Mitigating Explosive Risks in Flour and Sugar Mills

  

Although they are staple ingredients in the kitchen, flour and sugar are highly combustible materials when in dust form. An explosion could occur when a spark, flame, or other ignition sources ignite a cloud of flour or sugar particles present in confined processing environments, such as flour or sugar mills. Industry data shows in the past 35 years, over 500 explosion incidents have been reported in flour mills across the U.S., resulting in over 180 deaths and 675 injuries. Aegex Technologies can help companies operating in food production environments detect and monitor the levels of explosive hazards in their facilities in real time, which is an effective way to prevent processing environments from becoming explosive atmospheres. Let's now discuss factors contributing to explosion risks and how to minimize the risks.

How Explosions in Sugar and Flour Processing Environments Occur

Sugar and flour dust are more explosive than gunpowder and 35 times more combustible than coal dust. In flour and sugar processing facilities, grain handling in large quantities gives rise to clouds of dust in the open air. The hanging dust combines with other components, including oxygen, resulting in highly combustible dust that could explode with the slightest ignition. Unfortunately, several ignition sources are at play in flour and sugar mills, including rubbing pulleys, static electricity, and sparks from friction. Experts reveal it only takes 1 or 2 grams of dust per cubic foot of air to ignite the mixture. When ignited, dust tends to burn quickly, causing other particulates near it to catch fire as well, ultimately resulting in explosive flames that flash across the entire facility, which could lead to severe injuries, damages, and even deaths.

Ways to Mitigate Explosive Risks in Sugar and Flour Mills

An integral factor in preventing explosive risks in food processing plants is to stop the accumulation of dust in different areas of the mills. Operators should also undertake preventive maintenance of their grain handling and processing equipment to eliminate dust buildup and prevent sparks from malfunctioning parts. Here are some ways to mitigate explosive risks in the sugar and flour mill industry.

Real-Time Detection and Monitoring

Real-time detection and monitoring of dust particles are crucial in preventing the risks of explosions in flour and sugar mills. This provides an early warning of potentially hazardous conditions, allowing mill operators to take immediate corrective actions before the dust concentration reaches dangerous levels. Allowing operators and supervisors to set up the system remotely to monitor dust concentration levels and trigger alarms or automated shutdowns when the levels exceed predefined thresholds is important.

Using Intrinsically Safe Equipment

As mentioned earlier, sparks in hazardous milling environments can cause explosions. Using intrinsically safe equipment can boost efforts to reduce explosion risks in industrial environments. Intrinsically safe devices, such as the Aegex 100M Intrinsically Safe Tablet, can help prevent the ignition of flammable substances by eliminating potential ignition sources within the device itself. Compared to other devices, Aegex 100M tablets can withstand the harsh conditions often found in industrial environments, including flour milling. They feature hard-anodized aluminum casings that resist physical impacts, vibration, and other environmental factors, reducing the likelihood of device malfunction that could lead to a spark. Future certifications of the tablet will address dust groups, ensuring compliance with the relevant safety standards for hazardous dust environments.

Preventive Maintenance

Regular maintenance is crucial in preventing explosions in flour and sugar processing facilities. Operators should ensure they regularly inspect all equipment and service it to ensure it functions optimally and doesn't generate excessive heat or friction that could give rise to sparks. They must also inspect and maintain equipment, such as elevators, conveyor buckets, and mixers. They also need to maintain and lubricate bearings and seals. Aegex devices have sensors that can capture equipment performance, temperature, pressure, vibration, and more data. These devices use IoT integrations to transmit real-time data to a centralized system for analysis. By comparing real-time data with historical performance data, operators can easily predict when equipment is likely to fail or require maintenance. This predictive maintenance approach helps organizations minimize explosion risks and avoid unscheduled downtime.

Education and Training of Employees

Employees should have full training in proper safety procedures to prevent explosions in their work areas. Regular training equips workers with insights to identify potential hazards, mitigate risks, and prevent dust explosions from occurring. Proper training is also an effective way to ensure employees know how to operate milling and processing equipment correctly. They should receive education about the equipment's safety features, emergency shutdown procedures, and the importance of regular maintenance to prevent equipment malfunctions that could lead to explosions.

Leverage Aegex's Intrinsically Safe Tools to Minimize Risks of Explosion

Dust explosions in grain and flour milling plants are not unheard of in the U.S. Whenever these incidences occur, the country has to grapple with severe injuries, damage, and worker casualties. The explosions typically occur when fine particles of a flammable substance, such as flour and sugar dust, suspend in the air and come into contact with an ignition source. Aegex Technologies provides intrinsically safe solutions for industries that operate in potentially hazardous environments, including the flour and sugar milling industry. Our intrinsically safe tools can help industry players detect and monitor the accumulation of dust particles in their environment and take immediate corrective actions before the concentration reaches explosive levels. Contact us today to schedule a free demo.