APPENDIX X
Fire Risk and Dust Explosion Assessments
APPENDIX W
G3 Terminal Vancouver
Port Metro Vancouver Project Permit Application
FIRE AND DUST ASSESSMENT
As part of the building code review, G3 has prepared the following documents:
Fire Protection Matrix as a summary of the requirements for the relevant structures and areas.
Fire Protection System Description
Dust Hazard Analysis
The documents provided are in their draft format, and will be revised with feedback from City of North
Vancouver emergency response crews, as well as feedback from the Port of Metro Vancouver.
Rail Receiving Tunnel
Rail Receiving Building
Transfer Tower
Scale Tower
Storage Silo Annexes
Cleaning Building
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Building Explosion Venting
Manual Valves from Dry Pipe from FDC's
Manual Valves from Fire Pumps in the Cleaning Building to Manual Deluge System
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Maintenance Building
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Dust Filters, Cleaning Building
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Dust Filters, Rail Receiving
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Pellet Cooler
Pellet Cyclone
Bucket Elevators
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NA
NA
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Duct work, Pelleting
Duct work, Dust Collection
Manual activated water deluge system
Chemical Explosion Isolation
Passive, Mechanical Explosion Isolation
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Administration Building
Server Room(s)
Smoke Detection and Alarm
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Ship Loading Towers
Control Room
Heat Detection and Alarm
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Pelleting and Pelleted Product Loadout
PDC's & MCC's
Wet Sprinker System
Dry, Pre‐Action Sprinkler System
International Shore Connection
Dry Standpipe w/ FDC
Non‐Sprinkled
Fire Protection Matrix
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
Fire Protection System Description for G3 Terminal Vancouver Vancouver, BC, G3 Limited Partnership 1. Project Summary G3 Terminal Vancouver is undertaking a major project with T. E. Ibberson Company/Kiewit as the design and construction firm to build a state of the art rail receiving and export terminal grain elevator facility at the Vancouver port. The state of the art design is very similar to the facility constructed in Longview, Washington in 2013 by Bunge and EGT. Since the 1980’s, the standards of the industry have moved towards minimization of bucket elevators, implementation of inclined belt conveyors and enclosed conveyors where appropriate and/or feasible. Fire systems, alarm systems, and hazard monitoring systems on the site will comply with OSHA and NFPA grain handling standards. The Longview design has been proven for more than 2 years with successful operation. The facility will receive all grain products by rail and send them out by ship, but will ship out pelleted dust materials and grain by‐products via trucks to local markets. There is a rail receiving pit as well as tunnels for trucks and personnel vehicles, but the number of these items is minimized to the maximum extent possible. The number of operations personnel required is minimized due to extended automation of the facility; only 10‐12 operators will be required for performing inspections, maintenance, adjustments, and operations. This is an important factor in regards to personnel protection from fire and explosion hazards associated with older manually operated grain receiving, storage, and shipping facilities. The design for safety approach incorporates PLC operation which will have extensive hazard monitoring features and operations (including bearing temperature monitoring, equipment alignment detection, plug switches, etc.). 2. Legislation, Standards, and Guidance 2.1. Legislation and Standards 2.1.1. CSA ‐ Canadian Standards Association 2.1.2. CSA A23.3 – Design of Concrete Structures 2.1.3. CSA S16 – Design of Steel Structures 2.1.4. CSA 22.1 – Canadian Electrical Code 2012 2.1.5. CCOHS Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety 2.1.6. NFC – 2010 National Fire Code of Canada 2.1.7. 2012 BC Fire Code 2.1.8. BC Electrical code 2.1.9. UPC – Uniform Plumbing Code 2.2. Guidance 2.2.1. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 10, “Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers” 2.2.2. NFPA 13, “Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems” 2.2.3. NFPA 14, “Standard for the Installation of Standpipe and Hose Systems” 2.2.4.NFPA 15, “Standard for Water Spray Fixed Systems for Fire Protection” 2.2.5. NFPA 20, “Standard for the Installation of Stationary Pumps for Fire Protection” Westgate Export Grain Terminal TEI Project No.20014657 FPSD‐1 F.P. System Desc./A/Issued for Review 2.2.6. NFPA 24, “Standard for the Installation of Private Fire Service Mains and Their Appurtenances” 2.2.7. NFPA 61, “Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions in Agricultural and Food Processing Facilities” 2.2.8. NFPA 69, “Standard on Explosion Prevention Systems” 2.2.9. NFPA 72, “National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code” 2.2.10. NFPA 654, “Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing, and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids” 3. Fire Protection for Buildings All Buildings are to be constructed of non‐combustible materials. Buildings shall be designed to minimize horizontal surfaces where combustible dust could accumulate. Such horizontal surfaces shall be accessible to the maximum extent possible to assure that regular cleaning and visual inspection can be performed. All equipment on the project site shall be designed to minimize or entirely eliminate fugitive dust emissions via dust collection equipment and enclosed conveyors. Fire protection systems shall be provided in locations where typical for standard industry practices. Building layouts shall be designed to provide adequate space for escape in the event of fire per national, provincial, and local codes. 3.1. Rail Receiving Pit The facility will be designed to receive grains and oilseeds via rail cars. Up to 135 cars will be provided per trains, with up to 3 such trains per 24 hour period. There shall be no airborne dust as the train locomotive passes through the building. A dust collection system shall be provided by the rail receiving pit which shall collect dust emissions from the rail car unloading process. Fire/Heat Detection shall be provided within the Rail Receiving Pit area. Access and egress will be via stairs with a secondary emergency escape ladder per NFPA 101. 3.2. Transfer Tower The transfer tower is mostly open to atmosphere, and as such, does not have stringent fire protection requirements included within. The tower shall be constructed of non‐combustible materials, primarily structural steel with concrete foundations. Horizontal surfaces shall be minimized for locations of dust accumulation. Access and egress will be via stairs. 3.3. Take‐up Towers The take‐up towers are open to atmosphere at grade to 7’ above grade with siding and roof above 7’, and as such, do not have stringent fire protection requirements. The towers shall be constructed of non‐combustible materials. Horizontal surfaces shall be minimized for locations of dust accumulation. Access and egress will be in accordance with NFPA 101. Open top sound barriers will be provided. These will be open on the side facing the water. Westgate Export Grain Terminal TEI Project No.20014657 FPSD‐2 F.P. System Desc./A/Issued for Review 3.4. Scale Building Manual dry standpipe shall be provided with connection for fire department. Fire/Heat Detection equipment is provided. Explosion venting per codes and regulations for the building shall be provided. Access and egress will be in accordance with NFPA 101 and personnel hoist. 