Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1366075
May 2021 / 23 REDUCING EXPLOSION RISKS WITH SMART EXPLOSION SAFETY SYSTEMS The risk of combustible dust explosions in the powder and bulk solids industry is sometimes part of the job. However, steps can be taken to reduce those risks, including implementing explosion safety technology into your processing system. This article describes the smart technology available to help reduce the explosion risks in processes involving combustible dust. Jeramy Slaunwhite, Rembe thought. For example, when driving our cars, we rely on many passive and active safety and control systems including seatbelts, anti-collision systems, automatic breaking, and airbags. Each system has a hazard management role at various stages of risk and conse- quence. Some systems are fully automated, whereas others respond to driver input. The obvious primary objective in a car is to avoid a collision, with a second- ary goal being to minimize injury to the occupants. Similarly, the primary objective of explosion safety is to prevent explosions, and the secondary goal is to minimize the consequences. W hen wood, flour, sugar, or other powder and bulk solids are included in the mate- rial handling process, there's a chance that combustible dust will be produced, potentially leading to an explosion. Explosion hazards are an apparent reality for many manufacturing and processing facili- ties. Managing explosion hazards can include various concepts and magnitudes of risk identification and reduction. Conventional explosion protection systems rely on the initiation of a deflagration event to acti- vate the protection system. Examples of deflagration indicators include rising internal pressure that opens deflagration vent panels or the electronic detection of a spark or pressure rise to activate a chemical explosion suppression system. In this way, conventional systems are reactive to an initiated explosive event rather than proactive. While there's often no practical and reli- able substitute for explosion protection systems, the ideal scenario is to prevent explosion conditions before reaching a critical hazardous state. Explosion hazard management occurs at different stages, depending on where the hazard is in develop- ment. At each stage, a respective amount of cost and effort is required to control influencing conditions and revert to a normal operating state. This ranges from simple tasks such as housekeeping to manage dust accumulation to refurbishing a vessel following a vented deflagration. As we move into the Industry 4.0 era with the automation of traditional manufacturing and industrial practices and artificial intelligence and interconnected smart devices increasingly become part of our daily lives, the opportunity and practicality of implementing these technologies for fire and explosion safety is also growing. We accept and rely on automation, sensors, and algorithm controls on a daily basis without a second FIGURE 1 There are five necessary elements of combustible dust explosions. Fuel Oxygen Dust dispersion Ignition source Containment