Fire Protection in Textile and Non-Woven Mills

Fire Risk

Textile and nonwoven mills have experienced fires in the Opening, Blending, Cleaning, Carding, Spinning, Weaving, and Filtration areas since the introduction of electrically operated machinery. In the past, these fires were controlled by alert mill employees who were able to bring manually operated fire extinguishers and fire hoses to the machine and fight the fire. Even if the fire was relatively large, it normally only damaged one or two machines.

With the introduction of automated high speed Production Machinery and Air Filtration systems, the product moves from the Opening through Carding processes without being touched by humans. The material is transported at speeds ranging from 10 meters per second to 25 meters per second. If a fire is started in one machine it can be transported to the next machine in less than one second. The fire can be spread through a complete Blow Room installation in less than one minute. This is normally too fast for the limited personnel in the area to react and stop the machinery so that they may fight the fire. Even if the machinery could be stopped quickly enough by an operator, the machines are normally completely enclosed in their housings, therefore making it impossible for a person to discharge an extinguisher or fire hose into the machinery.

As a result of the high stock transport speeds, the enclosed machinery, and a reduced number of personnel in the area - when fire strikes an automated Blow Room installation it is possible to burn out several machines as well as the filters. With the increased cost and efficiency of the new automated machinery, most modern Blow Rooms have only two or three lines of this machinery. Therefore, when a line of machinery is burned out, the production of the Blow Room is reduced by one half or one third until the machinery can be repaired or replaced. This large drop in production underlines the need for serious fire protection planning by production-conscious mill managers.

Fire Prevention

It is far better to prevent the fire than it is to fight it after it has started. Therefore, the first steps in fire planning must include such things as machinery maintenance to assure that the machine will not start a fire by itself. Fire can start as a result of loose parts or poorly aligned bearings and shafts. If proper maintenance is practiced, most fires of a machine origin can be eliminated. This not only includes alignment of parts, but also proper lubrication and careful attention to electric motors.

Although it is frequently difficult to have complete control of accumulations of waste, it is important that this “housekeeping” portion of fire prevention be observed. Periodic cleaning around machines is of extreme importance.

Careful attention to broken wire bale straps occurring upon opening of the bales is extremely important. Broken pieces of wire bale straps are frequently introduced into opening machines, and will almost always start fires. This is the direct responsibility of the person charged with opening the bales prior to introducing them into the machines. Automatic fire protection systems on a Traveling or Circular Bale Opener will detect and suppress sparks and fire both inside the Bale Opener as well as on the cotton laydown.

Magnets and heavy material traps located in the stock transfer ducts are a way of reducing the problem of transporting fire-starting material in the stock ducts. A more effective way of eliminating metal is by using a high speed Metal Detector that will operate a pneumatic diverter. There are now Metal Detection and Diversion systems available on the market that will detect ferrous and non-ferrous metal as small a 2mm and divert it into a collector box less than 2 meters away. These high-speed diverters occupy less than 4 meters of total duct space.

Even after all precautions have been taken, fires will continue to be a textile mill problem. These fires are caused by material “choke ups” in rotating machinery which will cause friction induced fires. It is almost impossible to prevent every fire-starting piece of foreign material from entering the process (such as stones), and even good maintenance practice will not prevent every machine malfunction from occurring.

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