3.5. Silo Complex Manual dry standpipes, with fire department connections, may be provided at each grain storage silo complex (annex). Manual dry stand pipes at these locations are not required per the NFPA or the local authority having jurisdiction, but may be installed as a courtesy. If installed, these manual dry standpipes shall be configured in such a way so as to provide coverage at each annex roof to meet or exceed local authority having jurisdiction standards. Access and egress shall be in accordance with NFPA 101. 3.6. Cleaning Building Manual dry standpipe shall be provided with connections for the fire department. In addition to the dry standpipe, there shall be fire/heat detection and pre‐action sprinkler system. In the event of heat detection, automatic equipment shutdowns will occur. The Cleaning Building Fire Pump Room will also incorporate manual valves for deluge systems in the dust filters, pellet cooler, and bucket elevators by the cleaning building. Access shall be provided to all equipment that includes manual deluge equipment to facilitate periodic cleaning of the components located within said equipment. Access and egress to the various building areas will be in accordance with NFPA 101 and personnel hoist. 3.7. Ship Loading Ship loading fire protection scope includes 4 hose connections per local fire department requirements, one (1) international shore connection, and dry standpipes. A dedicated booster pump may be required in order to provide adequate pressure across the wet fire protection lines; this will be confirmed as design progresses. Access and egress will be via stairs where possible, however, some ladders will be required due to the nature of the ship loading design. 3.8. Admin Building The Administration Building fire protection systems shall be provided by the building subcontractor. With the exception of rooms that contain plant computer control equipment and other electronic and/or electrical equipment, the Admin Building shall be provided with all fire protection features required to meet or exceed all codes regarding occupied buildings of this nature. The Control and Server Room(s) will not have sprinklers, but will include heat detection. Westgate Export Grain Terminal TEI Project No.20014657 FPSD‐3 F.P. System Desc./A/Issued for Review 3.9. Maintenance Building The Maintenance Building fire protection systems shall be provided by the building subcontractor. The Maintenance Building shall be provided with all fire protection features required to meet or exceed all codes regarding occupied buildings of this nature. 4. Equipment 4.1. Bucket Elevators All bucket elevators are located outside for passive isolation purposes and shall include full hazard monitoring systems and manual deluge fire protection systems with dry standpipe. Pressure relief venting shall be provided on all bucket elevators, and they shall also be located on the exterior of buildings. 4.2. Conveyors All belt conveyors involved in the main transfer of materials throughout the facility shall utilize rubber belting and which shall be oil‐resistant, fire retardant, and non‐conductive. Fire protection shall be in accordance with NFPA requirements. 4.3. Dust Filters and Cyclones Dust filters and cyclones shall be located outside of buildings. Dust filters shall be provided with deflagration venting. All dust filters shall include manual deluge systems and heat sensors. Electrical Interlocking shall be provided in between the material handling process machinery and dust filters to prevent the equipment from starting unless the associated dust filter is operating. Passive mechanical explosion isolation equipment shall be provided on dust filters located at the Cleaning Building. 5. Miscellaneous Fire Protection Items 5.1. Fire Protection Water Supply Automatic Sprinkler systems shall be designed to current (less than 12 months old) local water supply flow test results. 5.2. Fire Water Supply Main A looped fire water main (minimum 10 inch diameter) with isolation or sectional control valves and post indicators shall be provided. Post indicators shall not have tamper switches. 20 psi residual pressure will be maintained in the system at all times for pumper fire trucks. Pumps will be provided as necessary for the sprinklers. Westgate Export Grain Terminal TEI Project No.20014657 FPSD‐4 F.P. System Desc./A/Issued for Review 5.3. Fire Hydrants Hydrants shall be fed by minimum 6 inch connections coming from the fire main loop. Isolation and/or sectional control valves shall be provided for each individual fire hydrant. Hydrants shall be spaced within 100ft of Fire Department Connections, and spaced within 300ft maximum between other structures (or as required per the Authority Having Jurisdiction). 5.4. Fire Pumps Fire booster pumps shall be provided at any and all locations requiring pressure higher than that available in the fire water loop. The pumps shall have a power supply reliable per NFPA standards if electric, otherwise the pumps provided shall be diesel‐powered per NFPA standards. A Booster pump is already confirmed as required and shall be provided at the Cleaning Building. Additional booster pumps will be considered throughout the final design of the project, but are not confirmed at this time. 5.5. Sprinkler System Protection Automatic sprinkler system protection shall be provided for all enclosed buildings and structures of or containing appreciable values or vital to continuation of terminal operations. The Cleaning Building shall have this installed. An ordinary Hazard Group 2 sprinkler system protection of .2gpm/ft2 over 1,500ft2 (over 1,950ft2 for dry or pre‐action systems) shall be provided as required per NFPA and industry standards. 5.6. Fire Detection Alarm Systems Smoke detectors shall be installed inside main electrical/MCC rooms. Heat detection devices shall be installed inside the Cleaning Building and Scale Tower. Other sensors and switches shall be provided on equipment which will detect issues before heat detection devices, therefore negating the need to install heat detecting devices at these locations. All fire detection systems shall be monitored at the Pre‐action monitoring panel and/or the main fire detection system monitoring panel located in the control room, which shall be a constantly attended location. Additionally, monitoring of manual valves for the Bucket Elevators, cyclones, pellet cooler, and dust filters shall be handled by the main monitoring system. 5.7. Portable Fire Extinguishers One minimum “2A” rated multi‐purpose “ABC” type extinguisher should be provided per 1,500ft2 building area or within maximum 75 ft. travel distances, whichever is more stringent. Carbon Dioxide or other clean agent type extinguishers shall be provided in electrical and control rooms. The control room is located within the administration building. Westgate Export Grain Terminal TEI Project No.20014657 FPSD‐5 F.P. System Desc./A/Issued for Review 5.8. Fire Hose Standpipes The local fire department shall be contacted for standpipe connection size, type, and location requirements. Standpipe systems shall be sized based upon local fire department pumper truck pump ratings and dry pipe requirements. All standpipes exposed to freezing shall be dry type or appropriately heat traced. 5.9. Electrical/MCC Rooms Electrical rooms shall be maintained under positive pressure. Local smoke detectors shall be installed inside of all main electrical/MCC rooms and PDCs. 5.10.
