Dust explosion occurs when a cloud of burnable dust is ignited, causing an intense release of energy. Such explosions can damage property and kill people.
Explosive dust clouds can be produced by certain industrial operations. Common dusts that explode include those of cereal grains, coal, cocoa, cotton, pigment, sugar, and wood. Even metal dusts can explode.
A dust explosion begins with the ignition of a small group of dust particles in a concentrated dust cloud. These particles ignite nearby particles which, in turn, ignite others. The heat spreads until a fireball engulfs the entire cloud. The burning cloud produces large amounts of energy and expanding gas. If the exploding cloud is in a confined space, such as a silo or other building, pressure builds rapidly, and the explosion can cause great damage.
In the past, explosions of coal dust and grain dust caused more property damage and loss of life than did any other kinds of dust explosions. Today, the coal-mining industry and other industries control dust clouds to reduce explosions.
See also Centralia mine disaster ; Monongah mine explosion .
