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Spontaneous ignition of milk powders in a spray‐drying plant
Author(s) -
BEEVER PAULA
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
international journal of dairy technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.061
H-Index - 53
eISSN - 1471-0307
pISSN - 1364-727X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-0307.1984.tb01246.x
Subject(s) - ignition system , spray drying , spontaneous combustion , environmental science , skimmed milk , materials science , waste management , chemical engineering , chemistry , food science , engineering , coal , aerospace engineering
A company operating a spray‐drying plant for skimmed milk and fat‐filled powders asked the Fire Research Station for help in determining the cause of a series of fires. The subsequent investigation showed that the powders could undergo spontaneous ignition in certain circumstances. The thicknesses of powder deposit on the spray‐drier walls necessary for there to be a risk of self‐ignition were calculated. These were sufficiently close to those encountered in practice to suggest that self‐ignition represents a real problem. Mechanisms for the occurrence of fires in the fluid‐bed instantizers are also put forward. Preventive measures are suggested.