Electrical System and Equipment Class II, Group G, Division I rated areas only apply to areas on the interior certain pieces of equipment/hoppers/silos/etc. Class II, Group G, Division II rated fixtures and equipment shall be provided in all areas exposed to combustible dusts. 6. Emergency Vehicle Access Emergency vehicle access to the site shall be provided per all regulations and industry standards. The City of Vancouver Fire Department has been consulted regarding access and shall be consulted further throughout the design life of the project. Westgate Export Grain Terminal TEI Project No.20014657 FPSD‐6 F.P. System Desc./A/Issued for Review Preliminary Dust Hazard Analysis for G3 Terminal Vancouver Vancouver, BC, G3 Limited Partnership G3 Limited Partnership is undertaking a major project with the design and construction firm Kiewit to build G3 Terminal Vancouver, a state of the art export terminal grain elevator facility to be located at the Port of Metro Vancouver, BC. The facility shall be a rail receiving facility that will receive grain products primarily by rail and export them by loading ships. Total storage capacity shall exceed 6 million bushels with handling rates of up to 120,000 Bushels per hour. The facility shall have the ability to clean the grain received as needed to meet all Canadian grain standards. The design of G3 Terminal Vancouver is very similar to the facility constructed in Longview, Washington, which was commissioned in 2012 by Bunge and EGT. The design for G3 Terminal Vancouver is thus proven for operation and construction due to successes shown throughout the life of the Longview project. As stated earlier, the facility will receive grain products by rail and send them out by ship. Only pelleted dust and screened materials will be shipped by trucks to local markets. The facility shall minimize safety hazards as much as possible; some examples of safety in design include the minimization of below‐grade locations (the only such location being the rail receiving basement), bucket elevators shall be located outside, and full accessibility shall be provided as much as possible for maintenance of the project. The facility shall be fully automated, requiring only 10 ‐12 persons involved in order to perform inspections, maintenance and adjustments to support operations. This alone will greatly reduce personnel exposure to any hazards compared to older manually operated export facilities. The design of G3 Terminal Vancouver will be at the forefront of safety within the grain handling industry upon commissioning as a result of the precautions taken during its design. The facility will utilize state of art Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) operation which will have extensive hazard monitoring features and operations (such as bearing monitoring, equipment alignment detection, vibration monitors, product level detectors, motion sensors, speed sensors, plug switches, amp meters, and many others). As stated before, the G3 Terminal Vancouver design and its implementation have been proven at the Longview facility, which was also built by parties of Kiewit and G3 Limited Partnership. As a frontrunner within the grain handling industry, G3 Terminal Vancouver shall meet or exceed all applicable codes, standards, and regulations. Page 1 of 19 Dust Hazard Analysis Figure 1 is an illustration showing the G3 export terminal facility proposed to be built at the Vancouver, BC port.
Purpose The purpose of a dust hazards analysis (DHA) is to identify potential hazards within a facility and its operations and document how those hazards are to be managed. The hazards addressed by this analysis are the fire and deflagration hazards due to the potential presence of combustible dusts. The analysis will identify relevant strategies to provide a reasonable and appropriate degree of protection to life and property. Typical potential ignition sources and fuel hazards that occur in the types of operations in grain handing, product cleaning and processing will be considered and discussed in detail. Historical data on the causes and prevention strategies of combustible dust fires, deflagrations and explosions will be relied upon throughout this analysis. Overview A DHA is a detailed analysis and documentation of the facility housing the grain handling operations. Each part of operations is considered for potential fire and deflagration hazards which could interfere with worker and facility operations safety. Further, where the hazard is managed, the means by which it is being managed is evaluated and documented. The design shall utilize the concepts of separation and segregation of operations in separate structures to greatly reduce the likelihood of an event in one building propagating to other locations. Structures and portions of grain handling shall be remote from one other with long elevated conveyors to elevate the grain to the next structure. Therefore, this design requires a large site to handle the grains and serves to protect the operations. The risk for a dust deflagration is based upon the potential for all four necessary and sufficient conditions for a deflagration to exist at the point of consideration concurrently. If the combustion is sufficiently contained it could develop as a very fast deflagration allowing pressure development with a sufficient shock wave followed by a traveling flame front. Should the flame front arrive after a dust cloud is placed into suspension in the enclosed area, a secondary event can potentially follow. Most people refer to the contained initial event as an explosion since equipment and structures can suffer failure and rupture due to the resulting pressure and acoustical shockwave results. The conditions for a deflagration are as follows: (1) A particulate of sufficiently small dimension to propagate a deflagration flame front (2)A means of suspending or dispersing the particulate (3) Sufficient quantity of particulate to achieve the minimum ignitable concentration (4) An ignition source of adequate energy or temperature to ignite the dust cloud or a dust layer. Dust Hazard properties of grains and products Dust Hazard properties of the grain materials to be handled at the G3 Vancouver facility and their related dusts properties are shown in Table 1 below with density and explosive properties (Kst, Pmax, MEC, MIE.). A new version of the NFPA 61 standard for the “Prevention of Fires and Dust Explosions in Agricultural and Food Processing Facilities” is in the second draft stage and is expected to be finalized in 2016. The 2016 draft contains a provision 4.1 which states “It shall be permitted for the owner/operator to consider dust generated from Bulk Raw Grain and other organically derived materials as Agricultural Combustible Dust” Further published test data on grain materials can be relied upon to determined needed protections. The drafted 2016 edition of NFPA 61 will be the first such document to require a dust hazard analysis be Page 2 of 19 Dust Hazard Analysis performed for new construction. Other NFPA dust specific standards are expected to include a DHA requirement as well. Table 1 shows the grain material characteristics of some of the grains which will be handled at the G3TV site. The grains in this table shall be used for facility design purposes. Additional grains and grain byproducts to be handled and their respective frequencies are located below Table 1. Corn may be handled as well. None of the byproducts will have more severe fire or explosion properties than the dust from whole grains. Designing for wheat dust properties shall be adequate for protections planned for the facility and its operations, however, explosion vent designs and isolation techniques, etc. will be considered for handling corn. Structural designs will be based on the densest material to be handled (Whole wheat). Canola properties are expected to be very similar to other oil seed grains (Soybean, sunflower and Safflower). Subsequent or final DHA can fine tune this preliminary analysis for handling and for preventive measures including management protection strategies deemed necessary (i.e. hotwork procedures and permits, and housekeeping documentation). Based on the review of this information the system designs shall be based on handling wheat and corn regarding fire protection throughout the facility. Table 1 This is a compilation of the density and deflagration properties of multiple materials: Material *Wheat Durum wheat *Corn *Canola *Soybeans Pmax MEC MIE Bar‐ m/sec Bar g/m3 MilliJoules 47 ‐ 50 Lb./ft3 753‐801 kg/m3 112 9.3 60
45‐47 Lb./ft3 721‐753 kg/m3 100 6.5 45 g/m 40 40‐44 Lb./ft3 640‐705 kg/m3 ? 44 – 46 Lb./ft3 705‐737 kg/m3 125 Unit Weight of bulk grain Kst COMMENT mj ? ?? Source NFPA 61 Source Bur of mines ? No data‐currently available 7.5 35 g/m3 50 Source NFPA 61 Sunflower 44 7.9 125 Source NFPA 61 *Peas 48 Lb./ft3 4.6 calculated 50 g/m3 Source 769 kg/m3 Page 3 of 19 Dust Hazard Analysis Bur of mines The G3 Terminal Vancouver Project will handle the following grains with the listed approximate frequencies: Primary Products (90‐95% of Annual Average Throughput): 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Wheat (all classes) Canola Durum Wheat Barley Peas Secondary Products (5‐10% of Annual Average Throughput): 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Soybeans Corn Oats Flax Seeds Screening Byproducts a. Grain screenings pellets b. Feed screenings c. Mixed Feed Oats 6. Mixed Grains 7. Canola Meal Pellets Rarely Handled Products (<5% of Annual Average Throughput): 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Sunflower Seeds Alfalfa Pellets Mustard Seeds (Brown, yellow, oriental) Lentils Canary Seed Beans (All types) Page 4 of 19 Dust Hazard Analysis The entire ffacility design
n will be analyyzed for potential dust hazzards. All dusst generated and accumulated will be treated as combu
ustible and th
he values show
wn in this tabble are consid
dered suitablee for the desiggn Vendors or equipment sup
ppliers will uttilize dust expplosion valuess in order to p
provide necesssary elements. V
protection for personnel and equipm
ment at the faccility. An oveerview of the design indicaates that a deetailed dust hazard
d analysis is needed to con
nsider the pottential for air borne dust, d
dust layers, iggnition sourcees and whether they are in a co
ontained environment allo
owing pressurre and flame p
propagation ffor the follow
wing portions of the facility (as indicated o
on Fig. 1.): I.
