We are pleased to share that Powder & Bulk Solids included an extensive article by Dr. Scott Davis. The article titled “Advanced Tools to Evaluate Dust Explosions and Protective Systems” evaluates the use of CFD as a helpful tool in dust hazard evaluations.
Figure 1
Dust explosion modeling - explosion venting from a silo with FLACS-DustEx, Gexcon's advanced CFD dust explosion modelling software tool.
Article abstract
Effective protective systems are a critical part of mitigating the consequences of dust explosions. Protective measures that can be implemented include explosion venting to protect the structural integrity of the vessel or suppression to inhibit the combustion and extinguish the deflagration, each in combination with isolation to prevent the explosion from propagating between interconnected vessels or equipment. U.S. and European standards have been developed to help engineers protect and mitigate the consequences of industrial dust explosions.
While these standards have a great range of applicability for protective systems, significant uncertainty arises when:
- vessels are interconnected without the possibility of isolation
- systems have relatively complex designs that are not accurately captured by the correlations developed for much simpler geometries
- one wants to take advantage of actual process conditions (i.e. initial turbulence), which could result in significantly lower requirements than those prescribed in their respective safety standards
Under these conditions advanced CFD studies can help not only understand the risk but help design inherently safer facilities.
