The Development and Testing of a Prototype Mini-Baghouse to Control the Release of Respirable Crystalline Silica from Sand Movers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Alexander, Barbara M. ; Cauda, Emanuele G. ; Esswein, Eric J. ; Feng, H. Amy ; Gressel, Michael G. ; King, Bradley S. ; Kratzer, Jerry L. ; Miller AL
• Description:
  Inhalation of respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is a significant risk to worker health during well completions operations (which include hydraulic fracturing) at conventional and unconventional oil and gas extraction sites. RCS is generated by pneumatic transfer of quartzcontaining sand during hydraulic fracturing operations. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) researchers identified concentrations of RCS at hydraulic fracturing sites that exceed 10 times the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) and up to 50 times the NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit (REL). NIOSH research identified at least seven point sources of dust release at contemporary oil and gas extraction sites where RCS aerosols were generated. NIOSH researchers recommend the use of engineering controls wherever they can be implemented to limit the RCS released. A control developed to address one of the largest sources of RCS aerosol generation is the NIOSH mini-baghouse assembly, mounted on the thief hatches on top of the sand mover. This manuscript details the results of a trial of the NIOSH minibaghouse at a sand mine in Arkansas, November 18 - 21, 2013. During the trial, area air samples were collected at 12 locations on and around a sand mover with and without the mini-baghouse control installed. Analytical results for respirable dust and RCS indicate the use of the mini-baghouse effectively reduced both respirable dust and RCS downwind of the thief hatches. Reduction of airborne respirable dust ranged from 85% to 98%; reductions in airborne RCS ranged from 79% to 99%. A bulk sample of dust collected by the baghouse assembly showed the likely presence of freshly fractured quartz, a particularly hazardous form of RCS. Planned future design enhancements will increase the performance and durability of the mini-baghouse, including an improved bag clamp mechanism and upgraded filter fabric with a modified air-to-cloth ratio. Future trials are planned to determine additional respirable dust and RCS concentration reductions achieved through these design changes. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Dust Engineering Environmental Exposure Environmental Monitoring Lung Lung Diseases Occupational Health Quartz Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Silicon Dioxide Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Air Samples Author Keywords: Respirable Crystalline Silica Baghouse Crystalline Silica Dust Exposure Dust Inhalation Dusts Engineering Controls Exposure Levels Fracking Hydraulic Fracturing Oil And Gas Extraction Pulmonary System Pulmonary System Disorders Quartz Dust Respirable Dust Respiration Risk Factors Sampling Sand Work Environment Worker Health Workers

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• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 8 ; Pennsylvania ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology ; WSD - Western States Division ; SMRD - Spokane Mining Research Division ; PMRD - Pittsburgh Mining Research Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  13
• Issue:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20047753
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2016 Aug; 13(8):628-638
• Contact Point Address:
  Barbara M. Alexander, PhD, PE, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Applied Research and Technology, 1090 Tusculum Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 45226
• Email:
  BAlexander@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• NORA Priority Area:
  Oil and Gas Extraction
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:69256b6e120be1d2583b119451ecdbb76425659de85face0c2e407805f8b8017784e7eeae657c91e96a5342564731b8ca9809991e3b863e2d1c438d4d11aa12f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/228237/cdc_228237_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.21 MB ]