1. R
Rail receivingg‐Including the receiving building, the raail receiving b
basement, all receiving con
nveyors up to
o the scale tow
wer and the rrelated equip ment and operations. II.
2. The Scale tow
wer and relatted conveyorrs and scales.
ncluding convveyors and sto
orage bins an
nd related III.
3. The upper sillo bin deck off the annex in
equ
uipment inclu
uding dust sysstems. IV
V.
4. The cleaning tower includ
ding all specific operationss and related equipment. V
V.
5. The pelletingg operations aand equipme
ent including ttruck loadoutt and dust con
ntrol. V
VI.
6. The reclaim ssystem for the silo annex aand related ggates and conveyors and dust systems
7. Ship loading operations in
oading spoutts VII.
ncluding convveyors, ship looaders, and lo
Figure 1 sshows the gen
neral arrangement of the ffacility and al l portions con
nsidered in th
his analysis.
4
3
5
6
7 2
I
Page 5 of 19 Dust Hazard
d Analysis I.
Rail Receiving Dust H
Hazard Analyssis Fig 2. Rail receivin
ng building w
with equipment shown. Rail Bldgg. Rail leve
el Receiving conveyor
Rail rreceiving Baseement This operattion is to rece
eive grains and
d oilseeds viaa rail cars up tto 135 cars in
n size. Up to 3
3 such trains may be received
d in a 24 hourr period. The trains will move through tthe rail receivving structuree located on tthe west side o
of the propertty without decoupling the cars. The carrs will move aat 0.6 miles per hour or lesss through the
e rail receiving building. TThe conveyorrs will be ablee to handle up
p to 120,000 BPH. The folllowing outlines spe
ecific function
ns of rail rece
eiving operations and speccific measuress taken to avo
oid potential dust hazards asssociated with each function: a)
b)
c)
eiving building will be a ste
eel frame buiilding with meetal cladding siding and op
pen on The rece
each en
nd to allow th
he train to passs through. TThe building’s electrical syystem shall m
meet the Nattional Electriccal code with all electrical iin the buildin
ng to be rated
d as Class II, G
Group G, Divission 2. Electrrical devices inside equipm
ment, hopperss, etc. shall bee rated for Class II, Group G
G, Division 1. Additionallyy, outside locaated electricaal equipment shall be rated
d for wet locations. Automa
atic hopper gaate openers w
will open the rail car hopp
per gates as th
hey begin to p
pass over the
e rail receiving basement. These robotiic openers arre to be contrrolled to ensu
ure gates arre opened as the cars startt to move acrross the hopp
per inlets. Thee receiving bu
uilding shall be two cars in le
ength with a ggrate over th e hoppers wiith 2‐1/2” X 7
7‐3/4” openin
ngs to m. The openin
ng size prevent tramp metall and foreign objects from entering the grain stream
shall be effective in kkeeping hazarrdous objectss out of the grrain stream w
which could caause equipme
ent damage aand interfere with safe equuipment operations. Tram
mp metal, foreign objects, and any othe
er unwanted debris whichh might get intto the grain sstream are to
o be removed from the grrate surface o
on a daily bas is. Smaller feerrous objectss that do enteer the grain strream are rem
moved by maggnets at the ddischarge of th
he rail receiviing conveyorss. The graiin receiving hopper shall h
have dust asp iration below
w the grating tto capture airrborne dust and
d prevent fuggitive dust em
missions and kkeep the receiving buildingg clean. Baffles underne
eath the gratiing shall be provided to heelp reduce thee air needed and ensure d
dust capture. Each of the ten hoppers will have a d ust pick up point to preveent dust emisssions Page 6 of 19 Dust Hazard
d Analysis and fugitive dust. All hoppers will have automatic gates which can be adjusted to needed flow rates. d)
A dust collection system will supply the needed aspiration for the hoppers and receiving conveyors in the receiving basement and shall be located on the west side of the receiving building. This dust collection system shall be protected with explosion venting and fire protection that meets NFPA criteria. The relief vent panels shall be cabled to the dust unit to prevent the vents from flying away in an explosion event. The rotary airlock shall prevent any deflagration propagation downstream of dust discharge. 1)
The dust unit shall be equipped with pressure detectors that will allow viewing of the pressure drop across the tube sheet to indicate the proper performance of the dust system to ensure the filter does not blind or perform inefficiently. The pressure readings will be provided to the PLC to warn if the filter is not performing correctly. A low pressure drop (less than 1” water gauge) could indicate that a bag has a hole in it emitting dust and a high reading (over 6” water gauge) may indicate the filter is becoming blinded and air flow in the system is reduced. Both of these conditions will warrant maintenance. 2.
