Document Nenr6qkbj9N19zap4MN1jNxLQ

222 Twenty-first Congress--National Safety Council D. M. Clark. Society of Grain Elevator Superintendents oi North America, Chicago. Moaiuf Cohen. Schulze Baking Company. Kansas City. Mo. Will Coo?ea, Executive Offices. Stevens Hotel, Chicago. Aixxaxiier Dienst. The National Sugar Refining Co., Lang Island City, X. V. Pal*l Qjodnovcii, The Quaker Oats Company. Chicago. . W. Green. Oahu Sugar Company. LtL Waipahu. Oahu. T. H. C. E. Gbiitin*. The Axton-Fisher Tolocco Co,, Louisville, Ky. Elmer Hhmbach. Manager. Hotel Allen, Allentown, Pa. S. B. Hogam. Tlte Carey Sah Co, Hutchinson. Kan. Robert McDaue. Atlantic Sugar Refineries. Ltd, St. John. X. B, Canada. AtMu.ru Pfeefeb, Adoljih Pfeffer Rice Milling Co., Houston. Texas. G. L. Riivs. John Morrell & Co, Ottumwa. Iowa. William A, Suluvax. Loose-Wiles Biscuit Co, Kansas City. Mo. Vtttx I). Sctton. Postuni Comjianv. Inc, Battle Creek. Mich. C. W. Turning. James H. Harper Co, Duluth, Minn. R. W. Upshaw, Anheuser-Busch. Inc, St Louis, Mo. Earl Whitelock, Washburn Crosby Co. Inc, Buffalo. X. V. Charles F. WjfjiR-5. The 5<mtltem Cotton Oil Co, Savannah. Ga. TUESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 4, 1932 This session ui tlur Food Seciiun was held at the Dejiartment oi Agriculture Ex periment Station. Arlington. Ya. Here a series of dust explosion tests was carried out before the delegates, demonstrating the force of certain kinds of dusts when exploded under various conditions. The fundamental idea in presenting these test explosions was to demonstrate the relative dissipation of the force of the explosions by means of openings and other escape rents in the explosion diamber. The tests were conducted under the supervision of David J. Price. U. S. Department of Agri culture. who pave a detailed explanation oi each as it was jiretiared and look place. Descriptive Statements of Dust Explosion Tests at Arlington Farm Testing Station By DAVID J. PRICE Principal Engineer in Charge, Chemical Engineering Division, Bureau of Chemistry and Soils, U. S. Dept, of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. In the work on dust explosions and resnlting fires in industrial plants, the Chemi cal Engineering Division of the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils has obtained records of 560 explosions of this character. In 184 of these explosions 434 persons were killed and 666 injured. In 449 cases tlte property loss amounted to approximately $46,000,000. The dust explosion hazard exists in ataut .26,000 industrial establish ments employing approximately 1.325,000 iiersons and manufacturing products of an annual value of more than ten billions of dollars. The Dqiartmcm of Agriculture has given special attention to the development of safety codes tor dust explosion prevention iu grain handling and manufacturing establishments. The Dust Explosion Hazards Committee of the National Fire Pro tection Association has been under the leadership of the Chemical Engineering Divi sion of the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils since its origin. This committee is com{ioj*d of rqircsrr.tativr* from tlir industries directly concerned, insurance and safety Food Section 223 organizations, state and federal officials and construction and equipment engineers. The Dust Explosion Hazards Committee has prepared the following nine safety codes: O) Flonr and Feed Mills; (2) Sugar and Cocoa Pulverizing Systems: (3) Terminal Grain Elevators: (41 Pulverized Fuel Insulations; (5> Starch Fac tories; (6) Spice Grinding Plants; (7) Coal Pneumatic Clranhig Plants; (6) Wood Flour Manufacturing Establishments: and (9) Inert Gas for Explosion and Fire Prevention. These safety codes provide a practical means of translating into actual plain |irac- tice the results of research work such as you will sec here today. They have been adopted by the National Fire Protection Association ami the National Board of Fire Underwriters and have been approved as American standards by the American Standards Association. These codes have been published by the Bureau of Lalmr, Statistics of the U. S. Department of Labor as Bulletin No. 562, entitled HSafety Codes for the Prevention of Dust Explosions." It is gratifying to safety engineers to otaerve (hat the losses of life and property in the grain handling industries as the result of dust explosions have decreased in the ten year period 1921-1931. The average loss per explosion has gradually de creased from approximately $520,000 in J92J to about $28,000 in 1931. (The records indicate that there were thirty-nine dust explosions in industrial plants in 1931. On the basis of the reduction in loss of $500,000 per explosion, this would mean a saving of $19,500,000 in 1931 in projicrtv values without any reference to the saving of human life). The vearlv losses have dropped from $4,160,000 in 1921 to $1,100,700 in 1931. The reduction in losses from dust explosions in the grain handling and associated industries has been due in a very large degree to the splendid conjuration which the Department oi Agriculture has enjoyed with all the agencies directly concerned, and with national organizations such as the National Fire Protection Association, Na tional Safety Council. National Fire Waste Council, National Board of Fire Under writers. and other similar associations and organizations engaged in exjilosian and fire prevention. The structure in which the dust explosion* are produced consists of a room, gal lery. and tower. The room. 4x5x5 feet, has a volume of 100 cubic feet. The gallery. 2l/3 x 2l/3 x 20 feet, has a volume of 125 culric feet. The tower. 3 x 3 x 12 feel, has a volume of 108 culnc feet. Total volume is 333 cubic feet. Veins on the room consist of hinged metal doors and pivoted sash. The metal doors range in size from 0.1 square feet to 1.55 square feet and the sash contains approximately 7 square feet oi glass. The gallery has 8 roof vents, each one square foot in * area covered by hinged doors. There are also 8 fixed glass windows with an area of U square feet each. The opening into the tower, which is the full size of the gallery, nay be closed when the gallery is used as a unit. The tower contains one swinging |tanel about 7 square feet in area. 3 hinged doors, each 135 square feet in area, and adjustable vents on top ranging from 0.1 sqyare feet to 275 square feet, and 4 fixed glass windows with an area of 1.7 square feet each. In these tests, grain elevator dusts, soap powder, starch dust, milk powder, baking powder, sugar dust, wood charcoal dust, wood dust, and cork dust were used. In order to produce each explosion it is necessary tn have dust in suspension in air and a source of ignition. The dust cloud is produced when a jet of air strikes the dust in the cups and throws it into suspension. The dust cloud is ignited by an elec trically heated coil. Some of the most disastrous dust explosions, said Dr. Price, have occurred in terminal grain elevators in connection with grain handling and storage operations. The first test, an explosion of gram elevator dust in the entire structure, will show the possibility of venting an explosion without damage. In this test approximately