Based on recent research, this book gives the essential scientific background needed to judge the electrostatic hazards associated with powder handling, processing, and storage, and to devise appropriate safety measures. The presentation, with minimum mathematical treatment, is such that the book can be used as a guide for practice as well as a text for study.

The subject of this manual is safe practice for avoiding electrostatic discharge hazards in the manufacturing and processing of chemical and plastic powders. It is written with the practicing engineer and plant technician in mind. Practical information to enhance the process safety is provided in straightforward terms. The manual describes the basic phenomena of powder electrostatics, giving special emphasis to polymer powders. The identified types of electrostatic discharges are discussed and explanations of the conditions that favor or inhibit each type are given. A number of industrial incidents where ESD-induced dust ignitions occurred are reviewed, with the authors contributing their own views on causes and preventive measures. The important quantitative measures of electrostatic hazards are identified, along with the methods needed to perform meaningful measurements. Concrete recommendations, based on the authors' experience, are provided in the form of a list of "Do's" and "Don'ts" applicable in the plant environment. Finally, appendices provide a wealth of useful background data plus an informative "Q and A" section covering practical engineering issues. This manual will be extremely useful to chemical plant engineers, operating and maintenance personnel, safety engineers, processing plant engineers, design engineers, and consultants, as well as persons in the chemical, pharmaceutical, plastic, and food handling industries.

In the US, UK and Europe there is in excess of one notifiable dust or electrostatic explosion every day of the year. This clearly makes the hazards associated with the handling of materials subject to either cause or react to electrostatic discharge of vital importance to anyone associated with their handling or industrial bulk use. This book provides a comprehensive guide to the dangers of static electricity and how to avoid them. It will prove invaluable to safety managers and professionals, as well as all personnel involved in the activities concerned, in the chemical, agricultural, pharmaceutical and petrochemical process industries. Electrostatic Hazards makes extended use of case studies to illustrate the principles being expounded, thereby making it far more open, accessible and attractive to the practitioner in industry than the highly theoretical texts which are also available. The authors have many years' experience in the area behind them, including the professional teaching of the content provided here. Günter Lüttgens is a widely acknowledged consultant who travels Europe providing training to major industrial corporations on this subject, whilst Norman Wilson practices what is written here in his professional capacity with the British Textile Technology Group. - Extended use of case studies to illustrate the principles.This makes the book far more open, accessible and attractive to the practitioner in industry than the highly theoretical texts also available - Authors have many years experience in the area - Both authors have been widely published with considerable previous book-writing experience

This book describes how to conduct a Combustible Dust Hazard Analysis (CDHA) for processes handling combustible solids. The book explains how to do a dust hazard analysis by using either an approach based on compliance with existing consensus standards, or by using a risk based approach. Worked examples in the book help the user understand how to do a combustible dust hazards analysis.

Written by Laurence Britton, who has over 20 years' experience in the fields of static ignition and process fire and explosion hazards research, this resource addresses an area not extensively covered in process safety standards or literature: understanding and reducing potential hazards associated with static electricity. The book covers the nature of static electricity, characteristics and effective energies of different static resources, techniques for evaluating static electricity hazards, general bonding, grounding, and other techniques used to control static or prevent ignition, gases and liquids, powders and hybrid mixtures.

Powders and bulk solids, handled widely in the chemical, pharmaceutical, agriculture, smelting, and other industries present unique fire, explosion, and toxicity hazards. Indeed, substances which are practically inert in consolidated form may become quite hazardous when converted to powders and granules. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board is currently investigating dust explosions that occured in 2003 at WestPharma, CTA Acoustics, and Hayes-Lemmerz, and is likely to recommend that companies that handle powders or whose operations produce dust pay more attention to understanding the hazards that may exist at their facility. This new CCPS guidelines book will discuss the types of hazards that can occur in a wide range of process equipment and with a wide range of substances, and will present measures to address these hazards.

Powders and bulk solids, handled widely in the chemical, pharmaceutical, agriculture, smelting, and other industries present unique fire, explosion, and toxicity hazards. Indeed, substances which are practically inert in consolidated form may become quite hazardous when converted to powders and granules. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board is currently investigating dust explosions that occured in 2003 at WestPharma, CTA Acoustics, and Hayes-Lemmerz, and is likely to recommend that companies that handle powders or whose operations produce dust pay more attention to understanding the hazards that may exist at their facility. This new CCPS guidelines book will discuss the types of hazards that can occur in a wide range of process equipment and with a wide range of substances, and will present measures to address these hazards.