Dust explosion parameters of polyester resin

Abstract

In the process industries, fires and explosions tend to result in numerous casualties, property loss, and social outcry. When a dust is ignited at a specific ratio of air to energy, the explosion causes violent pressure escalation and severe damage. Furthermore, a dust explosion may induce a second, more severe one at any moment. We examined the chemical dust of polyester resin to determine various explosion characteristic parameters, such as particle size, minimum ignition energy, maximum explosion pressure (Pmax), maximum pressure rise rate [(dP dt−1)max], lower explosion limit, minimum oxygen concentration, and deflagration index (Kst), using a particle size analyzer, minimum ignition energy analyzer, and 20-L apparatus. According to the experimental results, when the mean particle size for polyester resin is 1.20 μm and the ignition energy is sufficient, a dust explosion can happen. The Pmax and (dP dt−1)max of polyester resin were 7.1 bar absolute (bara) and 374.7 bara s−1, respectively. Kst was 101.7 m bara s−1, indicating that the explosion class of polymer resin is St–1. On the laminar burning velocity results, its burning velocity was 0.8 m s−1.