Marginally explosible dusts: hazard identification and risk reduction

粉尘爆炸是一种持续发生的工业事件，它不断对人员造成伤害，对设备和建筑物造成破坏，并因过程停机和随后的业务活动中断而造成经济损失。采取适当措施防止粉尘爆炸的发生，并保护工人和设施免受此类事件的影响，在道德、法律和财务方面都有强有力的理由。本提案所述的项目旨在帮助确保加拿大和全世界的工业企业在处理可燃颗粒材料方面更安全地运作。**将对一类被称为边际易爆粉尘的可燃粉尘进行研究。在设计粉尘爆炸预防和缓解措施时，这些材料构成了独特的挑战；虽然它们在实验室规模的测试中似乎会爆炸，但在工业规模的设施中，它们的爆炸特性却不太确定。对这种不确定度的全面研究只有通过使用标准实验室规模的设备和专门的大型测试室进行同步测试才能实现。**已经组建了一支高技能的跨学科团队来开展这项对加拿大人安全至关重要的合作研究和开发项目。达尔豪斯大学的研究人员将与来自工业界和政府研究机构的国内和国际合作伙伴合作，提供高质量和及时的研究成果。由于三个支持组织（Fauske & Associates、Professional Loss Control和Fike）的支持，加拿大工业界对拟议的项目做出了强有力的承诺，他们提供了资金、专业知识和关键人员的时间，并获得了其他不可用的测试设备。因此，一批高素质的人员将接受与加拿大工业、学术界和政府工作人员有关的技能培训。拟议的研究对加拿大最重要的好处将是保护其公民免受工业粉尘爆炸的威胁。****

Dust explosions are a persistent industrial occurrence that continue to cause harm to people, damage to equipment and buildings, and economic loss from process downtime and the subsequent interruption in business activities. There are strong moral, legal and financial arguments for taking appropriate steps to prevent dust explosions from happening and to protect workers and facilities from the consequences of such events. The project described in this proposal is aimed at helping to ensure safer operation of industrial enterprises in Canada and worldwide with respect to the processing of combustible particulate materials.**Research will be conducted on a specific class of combustible dust known as marginally explosible dusts. These materials pose a unique challenge when designing dust explosion prevention and mitigation measures; while they appear to explode during laboratory-scale tests, their explosion characteristics in industrial-size facilities are less certain. Comprehensive investigation of this uncertainty is only possible by means of concurrent testing using standard laboratory-scale equipment and specialized larger-scale test chambers.**A highly skilled, interdisciplinary team has been assembled to work on this collaborative research and development project of importance to the safety of Canadians. Research personnel at Dalhousie University will work with national and international partners drawn from industry and a government research institute in delivering quality and timely research results. Strong commitment from Canadian industry has been demonstrated for the proposed project by virtue of the three supporting organizations (Fauske & Associates, Professional Loss Control and Fike), which are contributing funding, expertise and time of key personnel, and access to otherwise unavailable test facilities. A body of highly qualified personnel will therefore be trained in skills relevant to the Canadian workforce in industry, academia and government. The most important benefit to Canada of the proposed research will be the protection of its citizens from the life-threatening effects of industrial dust explosions.****