In this episode of the DustSafetyScience Podcast, we are interviewing Rick Jeffress, Director of Business Development at Fike Corporation, about fire protection through thermal imaging in powder and bulk handling industries.
Rick works primarily with the Fike video analytics products, which monitor video streams for smoke or mist, dust clouds reflected flame and smoke. He also works with flame detection products, which are primarily used in aircraft hangars and petrochem plants, and thermal radiometry, which measures temperature surfaces. In this interview, he answers the following questions:
- Why would a facility handling powder and bulk materials consider using thermal imaging?
- What fire protection options are available with thermal imaging?
- How are the systems implemented?
- What are some specific examples and results?
Why Would a Facility Handling Powder and Bulk Materials Consider Using Thermal Imaging?
Rick explained that an estimated 72% of the events at powder and bulk material handling facilities are fires and fires can start out as smouldering material inside or outside of a process. The remaining events are explosion incidents that require a spark to ignite.
“Our goal is to identify the hotspots, or areas of increasing temperature, to remove the heat source behind the potential incident,” he said.
The committee for NFPA 652 acknowledges the benefit of temperature monitoring in areas with dust hazards. The newest recommendations include identifying and removing potential ignition sources. Rick noted that in companies in the cruise ship industry have asked Fike to evaluate engines for hot spots and install thermal monitoring to identify a potential ignition point. This can avoid explosions due to oil mist that can cause loss of revenue, safety, and credibility in addition to expensive repairs.
What Fire Protection Options are Available with Thermal Imaging?
Thermal cameras measure the surface temperature of anything in their field of view, which can cover many pieces of equipment or an entire process. Specific hazards that can be monitored include:
- Bearings
- Silos
- Hoppers
- Big bags
- Dust collectors
- Process piping
- Ductwork
Separate zones can be created to individually monitor specific processes and have unique alarm points per zone. The cameras measure and store information, which can be used to create a predictive maintenance plan. They can record events or provide full recordings if connected to an NVR, so if a fire occurs, managers can analyze the video and see what could have caused the event, how the firefighters responded, and how employees responded.
How are the Systems Implemented?
When a facility requests a thermal imaging system, Fike will visit the site and, with an owner’s expert, identify ignition sources and pinpoint the best location for the cameras. The cameras will then be mounted and wire run to a monitoring point and a computer.
“The system is then monitored for about a week or so to identify the normal temperature and then we work with the end-user to set alarm temperatures above the normal temperatures,” Rick explained. “We’ll also have alarm outputs that could be 4 to 20 relay outputs. They’ll be connected to a DCS or PLC or other monitoring equipment.”
What are Some Specific Examples and Results?
Rick recalled one installation in a waste plant using the triple IR HD detector. The day after they installed the detector, a small fire occurred. Within four months, three fires were detected. The customer’s safety management discovered that the first fire was not reported.
“They were now able to go back (and do) some training with their operators to make sure that they report everything that happens. Having the video allowed them to easily investigate the incident cause and evaluate and improve response measures.”
Conclusion
Rick confirmed that Fike customers have been surprised at the results recorded by the cameras. This monitoring often raises awareness of housekeeping and safety response issues. Attention to these matters can prevent fires and explosions from happening in the first place, which is why monitoring is so strongly encouraged.
If you would like to discuss further, leave your thoughts in the comments section below. You can also reach Rick Jeffress directly:
Tel: 202-888-1102
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-jeffress-arm-cet-cfps-029a4319/
Website: https://www.fike.com/
If you have questions about the contents of this or any other podcast episode, you can go to our ‘Questions from the Community’ page and submit a text message or video recording. We will then bring someone on to answer these questions in a future episode.
Resources Mentioned
DustSafetyScience
Combustible Dust Incident Database
DustSafetyScience Podcast
Questions from the Community
2020 Digital Dust Safety Conference
Companies
Fike Corporation
Standards
NFPA 652
Previous Podcasts
DSS028: Recent changes to NFPA 69 Standard on Explosion Prevention Systems with Timothy Heneks
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