Ever since the wood industry began, fire in the mill has been an underlying danger. Spontaneous combustion of wood chips, wood dust fires and explosions, are events that can wreak havoc and result in major damage and costs. In the worst cases, they take the lives of workers. 

Mills have extensive and sophisticated systems to catch and extinguish sparks which could initiate a fire or explosion. Prevention is the right solution, certainly, but what if the unthinkable happens?

In 2008, after a catastrophic dust explosion in a Georgia sugar factory, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill requiring the Occupational Safety and Hazards Administration (OSHA) to set standards for regulating combustible dusts. 

In response, the American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA) is holding a dust awareness, prevention and mitigation workshop in Atlanta on October 23. Clearly, it’s an important concern for the industry.

Powder-Solutions steps up 

All this has been carefully observed by Marv Deam, CEO of Powder-Solutions Inc., and he thinks his company has a worthwhile product to offer the wood industry. Initially designed for food and pharmaceutical production facilities to stop powder leakage from ductwork, the BFM™ Fitting has been available from Powder-Solutions since the beginning of 2007. 

“Our preliminary focus was on sanitation for our core customers,” says Marv Deam, “but we see now there are applications in other industries, such as wood, from a safety standpoint.”

The BFM™ Fitting replaces standard hose clamps and flexible sleeves that fit over the hose with a design that has an integral top and bottom snap-on band and two matched spigots installed inside the hose. The flexible sleeve fits neatly and tightly inside the joint.

“What most folks are using now is the old style hose clamp, worm gear clamp or band clamp,” says Deam. “They can be difficult to fit and awkward to install. Different size ductwork makes for joints where the sleeve bunches up and powder leaks out. There’s a pinch point that causes premature wear and can give way under pressure. The BFM™ Fitting seals on the inside, contains dust better and has no wear points.”

To install the BFM™ Fitting, a formed collar gets welded onto the pipe work and a molded sleeve is snapped inside the collar. Once installed, the BFM™ Fitting’s flexible connector system is extremely resistant to overpressure situations - even an explosion. 

“The BFM™ Fitting has been tested by an independent test lab in controlled explosion situations, and we’ve seen that it bulges from the sudden pressure rise but it doesn’t rupture,” explains Deam. “Since it fits inside the pipe, the internal pressure from the explosion actually makes it seal tighter. It’s often the secondary explosion outside the pipe work that causes the real damage. The old style flex sleeve can fail from the initial rapid pressure rise, allowing the trailing fireball to release into the plant. Explosion detection, suppression or venting system may be less effective if this occurs.”

Invented in New Zealand for the dairy industry by a company that makes snap-in filter bags, the BFM™ Fitting comes in several materials, including transparent Seeflex polyurethane with outer Kevlar for increased explosion protection. The spigots are available in stainless or carbon steel and available diameters range from 4 inches to 36 inches. 

Installation of the initial fitting takes about 30 minutes and requires some prep work but, says Deam, can easily be done during scheduled plant maintenance.

“The fittings are also extremely durable and resistant to abrasion,” Deam adds. “An installation in a sugar plant has outlasted traditional materials like rubber, neoprene, etc. Other benefits of the fitting are the elimination of airborne dust and the necessity for workers to spend time on a ladder replacing and tightening traditional sleeves.” 

To see how the BFM™ Fitting performs in an explosion, go to the company’s website