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Explosion disasters can strike ......... |
September 07, 2005 |
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Posted by at September 7, 2005 09:36 AM |
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Disaster can strike at almost any facility that processes bulk materials. Did you know that almost 70% of all powders are explosive? I read that somewhere and it makes sense when you think of what it takes to create an explosion.
I recently found an interesting research article published as a set of web pages entitled "An Introduction To Dust Explosions". It's published by the School of Engineering and Science in Edinburgh, Scottland in the United Kingdom. So what does it take for a dust explosion? According to this research article it takes the following:
What's needed for a dust explosion to occur?
- Combustible dust
- Airborne dust
- Dust distribution and size capable of flame propagation
- Dust concentration within explosible range
- Ignition source present
- An atmosphere that supports combustion, i.e. sufficient oxygen
This might describe many environments within your plant, right? The subject of this article deals with only one of these elements, the ignition source. In addition, I recommend you take a close look at the information presented by the School of Engineering and Science in Edinburgh, Scottland (click logo).
Ignition sources
There are many possible sources of ignition for a dust explosion. These include the following:
- Open flames (welding, cutting, matches, etc)
- Hot surfaces (dryers, bearings, heaters, etc)
- Heat from mechanical impacts
- Electrical discharges
- Electrostatic discharges
- Smouldering or burning dust
Electrical equipment can create "electrical discharges" and possibly "electrostatic discharges". With proper classification, manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment we can minimize problems created by electrical equipment during normal operation and during faults. In the United States the National Electric Code (NEC) dictates requirements and their are several organizations and standards that can be utlized to help with the design of equipment that can be used in what is termed "hazardous areas".
One type of electrical equipment that may be found in hazardous areas is electronic instrumentation. This includes, but is not limited to, point level indicators, continuous level measuring equipment, weighing sensors, as well as other instruments.
Free Whitepaper
When applying elecrtical instrumentation in a wide variety of industrial environments we must be aware of the type of area the instruments are being installed within. Making sense of these classified areas can sometimes be difficult. Download the free white paper for information and guidance regarding area classifications and required approvals for instrumentation.
In addition, whatever your "area classification" requirements may be, Monitor Technologies has a full line of level measuring and solids flow detecting instruments approved for use within most hazardous areas. Take a look and let us put our creative solutions to work for you.
Credits: the photo used in this blog is provided courtesy of Flamex, Inc. of Greensboro, NC. An article with this photo can be found at their website. Click here
Joe Lewis
Vice President - Marketing & Sales
Monitor Technologies LLC
Phone: 800-766-6486 or +1-630-365-9403
Email: jlewis@monitortech.com
