Dust explosions in baghouse dust collectors: A state-of-the-art review

Baghouse dust collectors are central to combustible-dust hazards, yet a collector-specific synthesis that explains the time evolution of dust explosions inside confined, obstacle-rich housing has been missing. This work presents, to the authors’ knowledge, the first equipment-specific literature review focused on baghouse dust collectors. A dedicated literature corpus derives a bibliometric map focused on collector research and systematizes full-scale and pilot-scale evidence on explosions in filter units. Viewed through this lens, the record shows how cleaning-driven transients and filter-pack congestion govern the observed pressure–time evolution in baghouses. Predictions of vessel-derived venting rules for the available baghouse campaigns and place them alongside collector-specific congestion formulations calibrated on nine full-scale tests, clarifying where each agrees with the evidence. Overall, this review offers a clear, collector-focused synthesis of the evidence to date, identifies the outstanding gaps and practical needs, and maps current research directions, giving researchers and practitioners a coherent entry point to the field. • Equipment-specific state-of-the-art on baghouse dust collectors. • Bibliometric mapping reveals a major evidence gap despite high incident share. • Synthesize pilot/full-scale data, clarify collector-specific transients. • Benchmarks vessel-based venting rules against collecting data and dynamics. • Sets a collector-aware agenda for DHA, vent sizing, and structural demand.