Tantalum dust deflagration in a bag filter dust-collecting device

An accidental tantalum powder deflagration with casualties occurred during the operation of a bag filter dust-collecting device. To understand the mechanism of the incident and its material hazards, experiments for determining the combustibility and ignition characteristics of the tantalum powder were performed, The magnitude of the tantalum dust explosion is classified as severe (K-st = 273), contrary to the classification found in the preceding literature. The minimum ignition energies for both a dust cloud and a dust layer of the tantalum powder were also found to be Far lower than previous values. Judging from the observation of the surface with an SEM, the coral-like structure of each particle of the tantalum powder can enhance its fire and explosion hazards and affect its sensitivity to electrostatic sparks by increasing in particle surface area. A thin, non-conductive oxide layer of the tantalum powder surface has a high resistivity and generates electrostatic charge when rubbed with conductive materials like the wall of the collecting device. The authors conclude that the possible cause of the ignition was electrostatic discharge resulting from charging electrostatically. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.