How does dust cause explosions?
You may wonder how dust can cause explosions. For a fire to start there must be three elements – oxygen, heat and fuel. A simple spark in a confined area like a building, room, vessel or process equipment where combustible dust particles are dispersed in sufficient quantity and concentration can lead to rapid combustion. “These five factors (oxygen, heat, fuel, dispersion, and confinement) are known as the “Dust Explosion Pentagon”. If one element of the pentagon is missing, an explosion cannot occur.” – OSHA Fact Sheet, March, 2008.