If the filter needs maintenance attention the maintenance personnel will be notified to look at and correct the problem. 3.
A plug switch or high level sensor set in the filter unit will trigger an alarm if dust is not properly being emptied and the unit is plugging or bridging over. 4.
The dust system will be interlocked with the rail receiving operations and the receiving take away conveyors. This will be done via site communications and the PLC. 5.
The rotary discharge valve will be monitored and have an indicator to the operator that the unit is operating 6.
The dust system duct work will be designed to a minimum velocity of 3200 FPM and a maximum velocity of 4200 FPM. The system will be equipped with blast gates which are used to balance the air flow in the system and at each pick up point. This helps to ensure that dust is properly flowing to the filter and the duct work will not fill up with dust. All dust systems that utilize dust filters with hopper bottoms are to be equipped with passive mechanical explosion isolation to prevent flame propagation back into the unit from upstream equipment. Dust collectors with multiple sources will have isolation systems to prevent flame propagation back into the process. 7. d)
A fully enclosed belt conveyor shall be utilized in the rail receiving basement and be automatically fed by gates to load the belt. The gates and the subsequent belt conveyors are to be controlled by the PLC. The enclosed conveyors shall deliver the grain from the basement to ground level where grain shall be transferred to the belt conveyors going up Page 7 of 19 Dust Hazard Analysis to the scale tower. Belts will be flame retardant and static resistant (less than 300 megaohm conductivity) per NFPA and OSHA requirements to minimize potential hazards. Head and tail Bearings are to be monitored for operating temperature, shown on the PLC, and sound an alarm if they are over heating or need maintenance. Furthermore, belt alignment on the head and tail pulleys with rub block temp monitoring shall also be tied into the PLC with alarms. Grain depth sensors are to be used to monitor the capacity loading on the belt conveyors to avoid overload conditions. e)
Speed sensors will be installed on all belt conveyors. Screw conveyors are to be limited to a speed of 150 rpm and length to not exceed that which would require internal hanger bearings. Conveyor drive motors will be equipped with thermal protection for overheating and have a vibration sensor to indicate if the motor is operating out of balance. f)
Welding and cutting will not be allowed if any operations are ongoing. A strict welding and cutting policy will be enforced with a permit required for any welding needs with strict cleanup, wet down, use of welding blankets and established fire watch. A safety device bypass permit shall be issued prior to any device being taken out of service. This permit shall ensure that the method is in place to monitor the hazard and ensure that the device is repaired and put back into service. Housekeeping via manual means will be minimized as the facility will include a dust system on all handling equipment and the maximized use of totally enclosed equipment. All operating areas will be inspected daily and housekeeping scheduled as needed to minimize dust accumulations. Preventive maintenance of all equipment is to be built into the PLC system to ensure it is completed and recorded when needed and at proper intervals. A key component to preventing unsafe operations throughout the facility is the extensive use of a hazard monitoring system which will be tied to the plant PLC. This will give the operators needed information that the system needs attention. Automatic shutdown conditions will be set into the programming of the system. Safety devices are to be inspected and tested as needed to ensure they remain operational. This includes, but is not limited to: bearing monitors, alignment monitors, speed switches and level sensors. g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
An Evacuation Plan will be developed for the facility. The operations and maintenance employees will have radio communication with the control room which can immediately advise them of needed actions including evacuation. The employees will be trained and required to report any hazardous conditions to the control room operations so needed steps can be taken to notify emergency responders and others at the facility. In addition to a facility wide alarm horn, a local alarm will be sounded in the rail receiving building areas to advise the need for evacuation. Page 8 of 19 Dust Hazard Analysis Grain in Scales
Grain out to silos Figure 4. Scale Tower II.
Scale Tower Dust Hazard Analysis The scale tower will be a multi‐level structure approximately 140 feet tall with explosion vents installed in the walls of the building. Grain and grain products are to be conveyed to the 120 foot level of scale tower by inclined belt conveyors from the rail receiving belts and directed to the upper scale garner. Belts are to be enclosed for the tail sections and head sections inside the scale tower to minimize dusting. Conveyor belts outside of structures are not to be totally enclosed but will be covered for rain protection and to reduce wind interference. The drives for the conveyors are to be located in a take‐up tower which provides the needed power to drive the belts and maintain belt tension. All bearing and alignment sensors on the drive and take‐up are to be temperature monitored. There are to be motion sensors to detect 10 and 20 % slow down on all belt conveyors. All sensor outputs are to be sent to the plant PLC with appropriate alarm settings. The take‐up tower shall be open on the bottom to eliminate dust containment. Take up towers will be checked during housekeeping inspections. Grain shall be weighed automatically in batches using the PLC. The material is to be released to the lower garner and discharged to belt conveyors to go to the silo complex for storage. All operations are to be interlocked to prevent operational upsets. Dust collection shall be provided at the tail pulley of the outgoing belts. A separate scale system is also to be in the tower to weigh reclaimed grain from the silos to ship loading. This weighed grain is to be directed to the conveyors going to ship loading or to grain storage or cleaning operations. The two systems (receiving and shipping) are each planned to be capable of operating at 120,000 bushels per hour. Four point‐of‐use filters shall be located on an outside platform and serve to collect dust from the garner and scale with level and pressure sensors to indicate they are operating in normal range to the PLC with appropriate alarms. Collected material is then to be returned to the lower garner. Page 9 of 19 Dust Hazard Analysis Pottential dust hazards in the scale tower aare to be adddressed by efffective dust ccontrol, regulaar hou
usekeeping in
nspection, and
d clean‐up with records keept on a PLC u
unit of houseekeeping workk. Employees will b
be trained and required to
o notify the coontrol room o
of housekeep
ping condition
ns nee
eding more im
mmediate attention, airborne dust clouuds, dust accu
umulations, eequipment leaaks thaat exceed the facility guide
elines or build
d‐up of dust oon bearings, m
motors, etc. Pottential equipm
ment failures and ignition sources will bbe detected b
by the hazard
d monitoring ssystem tied
d to the PLC. Head and tail bearings of all belt conveeyors are to b
be monitored
d for operatin
ng tem
mperatures an
nd will be sho
own on the PLLC and soundd an alarm if tthey are over heating or neeed maintenance. B
Belt alignmentt on the head
d and tail pull eys with rub block temperrature monito
oring also
o shall be tied
d into the PLC
C with alarms shown. All hhead and tail pulley bearin
ngs are to be external to the cconveyors and have seals tto separate thhem from thee inside the eequipment. A
All beaarings are to b
be anti‐frictio
on roller bearing design in accordance w
with accepted
d standards. The material from th
he receiving b
building will p
pass over a maagnet in the aat the belt disscharge to the upp
per garner to help remove
e any ferrous objects whichh may still bee in the grain sstream. To min
nimize ignition hazards, alll electrical de
evices that aree exposed to the grain streeam and insid
de encclosures are to be Class II, Group G, Divvision 1 rated.. This includees electrical eequipment on
n the inte
erior of hoppers, chute wo
ork, etc. All o
other electricaal equipmentt within the to
ower is to be rated Class II, Group G
G, Division 2. Any outside located elect rical equipmeent is to be raated for wet locations and motors shall be
e (Totally enclosed fan‐coooled) TEFC an
nd/or rated fo
or the environ
nment where they are installed. All electrical installations aree to meet the Canadian Eleectrical Code.. All MC
CC rooms shall be pressurizzed to keep d
dust out. Dusst control using bin vent filters shall be provided to tthe scale and
d upper and lo
ower garners to pre
event dust leaakage from th
he systems (lo
ocated outsidde the building on an attacched platform
m). The scale and garnerrs are to be in
nter‐vented to avoid air im
mbalances and
d to protect tthe integrity o
of the weighing functio
on. All gates shall have po
ositive seals too prevent leakage of dust or grain and pro
oduct. The PLLC will monito
or the operations and noti fy the operattor if an abno
ormal conditio
on occcurs in the flo
ow and product handling. If a hazardouus condition aarises an alarm
m will sound o
or flash on a PLC screen and the syste
em will be shut down or b e adjusted ass needed. ng on top andd grain reclaim
m/shipping syystem below.. Figure 5. Grain sttorage annexx with receivin
Grain into co
G
nveyors to sillos Grain from
m scale tower Silo
o reclaim operaations to Scalee Tower
III.
