Fire and explosion of nanopowders

Jacques Bouillard (1)

1 INERIS - Institut National de l'Environnement Industriel et des Risques

This chapter explores the explosion characteristics of nanopowders. Combustible nanopowders have a high likelihood of explosion because of their high specific surface and low threshold limits of ignition energy conditions (high sensitivity) compared to their microscaled counterparts. It is shown that the explosion severity of combustible nanopowders is governed by their primary particle size and tendency to agglomerate/coagulate, which significantly differs from the behavior of micropowders. To begin with, the description of explosion (deflagration, detonation) is reviewed as well as classical safety parameters (Pmax, (dP/dt)max, Kst, MEC, MIE) which are shown to be particle size-dependent. Then proposed means of prevention and protection measures against explosion are discussed and adapted for nanopowders. In the end, in light of current EU and international research programs, conclusions are outlined for future research work.

Mots clés: AGGLOMERATION; DEFLAGRATION; DETONATION; EXPLOSION; EXPLOSION SEVERITY; FIRE; FLAME VELOCITY; NANOPARTICLES

Domaines: Ingénierie de l'environnement

Jacques Bouillard. Fire and explosion of nanopowders. DOLEZ, Patricia. Nanoengineering : Global Approaches to Health and Safety Issues, Elsevier, pp.111-148, 2015, 9780124166042. ⟨10.1016/B978-0-444-62747-6.00005-1⟩. ⟨ineris-01855076⟩