WorldWide Drilling Resource

57 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® JULY 2014 Deadly Dust Compiled by Amy White, Associate Editor WorldWide Drilling Resource ® According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), under the right circumstances and conditions, dust can be highly dangerous and even deadly. Industries which involve processing plastics, rubber, coal, metals, and fossil fuel power generation produce com- bustible dust. Dust explosions can be prevented by learning what causes them and what OSHA is doing to prevent these deadly occurrences. Combustible dust is a solid materi- al made of many separate particles. When these particles are suspended in the air, they can become a fire hazard. Released dust stacking up on a sur- face and not being captured is known as “fugitive dust.” This dust can accumulate over time or as a result of a specific event or malfunction. An occurrence such as a dust explosion, conventional explo- sion, or sudden leak can disperse dust particles. If these particles come into contact with a source of ignition, second- ary explosions can occur in a chain reac- tion throughout a facility. According to OSHA, many secondary explosions have occurred in conjunction with dust explo- sions throughout history. Together, oxygen, heat, and fuel (dust particles in this case) make up the fire triangle. Dispersion of enough con- centrated dust particles can cause rapid combustion known as deflagration. A building, room, vessel, or process equip- ment can confine an event causing pres- sure to rise. The result could be an explosion. Oxygen, heat, fuel, dispersion, and confinement are collectively known as the “Dust Explosion Pentagon.” An explo- sion cannot occur unless all five of these factors are present. In an attempt to prevent dust explo- sions, OSHA recommends a complete hazard assessment to identify factors which could contribute to an explosion. Assessments should be completed for: $ All materials handled $ All operations conducted, includ- ing by-products $ Al l spaces, including hidden ones $ All potential ignition sources Image courtesy of osha.gov Mining in the USA Part 24 Compiled by Amy White, Associate Editor WorldWide Drilling Resource ® South Dakota has a rich and color- ful mining history. Black Hills gold is undoubtedly its most famous natural resource, but a wealth of valuable min- erals can be found in theMount Rushmore State. The Black Hills gold rush story has been told and retold. Accounts are includ- ed in numerous history books, fictional novels, and most recently in the loosely- based historical HBO series, Deadwood . Sensational times and fabulous fortunes of the Black Hills gold rush era were wild and short-lived for the most part. The actual gold rush in Deadwood and Lead began in 1875 and ended in 1877; however, gold has played a huge role in the area’s history, economy, and development. Toward the end of the gold rush, mining industrialist George Hearst and his business partners purchased one of the most promising claims in the Lead/Deadwood area, and incorporat- ed it as the Homestake Mine. The pur- chase led to a legacy of technical and civic accomplishments. Before it closed in 2002, Homestake Gold Mine was the oldest, largest, and deepest mine in the Western Hemisphere, reaching more than 8000 feet below the town of Lead. The only remaining large-scale gold mine in South Dakota is Wharf Resources. This large open-pit mine southwest of Lead employs 170 people and expects to produce about 65,000 ounces of gold this year. The state’s current economy also benefits from the mining of nonmetallic industrial minerals such as sand and gravel. These resources can be found in almost every county of South Dakota, and are used primarily in the construc- tion of roads. Due to its hardness, uniformity, and attractive pink appearance, Sioux quartzite is a multimillion dollar mining industry in Minnehaha County. Sioux quartzi te has been used for bui ldings and as crushed rock for paving South Dakota’s roads. Ma n y o f t h e state’s highways are sparkl ing pink as a result. Pegmatite mining for mica, feldspar, and rose quartz is still taking place in the southern Black Hills. Limestone, shale, and gypsum are mined and used for mixing cement at the South Dakota Cement Plant. The Dakota Granite Company quarries granite which is used for industrial and decorative pur- poses, and is often shipped to interna- tional markets. South Dakota Black Hills, South Dakota miners. Photo courtesy of miningartifacts.org Pink highway paved with Sioux quartzite. Photo cour- tesy of slothcentral.com There are drilling stories only you can tell. E-mail editorial@ worldwidedrillingresource.com