Why dust is a fire hazard
Dust is one of the most underestimated fire risks in barns. In the worst case, it can even cause an explosion. Dust particles from livestock feed such as hay and grain can ignite very easily from a spark. In addition, due to its large surface area it burns very fast.
What are the common dust fire triggers to look out for?
1. Static electricity:
Static electricity is the most tricky factor to manage when it comes to dust control. Static electricity builds up when materials rub together or when they are quickly separated. In the barn there are many activities and materials which can cause the builup of static electricity such as plastic buckets or feeding systems, friction from synthetic clothing, footwear or horse blankets as well as rubber tires on machinery. Static electricity also tends to be worse during winter-time due to the dry air.
2. Heating lamps:
Fire ignition due to heating lamps is the most common reason of barn fires. Heating lamps can be necessary during winter-time but they present a real liability as they can ignite dust, cobwebs or straw on contact.
3. Sparks from wiring or machinery
Even tiny sparks can be the cause of a complete barn fire. Sparks can be generated from old and damaged cables or overloaded circuits and ignite dust or other particles. Rodents chewing on the insulation is also a common cause.
4. Feed and bedding handling
Feed and bedding may seem like innocent necessities in a barn, but they need to be handled with care. Feed and bedding like straw is very flammable. It produces a fine dust which easily ignites and is often kept in large quantities which means that the fire can spread easily.
Humidification and Dust Suppression with our Fog-based systems
Preventing barn fire with dust suppression is a two-step process consisting of reducing the number of dust particles and neutralizing the remaining particles. Neutralization is achieved through humidification and dust suppression through spraying.
- Humidification: Dust sticks to an object due to its micro-structure, the viscosity or by an electrostatic charge. By controlling the relative humidity, the conductivity of the air is increased preventing dust from sticking to an object due to an electrostatic charge.
- Spraying: Airborne dust is impossible to avoid, even when using over-pressure. By spraying a non-wetting water droplet that is the same size as the dust particles, we can suppress the dust particles and avoid these particles from reaching specified objects.
Dust suppression spraying equipment
Our semi-dry fog nozzles can increase humidity and suppress dust without wetting the barn, livestock or machinery. The small droplets will capture the dust particles in the barn and bring them to the ground. This is a cost-efficient solution which does not require compressed air.
System used for this application
KBN spray nozzle
KBN pneumatic spray nozzle is ideal for dust suppression due to its ultra-fine atomization
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