Flammability and explosion characteristics of hardwood dust

Abstract

Wood dust consists of the fine particles of wood that are produced when wood is processed. It is considered explosive, especially if it produces a dust cloud. Initiating the combustion process inside the dust–air cloud spreads this process throughout the entire volume. In this article, experiment was carried out to study the influence of type of hardwood on combustion parameters. An experimental investigation was carried out to determine the evolution of the ignition sensitivity, fire behaviour and explosion characteristics of three types of hardwood dust. To determine dust behaviour under fire conditions, a cone calorimeter was used. Explosion characteristics were tested with the use of a 20 L spherical vessel and minimum ignition energy tested on MINOR II Apparatus, which is a modified Hartmann’s Tube. Studies have shown a large effect of particle size on explosion parameters, while for flammability parameters the effect is not so noticeable.