Abstract
Combustible dusts which are present in workplaces are a significant hazard which cannot be ignored by the plant owners, managers and workers. Combustible dust deflagrations and explosions have caused large numbers of deaths and catastrophic property damages in various industries, ranging from pharmaceutical plants to sugar factories. One may say that dust explosions in process industries always start inside process equipment such as mills, dryers, filters. Such events may occur in any process in which a combustible dust is handled, produced or stored, and can be triggered by any energy source, including static electricity, friction and hot surfaces. For any combustible dust type, several important parameters have to be taken into account when designing and using protective systems: i.e. the ease with which dust clouds ignite and their burning rates, maximum explosion pressure, maximum rate of explosion pressure rise. These parameters vary considerably depending on the dust type, their knowledge being a first step for carrying out a proper explosion risk assessment in installations which circulate combustible dusts. The paper presents the main aspects concerning explosion protection which have to be taken into account when designing protective systems intended to be used in explosive atmospheres generated by combustible dusts and the importance of selecting the proper explosion protection technique.
Highlights
Industrial explosions are known to be a significant hazard during the processing, storage and transportation of flammable materials
Such explosions can occur within any process which handles, produces or stores a combustible dust, and it can be triggered by any energy source, including static electricity, friction and hot surfaces
These parameters vary considerably depending on the dust type, their knowledge being a first step for carrying out a proper explosion risk assessment in installations which circulate combustible dusts
Summary
For any combustible dust type, several important parameters have to be taken into account when designing and using protective systems: i.e., the ease with which dust clouds ignite and their burning rates, maximum explosion pressure, maximum rate of explosion pressure rise. Maximum rate of explosion pressure rise – (dp/dt)max – the maximum value of pressure rise on the time unit in a confined vessel, during an explosion of an air-dust mixture with optimal concentration, in specified testing conditions – Figure 3 (see the cubic law – equation 1). The combustible dusts are classified according to the KSt value (explosion index for combustible dusts), as shown in table 2
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