The
e upper silo b
bin deck Grain iss to be conveyyed from the scale tower tto the silo an nex for temp
porary storagee. In the casee that grain is deemed read
dy for immed
diate shippingg or already cleaned, it maay be directed
d to the shipp
ping belts fo
or loading. Th
he silo annex shall have 3 ssets of silo unnits, each com
mprised of 4 X
X 4 silos or 16
6 each Page 10 of 19 Dust Hazard
d Analysis for a total of 48 silos. Grain is to be delivered to the top of the silos by belt conveyors from the scale building. It is then to be transferred to a totally enclosed belt conveyor (Hi‐Roller) which shall feed the two shuttle belt systems that will place the grain in assigned storage bins. Bins designated as clean grain can be directly conveyed to the ship loading belts for loading. Grains that need to go to the cleaning building before being shipped for export will be placed in separate, designated bins. Clean grain can be returned to the silo storage unit or may be stored in the limited clean grain bins which will be located within the cleaning building. There are no enclosures to be located on top of the bin deck (such as a gallery). The shuttle conveyors are to be supported in bridge structures above the bins so the grain stream can be directed into designated storage bins. The entire process shall be fully controlled by the PLC. Emergency stop switches to halt the operation shall be installed should they be needed. Maintenance will be required to go to the MCC to lock the unit our while they work on it. Workers on the roof of the annex will be notified via a central emergency evacuation alarm located on either end of the roof if a hazardous condition arises and evacuation is required. Additionally, workers will be equipped with radios and can be notified by the control room if any problems arise. There are several ladders and means to exit the roof to meet egress needs planned for the annex, including a bridge into the cleaning building. Exit signs and egress diagrams will be prominently displayed on the bin roof. Fire extinguishers will be located within easy reach and near motor drives and platforms. The annex top structure will not have any deflagration hazards since it will be outside and fully open. However the silos and the conveyors will contain combustible dusts. To manage the risks of a deflagration hazard the following design elements and practices are to be used: 1. Page 11 of 19 Dust Hazard Analysis The shuttle conveyors shall have a dust collection system within the discharge chutes. These dust collection points will collect dust from the bin and grain stream at the inlet of the bin during bin loading. Captured dust shall be returned to the bin while it is being filled. Historically, deflagrations do not begin in grain bins under normal conditions. Electric spark, mechanical, or tramp metal sparks could be potential ignition sources in a bin; however, these risks are mitigated by mechanical protection devices earlier in the process flow as the stream passes over a receiving grate in the receiving building then past a magnet prior to being conveyed to storage. The belt conveyors shall have extensive hazardous monitoring features which greatly reduces potential for any mechanical sparks. All electrical exposed to the bin is to be rated as a Class II, group G, Division 2 hazardous area. Explosion venting is impractical for most grain bins. In this design the venting through the roof is not possible due to equipment located on the roof. Providing explosion vents in the upper bin wall would increase the height of the bins by 25 to 30 feet greatly increasing the empty space of the bin. A higher bin and grain drop would cause increase in grain breakage and dust in the grain. This increased space and grain drop could increase hazard as opposed to reduce it. Venting of grain bins is further impractical as there is no guarantee that a dust explosion would not spread to adjoining bins. Considering the large number of safety devices and controls utilize in this design the benefits of the other control measures being installed here outweigh the benefit if any gained from explosion vents. Current NFPA 61 standards do not mandate explosion venting of grain bins. 2. The conveyors on the bin roof are to be fully enclosed with the bearings located outside the equipment. 3. All conveyor head, tail, and take‐up pulley bearings shall be temperature monitored to detect failure with alarms set in the PLC hazard monitoring system. The belt conveyors shall also be equipped with speed detectors to detect overloading conditions. Additionally, level indicators will be provided to further detect overloaded conditions. 4. All foreign materials and ferrous objects shall be removed from the process flow during grain receiving at the rail by a restrictive grate opening and by magnets on the incoming flow to the scale building. Grain that is cleaned further shall be subject to additional grating and magnets before being placed in cleaning machines. 5. Some drag conveyors will be used to return clean grain back to the silo bins. The drag conveyors shall have bearing monitoring and chain breakage sensors to shut them down in the case of an upset condition. 6. All repairs or installation of equipment requiring welding will necessitate that a permit be obtained and all guidelines followed for proper preparation. A fire watch with an extinguisher on hand and use of welding blankets to isolate the work area from any combustibles will constitute expected practice for such work to take place. 7. No carrying of smoking materials shall be allowed within the plant. 8. All grain spills and leaks shall be required to be cleaned up as soon as practical. 9. Bucket elevators are to be used in the cleaning tower operations and elevate grain to drag or screw conveyors before it would be conveyed back to the annex. The bucket elevators are to be located outside with explosion venting in the leg casing and head sections. They shall also have a full array of hazard monitoring devices to detect bearing temperatures, belt alignment, belt speed, pulley design, inspection doors, etc. 10. All elements of NFPA 61 standard for prevention of fires and explosions in Agriculture and food manufacturing shall be implemented. Page 12 of 19 Dust Hazard Analysis Figure 6. Clea
F
aning tower GRAIN IN CLEANERS OUT IV.
