×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Dry Paint Filters - Spontaneous Combustion?

Dry Paint Filters - Spontaneous Combustion?

Dry Paint Filters - Spontaneous Combustion?

(OP)
We've finally reached the modern age on our plant painting line, replacing waterfalls with dry filters to reduce haz disposal costs. They've been in place a few weeks now with no issues until now.

Last night after what was thought to be a routine filter change, some discarded filters caught fire. The old filters were stacked in a hopper when the fire occurred.

We did some googling and did find some reports of spontaneous combustion on stacked filters that may have contained a considerable amount of moisture. This technology unfortunately is new to our plant so we're in a learning curve on best practices.

I am interested in finding out what practical safety precautions can be instituted to minimize the chance of SC reoccurrence. Thanks!

RE: Dry Paint Filters - Spontaneous Combustion?

Best source of info is the local government agency overseeing storage of hazardous materials.  There's a good chance your Fire Department has a HazMat officier or can refer you to a City or County agency.

Used paint filters are considered rather hazardous due to solvents and pigments (zinc, chromates).  Fire Code may require storing 1) under water and/or 2) in a steel container (like a flammables storage cabinet for solvents & paints).

RE: Dry Paint Filters - Spontaneous Combustion?

Stacking the filters can trap fumes from evaporating, causing friction, thus heat, thus fire. We have incorporated this dry filter system as well. Our procedure is to hang the filters to allow them to completely evaporate and dry, then disposal.
Hope this helps.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources