ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 18
COLUMN HVAC FUNDAMENTALS
FIGURE 1 Outdoor dust collector with explosion vents.
and the connected devices downstream react. Along
with a suppression system, which could use water
or chemicals to extinguish the flames, an abort gate
can also be connected to the detector. An abort gate
is a system that prevents the explosion from entering
the collector and redirects the flames outside the
ductwork. Or, if the air is being recirculated into the
building, it would prevent the flames from reentering
the building (Figure 2).
Explosion Vent, Flame Diverter and Inlet Isolation
These systems aid in reducing damage when an
explosion occurs in the system. An explosion vent is a
designed weak point in the collector to allow the release
of pressure in case of an explosion. Instead of having
the whole collector be torn into pieces, which would be
very dangerous for anyone around it, an explosion vent
allows the collector to stay intact while safely venting the
pressure of the explosion out of the machine.
A flame diverter does a similar job as the explosion
vent. Instead of preventing a fire and explosion, it allows
the system to fail more safely. The flame-front diverter
redirects the explosion from entering the main collector
and causing a worse explosion.
Safety Measures
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
requires one or more explosion prevention or protection
devices installed in a dust collection system. This
includes explosion venting, flame suppression, isolation
and others. Refer to NFPA 68 for explosion venting and
NFPA 69 for suppression and isolation.
Electrical Grounding
This is the most simple form of explosion prevention.
It involves the electrical grounding of all metallic
surfaces in the entire system. Not only should all
ductwork be grounded, but also all frames, supports,
fans and any other piece of equipment that is a part
of the dust collection system. The dust collector itself
should also be grounded. This is a very affordable
process and should be done on every collection system.
Spark Detection and Suppression System
This system involves having spark detectors
upstream in the collection system that are connected
to a fire suppression system within the ductwork.
The detector registers a fire or spark within the duct,
18
ASHRAE JOURNAL ashrae.org A U G UST 2024
Last, an inlet isolation valve prevents the flame-front
from propagating back through the ductwork and into
the inside of the building. It acts very similarly to a
backflow preventer for water, allowing air to flow one
direction during normal operation but closing when
the air attempts to flow the opposite direction in the
FIGURE 2 Dust collector diagram.
Abort Gate
Clean Air
Output
Inlet Isolation
Valve
Spark
Detection
Dirty Air
Intake
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ASHRAE Journal - August 2024
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASHRAE Journal - August 2024
Contents
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - Intro
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - Cover1
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - Cover2
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 1
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - Contents
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 3
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 4
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 5
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 6
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 7
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 8
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 9
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 10
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 11
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 12
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 13
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 14
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 15
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 16
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 17
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 18
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 19
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 20
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 21
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 22
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 23
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 24
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 25
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 26
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 27
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 28
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 29
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 30
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 31
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 32
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 33
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 34
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 35
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 36
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 37
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 38
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 39
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 40
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 41
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 42
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 43
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 44
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 45
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 46
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 47
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 48
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 49
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 50
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 51
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 52
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 53
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 54
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 55
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 56
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 57
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 58
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 59
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 60
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 61
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 62
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 63
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 64
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 65
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 66
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 67
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 68
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 69
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 70
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 71
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - 72
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - Cover3
ASHRAE Journal - August 2024 - Cover4
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