Dr. Paul Amyotte
Professor and C.D. Howe Chair in Process Safety
Department of Process Engineering and Applied Science
Dalhousie University

"Dust Explosions: Myths, Realities and Challenges"

Part of the Fall 2018 Graduate Seminar Series

Abstract

While dust explosions  have been the subject of intensive research for centuries, there is still much to learn about their occurrence, prevention and mitigation. From a fundamental perspective, the necessary conditions for a dust explosion are well-expressed by the explosion pentagon: fuel, oxidant, ignition source, mixing of the fuel and oxidant, and confinement of the resulting mixture. It would seem relatively straightforward to then prevent or mitigate a dust explosion by removing one of the sides of the pentagon. The field of dust explosion risk reduction is, however, more complex. This is due, in part, to a collection of erroneous beliefs – or myths – rooted in a lack of knowledge of the realities of combustible dust hazards. The seminar will address the dust explosion problem from this perspective and will highlight some of the current research and industrial challenges. Examples will be drawn from the work of the dust explosion research team at Dalhousie University as well as researchers and practitioners throughout the world. Dust explosions are a global occurrence; their elimination requires concerted efforts internationally.

Biography

Dr. Paul Amyotte, P.Eng. is a Professor of Chemical Engineering in the Department of Process Engineering and Applied Science at Dalhousie University (Halifax, Canada) where he holds the C.D. Howe Chair in Process Safety. He is a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada (Bachelor’s), Queen’s University (Master’s), and the Technical University of Nova Scotia (PhD). Dr. Amyotte has an extensive record of authorship, with four books, six book chapters and over 300 papers published in peer-reviewed journals or presented at national and international conferences. He is the editor of the Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, and a past-president of the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering, Engineers Nova Scotia, and Engineers Canada. He has also served as chair of the Canadian Engineering Qualifications Board, member of the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board, and co-chair of the Materials and Chemical Engineering Evaluation Group of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. He is a recipient of the Cybulski Medal from the Polish Academy of Sciences for significant and sustained contributions to the field of dust explosion research, as well as the Trevor Kletz Merit Award from the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center, and the Process Safety Management Award from the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering.