Analysis of fire and explosion hazards caused by industrial dusts with a high content of volatile matter

Abstract

The objective of the study is to indicate and analyse the influence of the parameters describing the composition and properties of the tested samples on their behaviour under fire and explosion hazard conditions. Research was carried out on six combustible dust samples from various industry sectors, in which dust is created due to technological processes and, consequently, fire and explosion hazards occur. A physicochemical analysis of the tested samples was performed to determine the technical and elemental composition and particle distribution, and TGA analysis was performed to determine the conditions of the devolatilization. The cloud and hot surface ignition tests were performed and the basic explosive parameters were determined. The analysis of the results obtained shows that there are no mutual dependencies between the parameters describing fire and explosion hazards, and the physicochemical parameters are not explicitly decisive when it comes to the occurrence of these hazards. It was found that the main factor influencing dust ignition is the devolatilization, especially the temperature at which the devolatilization rate is the highest. The research showed that there are certain dependencies and connections between the properties of the samples and their susceptibility to ignition or explosion proneness. However, to develop a precise assessment of dust fire and explosion hazards considering the ATEX directives, it is still necessary to carry out complete dust tests.