Transcripción del resumen del autor: The minimum ignition energy (MIE) of dust clouds is required to assess the electrostatic ignition risk. Recently, the growing number of accidents shows that re and explosions occurring in reworks industry are due to electrostatic discharge (ESD). The objective of the this paper is to discuss the various practical concerns during the handling of ash powders of various compositions containing potassium nitrate, sulfur, and aluminum in reworks. These powders form dust clouds and cause res and explosions because the MIEs of these dust clouds are very low. This study is carried out with powders of various sizes ranging from micron and nanometer. The measurements are done by using a 1.2-L Hartmann apparatus. The experimental results show that the MIEs for ash powders are in the range from 89.2 to 19.8 mJ for micronand nano-sized particles. The experimental results are given for various changes, such as: electrode gap, electrode material, and dust concentration, dust composition, etc. If the nano ash powder is mixed with micron powders, the MIE is greatly reduced, and it becomes extremely combustible. Therefore, it is imperative for reworks manufacturers, or anyone handling these dusts, to take precautionary measures to prevent res and explosions involving ESDs.

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