IN
Clean
ning Tower Du
ust hazard An
nalysis The ccleaning towe
er shall be a concrete struccture with a laarge amount of equipmen
nt to clean graain to meett Canadian Grrain Standards before ship
pping (figure 66.). The resid
dual material removed from
m the grain shall be furth
her processed
d to recover aall grain of vaalue before ussing the resid
due to create pelletted products that are suitaable for anim
mal feed. Graiin is to be cleaaned using asspirators, screeeners, scalpers and conditioning equip
pment. All off these operaations can creeate combustible dust conccerns and aare addressed
d below: a)
Each tyype of grain o
or product being handled w
will require its own cleanin
ng system. Siince 5 to 6 diffferent materrials will be haandled, this rrequires a varriety of equipment address each. Two tyypes of cleanin
ng operationss will be usedd for wheat, b
barley, durum
m wheat and aa second
d for canola, p
peas or corn. Each system
m will have to be configured to clean each of the maaterials. Due to the size off this operatioon, 4 systemss must be devvoted to each
h type of cleaning. Grains will need to p
pass through 4 pieces of eequipment to be properly cleaned
d as follows: Grains will p
pass through scalpers to reemove unwanted debris aand materials
Grains shall be passed th
hrough rotaryy cleaners. will then passs through asp irators to rem
move dust and light materials The grains w
The grains w
will then passs through indeent machiness which segreegate grains b
by seed type. Each of these processes will create separate prroduct stream
ms to be hand
dled. Some o
of them may havve to be recyccled to furthe
er process forr desire seedss and characteeristics to be collected. Product sttreams of cleaan grain will vvary from 10 to 40 tons peer hour. The dirty grain strream being fe
ed to the cleaaning tower w
will be perform
med by two 3
36,000 bushels per hour bucket elevatorrs. Each prod
duct will be haandled in sep
parate conveyyors and Buckket 1.
2.
3.
4.
b)
Page 13 of 19 Dust Hazard
d Analysis c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
elevators. All dust collectors shall be located on the roofs and aspirate all of the cleaning equipment. All specialty product streams are to be handled in enclosed belt conveyors with separate spot filters (point of use dust collectors) at the tail and head pulleys. All bucket elevators associated with cleaning operations are to be located outside and fully explosion vented in the leg and head sections per NFPA standards. Hazard monitoring shall be used on all bucket elevator bearings, belt alignments, etc. Crown lagging will be provided on pulleys and belts with conductivity and flame retarding characteristics are utilized. Drag conveyors will be provided with dust control. Key bearings on drags and screw conveyors shall be monitored as well as equipment speeds. Spills and product leaks are the greatest dust hazard and shall be controlled by PLC sensors regarding equipment aspiration and product flows. Regular housekeeping inspections and clean‐up are to be conducted to ensure safe operations. This shall include vacuuming and sweeping as necessary. Prevention of product spills and leaks and their control will be paramount to efficient and profitable operations. All electrical equipment in the cleaning tower areas is considered to be Class II, Group G, Division 2. Electrical equipment located inside the product stream or inside storage bins are considered to be Class II, Group G, Division 1. Electrical and control rooms shall be sealed off and pressurized in accordance with the national Electric code and as such shall be non‐ hazardous areas. The cleaning tower equipment floors shall have pre‐action sprinklers throughout. An additional alarm horn will be placed in the cleaning building as personnel may not be able to hear the central plant alarm. Personnel will have two way portable radios to communicate with the central control room regarding operations and conditions warranting evacuation. The cleaning building shall have extensive louvers in the tower walls that will allow for makeup air into the process and help to relieve pressure if any deflagration develops. Page 14 of 19 Dust Hazard Analysis Figure 7. Pelleeting Operations. Pelle
eting Bldg.
Hamm
mermilll
Pelllet mill Pelllet cooler
V.
Pelleting operattions Dust Haazard Analysis The
e pelleting op
perations are to be located
d as a separatte section of tthe cleaning ttower dedicatted to the
e pelleting pro
ocess (see Figgure7 ). Collected dust froom handling, ccleaning, and
d refuse material from the grain p
product stream
ms in the cleaaning tower sshall be transferred to two
o bins located
d at the top
p of the pellettizing portion of the building. Here, theey shall be bleended togeth
her based upo
on the quaality of feedin
ng pellets nee
eded. The materials will t hen be passeed through a h
hammer mill to ach
hieve a uniforrm mix and paarticle size. A
A filter will bee located outsside the building to provide air flow
w through the
e hammer miill screens and
d collect any airborne matterial below tthe hammer m
mill. The
e hammer mill discharge and receiving hopper are too be located in a separatee portion of th
he pellet operation
ns. This separrate area shalll have an opeen vented waall to serve as a pressure reelief if a deflagration occurs associated with the hammer mill . This design will isolate the greatest h
hazard (hammer mill) in
n the pelleting operation aand provide ppressure relieff. The
e material fro
om the hamm
mer mill hoppe
er will then bee fed to an isolated rotaryy lock, then to
o a scre
ew conveyor that will placce the materiaal (along withh added steam
m) into the peellet mill. Thee pellet mill will then compress the m
material and p
pass it througgh a pelleting die. Pellets w
will then be disccharged to a cooling bin before being d
discharged to a conveyor w
which will feeed a small buccket elevator. This sm
mall elevator will dischargge to another drag conveyo
or, which willl feed 1 of 3 p
pellet storage bins. A cyclone will p
pull wet air offf of the pelleet cooling bin and dischargge the air into
o a fab
bric filter (which will have e
explosion ven
nting, high‐levvel sensors, aand a pressuree transducer)) that sen
nds a signal baack to the plaant PLC for co
ontrol. Mate rials collected
d by the cyclo
one and the seccondary filter shall then be
e recycled bacck to the pelleet mill. The drag conveyo
ors carrying p
pellets to tthe bins shall have local bin vent filters on their disccharge to the pellet bins. TThe pellet bin
ns will havve continuouss level monito
or and high le
evel monitorss tied to the PPLC to preven
nt an overflow
w or Page 15 of 19 Dust Hazard
d Analysis upset condition. The conveyors involved in pellet handling will be totally enclosed drag conveyors to prevent dusting hazards. All conveyors shall have bearing monitoring to prevent a heat source arising within the grain stream. The pellet load out operations shall be performed at an open structure which will house a bulk loading scale and a loading spout. The loading spout shall be a dust suppression hopper, which will minimize fugitive emissions via a spot filter tied directly into the hopper above the spout. The following additional items shall be incorporated into the design to mitigate dust hazards for the pelleting and load out processes: a)
All electrical in the pelleting portions of the building shall be rated as Class II, Group G, Division 2 areas. Electrical exposures to the production stream or inside of equipment or bins are to be rated as Class II, Group G, Division 1 areas. Electrical rooms are sealed off and pressurized in accordance with the National Electric Code are considered to be non‐ hazardous areas. b)
All conveyors used in the pelleting processing and in pellet handling shall be totally enclosed and therefore dust‐free operations. The only exposures to atmosphere during the pelleting and loadout processes are the dust suppression hopper spot filter and the bin loading spot filter (only one for all three bins). c)
All conveyors shall have necessary bearing temperature monitors and plug sensors tied to the PLC. d)
Regular housekeeping inspections and clean‐up are to be conducted to ensure safe operations. Prevention of product spills and leaks and their control are paramount to efficient and profitable operations. VI.
Silo reclaim Operations Dust Hazard Analysis All silo storage bins are to be equipped with metered gates and empty bin sensors to reclaim grain directly to enclosed belt conveyors. These enclosed belt conveyors shall take the grain back to the scale tower before shipping. (See Figure 5). Once weighed, the grain will return to the silo annex. Once this step has taken place, the grain will then be conveyed to the dock area via a series of conveyors. Bin vent filters shall be used at the tail and head sections of these conveyors to capture dust emitted at transfer points. Transfer points with sampling will utilize fabric filter style dust collection systems. All dust control systems are to be monitored for proper operation with the appropriate pressure differentials, high level sensors, plug switches, etc. Belts will be oil resistant and resistant to electric curents per NFPA 61 standards. In addition to the aforementioned dust prevention mitigation methods, the following shall also be implemented: a)
All potential dust hazards in the reclaim areas under the bin annex are to be addressed by effective dust control, regular housekeeping inspection, and clean‐up with records kept on a PLC unit of housekeeping work. Employees will notify the control room of housekeeping conditions needing more immediate attention, airborne dust clouds, dust accumulations exceeding facility standards, and equipment leaks that exceed facility guidelines. Page 16 of 19 Dust Hazard Analysis b)
c)
VII.
Electrical equipment used in the reclaim under the annex is rated as Class II, Group G, Division 2 areas. Electrical exposures to the production stream or inside of equipment/bins are rated for Class II, Group G, Division 1. Related electrical rooms shall be sealed off and pressurized in accordance with the Electrical Code of Canada and are to be considered in non‐ hazardous areas. All conveyors shall be monitored for their mechanical conditions with the hazard monitoring system that is a part of the PLC showing bearing temperatures, belt alignment, motor vibration, and belt loading level sensors. Ship Loading Operations Dust Hazard Analysis. Once the grain is reclaimed, conveyor belts will carry the grain to dock side for ship loading. These belts are to be conventional covered belts to protect from the weather including rain, snow and wind interference. Before the water line, the conventional belts shall become enclosed in order to Page 17 of 19 Dust Hazard Analysis prevent dust exposure to the water beneath. Two belts capable of carrying 120,000 bushels per hour each can be used to load a ship with two loaders simultaneously (loading rate of 240,000 bph). Three Agrico ship loaders will provide the capability to reach all ship holes for loading. Each of the three loaders shall be equipped with multiple bin vent filters to capture any emissions that could arise during the loading and to pull a negative thru the loading spout. In addition, the ship loading spouts shall incorporate dust elimination technology by creating a vacuum above the grain stream. The ends of the loading spouts may be kept under the grain surface during loading as necessary to minimize transient condition emissions. The loaders will be able to translate in and out and swivel up to 180 degrees to reach all parts of the ship. Again, all critical bearings on equipment (conveyors and ship loaders) shall be monitored for unacceptable temperatures. The ship loading shall be fully automated with workers monitoring operations. Loading workers will also ensure the spout position and depth in the grain as required. A preventive maintenance system will be incorporated in the PLC for this equipment as well to ensure all items are inspected, lubricated and repaired as warranted. Additionally, no deflagration hazard should arise at this location as the operations are outside and open to the environment. The only issue that could arise is inside equipment, which has been covered in previous sections. That said, the hazard monitoring system and effective operating parameters will make this risk extremely small. VIII.
Conclusions: This facility design will incorporate state of the art of automation and use of computer controls to monitor operations. The facility will be operated from a central control room in the administration building and will have many safety features built in to the programming of the PLC. There is an extensive hazard monitoring system which will be extended to all of the handling equipment to bearings, alignment, over loading, excess vibration of motors, proper equipment speeds, temperature and pressure sensors, etc. Mechanical explosion isolation (back blast dampers) shall be utilized to prevent flame propagation down‐ or up‐stream from equipment if a hazardous situation does arise. Dust collectors with multiple sources will also incorporate an isolation system to prevent flame propagation back into the process. Virtually all of the concerns regarding deflagrations have been taken into consideration for these operations and will be incorporated into the facility design. For design purposes, wheat shall be considered as wheat has the greatest fire and explosion risks. Corn, if handled will also be a concern since it has a history of being involved in past deflagration events at grain operations. For this analysis hazard values for grain dust characteristics were taken from published literature. This design will rely upon enclosed equipment whenever grains are handled inside of structures. Extensive dust control will also be utilized at this facility. In addition to using traditional bag houses and cyclones, this design will use point of use (spot) filters to provide dust control at remote locations (such at belt conveyor transfer points or bin filling) without the need to install long runs of dust control ducting throughout the operations. This will eliminate concerns with duct wearing and leaking, dust accumulation on top of ductwork, and secondary explosion concerns if a pre‐event were to occur. The cleaning building will utilize dust filters on the roof to control a lot of equipment in a small area. Mechanical explosion isolation will be used on dust systems to prevent flame propagation (such as a back pressure damper) into the duct unit from upstream equipment. Dust collectors with multiple sources will have an isolation system to prevent flame propagation back into the process. Page 18 of 19 Dust Hazard Analysis All of the elements and causes for a dust explosion and resulting fire will be incorporated into this facility design per the methods described within this DHA. The design will incorporate safety into the facility by separating hazardous items from one another wherever possible and by providing state‐of‐the‐art prevention technologies at hazardous locations which cannot be mitigated by other means. Including these methods described above, G3 Terminal Vancouver will be the face of safety within the grain handling industry for the entirety of its design life. Page 19 of 19 Dust Hazard Analysis