Chemical Engineering June 2012 - 26

Fike
Equipment News Roundup
EXPLOSIONS:
ARE YOU PREPARED?
Explosion protection
equipment can
minimize damage,
but process
understanding is
key to optimized
solutions
Fike
A
n explosion is defined as " a
rapid increase in volume and
release of energy in an extreme
manner, " and is usually accompanied
by high temperature generation
and gas release. Flammable
gases, vapors, dusts and ambient
oxygen - all present in chemical processing
facilities - can react to cause
an explosion that essentially creates
a shock wave.
As a result of modern production
technologies and increased production
capacity, an explosion is a threat
chemical processors confront daily,
says Gerd Mayer, president of Rembe
(Charlotte, N.C.; www.rembe.com).
While there are Occupational Safety
and Health Admin. (OSHA; Washington,
D.C.; www.osha.gov) standards
and industry guidelines - namely
OSHA's Combustible Dust National
Emphasis Program and NFPA's 654,
68 and 69 - chemical processors are
still often confused when it comes to
selecting and installing explosion protection
systems.
" Protection is very different than
prevention, " explains Vahid Ebadat,
CEO of Chilworth North America
Designed for use with square or rectangular
explosion vents, FlamQuench
SQ technology consists of various layers
of high temperature stainless steel
that absorb heat produced during
combustion. This allows conventional
venting to be done indoors with no
release of fl ame
An ECARO-25 (photo, top right) clean
agent fi re-suppression system is suitable
for protecting electronics and
high-value assets, thus reducing the
threat of needless downtime and business
interruption
(Princeton, N.J.; www.chilworth.com).
" When it comes to explosion protection,
what you're saying is that you
are anticipating that an explosion will
occur, but you have designed your processes
and equipment in such a way
that when an explosion does occur,
people won't be harmed and the facility
won't be damaged. "
And, he continues, in order to do
this, operators need to have a clear
understanding of their operations and
processes, as well as the chemicals
being used and the associated risks
they create. " Knowledge of the maximum
pressure and the severity of the
explosion that could occur as a result
26 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JUNE 2012
Pepperl+Fuchs
For industrial signal transmission many
users insist on single loop integrity.
Others need compact mounting. With a
module width of only 12.5 mm and single
channel functionality, the new KC-Modules
of the K-System combine these two
requirements, making them suitable for
use in hazardous areas
of ignition of the flammable gas, vapor
or dust cloud atmosphere is imperative, "
he says.
In addition, the objectives of the facility
owners must be evaluated, says
Bruce McLelland, national accounts
sales manager for explosion protection
with Fike Corp. (Blue Springs,
http://www.chilworth.com http://www.rembe.com http://www.osha.gov http://WWW.CHE.COM
Chemical Engineering June 2012

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