safety in the Past—And as a WWCS (Work With Computer Systems) Conference in the Future

The real burden of occupational diseases, specifically work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), and its impact on workers’ productivity is not known. The situation is critical in developing countries where only cases that cause workers’ disability are recorded. In this study, the incidence of MSDs in Colombia was estimated by using the age and gender specific double incidence rate of repetitive strain injuries diseases in Finland for 2002. The results showed that the estimated number of MSDs recorded in Colombia during 2005 was 23,477 cases at the rate of 11.6 cases per 10,000 workers. The estimated total cost of these MSD cases relative to workers’ productivity was US $171.7 million, representing around 0.2% of Colombia’s Gross Domestic Product for 2005. The systematic appraisal of the incidence of MSDs and their associated cost on workers’ productivity are necessary in developing countries to reduce the costly impact on productivity and to increase workers’ well-being.