Why Should I Test My Dust

Protecting your people, workplaces, business and the environment from combustible dust explosions and fire depend on the awareness and maintenance of combustible dust and powder hazards. As part of your process, a thorough understanding of how to manage or eliminate these dangers and avoid catastrophe is required.

What is Dust Combustibility (Group A/B)?

This test is conducted to assess whether a dust or powder will form a flammable atmosphere or support flame propagation when dispersed as a dust cloud in air. It’s a purely qualitative test that categorises a material into one of two groups:Combustible (Group A) – Flammable or explosiveNon-Combustible (Group B) – Non-flammable or explosive

What is Minimum Ignition Energy (MIE) Test?

The Minimum Ignition Energy (MIE) test is conducted to determine the lowest spark energy that can ignite a powder when dispersed in the air as a dust cloud. A purely capacitive generated spark is used to assess electrostatic discharges (brush, spark, transitional / propagating brush discharges).

What is the Minimum Ignition Temperature (MIT) Test?

The Minimum Ignition Temperature (MIT) test is conducted to determine the lowest temperature at which a hot surface will ignite a powder when dispersed in air.

What is the Layer Ignition Temperature (LIT) Test?

The Layer Ignition Temperature (LIT) test is conducted to determine the lowest temperature at which a hot surface will ignite a powder when settled as a dust layer.

What is the Explosion Severity Test?

The explosion severity test is conducted to determine the maximum pressure (Pmax), maximum rate of pressure rise (dP/dt)max and the dust constant Kst value of an ignited powder, dispersed in the air, as a dust cloud.

What is the Minimum Explosion Concentration (MEC) Test?

The minimum explosive concentration or lower explosive limit test is conducted to determine the minimum quantity of powder dispersed in the air, as a dust cloud that will form a flammable atmosphere.

What is the Limited Oxygen Concentration (LOC) Test?

The limiting oxygen concentration test is conducted to determine the minimum quantity of oxygen, within an atmosphere, that will enable a powder dispersed in the air to ignite.

What is the Burning Behaviour Test?

The test is conducted to assess the behaviour (severity) of combustion propagation through a material deposit when ignited by an external ignition source. A small powder strip is formed onto a heat resistant, non-porous plate and ignition trials are performed using a hot (1000 °C) platinum wire. The burning behaviour is numerically rated from 1 (material does not ignite) to 6 (supports rapid combustion) in accordance with the test standards characterisation table. The rating is known as “CC” or Combustibility Class and testing is performed at ambient and elevated environmental temperature conditions.

Our Solutions: Testing

Combustible Dust (Explosion & Ignition) Testing from Sigma-HSE

Our UK and Indian laboratories generate flammable & explosive test data for your combustible dusts and powders to aid in characterising, preventing, protecting and mitigating combustible dust explosions and fire hazards.

We undertake the following combustible dust tests:

Dust Combustibility (Group A/B)
Minimum Ignition Energy (MIE)
Minimum Ignition Temperature (MIT)
Layer Ignition Temperature (LIT)
Explosion Severity Test (Pmax/KST) ST Classification
Minimum Explosive Concentration (MEC)
Limiting Oxygen Concentration (LOC)

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Combustible Dust (Explosion & Ignition) Testing from Sigma-HSE

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