Fire Hazardous Areas/Places Related With Electrical

And static electricity could also be an issue

Any electrical device comes along with a fire hazard if it shorts out, burns out or even when it operates.

I would look at the whole facilty which might inlcude a kitchen area with hot water boilers and so on. I assume you only want the electrical side of things but I have to agree that housekeeping as in removeing fuel is imperative to prevent fires in the future!

You mention some sort of lamps, but every lamp can ignite paper. So you should basically start making a list of items that are there and categorize the possible fire hazard that comes with it. Some stuff will be low and some very high in the list.

But if you do so every electrical installation needs to be in this list!

Good luck!

Review the overload trip settings for every motor in the facility. Make sure that they are set no higher for the motor full-load-current as stated on the manufacturer's nameplate. Make records of the settings and the dates the settings were reviewed. Motors with correctly-set trips don't burn out; the trip oerates before that happens.

A great question.

To avoid electrical fire in any instllation following points are to be considered.

Keep electrical protective devices in proper working condition.

The Substation and switching equipments should be regularly checked for loose contacts and over heating if any.

The earthing system must be checked and properly maintained.

The switch room and space around switches to be kept clean ( proper house keeping)

As far as possible the cable trench and distribution net work should be properly maintained ( Cable tray / cable trench should be clear of all inflamable materials

Use fire retardent cables for new instllations and in paper storage areas try to provide fire proof electrical enclosers.These are available at much higher cost .

Periodical check of electrical systems is must for prevention of electrical fire.

Recently it has become more important to consider dust as a highly flammable material. I would expect that in a paper mill, paper dust could accumulate very quickly. If you want to prove this, gather some up and take it outdoors and light it. You will see that it burns very quickly. Secondly the hot embers may spread, leading to other fires.

There is a lot you can learn about potential hot spots using infrared sensing devices. They range from a non-contact thermometer to cameras that detect IR. But really, all you need is a spark.

I suppose this list could go on and on, especially if the actual cause was not clearly indicated. Properly labeled and storage of cleaning fluids could be something to consider. Even the use of steel wool could present a danger.

One favorite trick for starting a campfire is to light some steel wool with a 9 volt battery. This works best for clean steel wool right out of the bag or box. Rather amazing demonstration if you haven't seen it.

Your magnetic ballasts will generally become rather warm. In a failure mode, it could be a fire hazard. Years ago many of the manufactures started including a TCO (thermo cut off) switch inside it. You might have to check with the manufacturer to see if your ballasts have a TCO switch. I believe all of the newer ballasts have TCO device of some kind but they also run cooler because they are more efficient.

Fires in a paper mill are actually more likely to be related to heat, so check worn and overheating bearings, belts, etc and areas where waste product could build up, overheat and catch fire.

Good housekeeping (regular cleaning) and periodic inspection of equipment will go a LONG way to preventing this happening again. Additionally this is an inexpensive solution too so management should love it.

Also don't forget to check the tightness of electrical connections, as this is likely the second most likely cause of fires you may face.

_{Jack - A hazardous area equipment inspector.}

In addition of all precautionery measures already explained, in your paper mill, I think VFDs are used for motors.Therefore, it is suggested to carry out Harmonic analysis to find out presence of harmonics in power distribution system. High harmonics content generates extra heat/loss for which temperature may rise and may cause fire.

Manindra.

In Asian countries we lack discipline. Is whole factory declared Non Smoking Area?. Fire may due to some one who has thrown half burnt Bidi (cheaper version of cigarette) in heap of paper around. Of course it is necessary to check all electrical instillations for safety reasons.

Electrical fire can be contained if we eliminate the presence of elevated temperatures in circuit conductors. You need to ensure that circuit and load protective device setting are appropriate and functional. Inappropriate circuit breaker and over current relay settings are recipe for fire. For your protective devices to respond promptly, your installation grounding must be effective.

Add to your list - get a good infrared temperature meter and start checking connection points, such as breakers to the mains in a panel box and wires to lugs on disconnects and to breakers. Until we got one at this plant, we had no idea how many of these devices, with screws, loosen up, corrode, then the added resistance generates a lot of heat. Get a bit of paper dust in one of them and you have a fire very quickly.

Dear Friends;

Thanks a lot to share your views. I got some points which were not in my mind but are helpfull.

Hi Phys

I have started working to make a list of those connection points for which their temperature would be checked via infrared temperature gun. I want to ask that;

· The temperature of those connection points should be checked and logged where 1A or greater current is following. Is it ok?

· What should be the frequency of this test, I think after three month would be sufficient?

I have also started working to prepare a list of all overloads and there normal set point as guided by PWSlack.

Loads below 1A probably won't cause a problem - every 3 months is a good starting point - you may eventually extend this period if nothing is changing.

you may ask some expert for infrared testing. some insurance companies do it for free. you may also ask your insurance company for a risk inspection at your site. in india they do it as a value added service. check how the lahore people do it. there is nothing wrong if you get some expert loss control measures even if you have to pay.

where exactly in your paper mill did the fire take place? it has been observed that poor electrical maintenance is one of the prime causes of fires in many industries. storage near electrical fittings, excessive storage near machinery and electrical fittings due to production pressure, poor access to firefighting equipment or inadequately designed firefighting system are other contributing factors.