Purpose
The purpose of the dust explosibility test is to determine whether a product has the potential for combustion. This is a basic test relevant to any facility working with dust products.
This test is most commonly chosen when it is unclear whether the dust can give rise to dust explosion hazards due to the composition (a large amount of inert material (e.g. moisture, ash, oxide), particle size distribution (coarse material), or chemical structure.
Method
Gexcon performs the explosibility test according to EN 80079-20-2 “Explosive atmospheres – Part 20-2: Material Characteristics – Combustible dust test methods” and the Kühner AG: “Operating Instructions 20-l-Apparatus“, Ver. 7.1.
During the test, we disperse various amounts of the dust sample in question inside a 20-litre explosion apparatus thus creating dust clouds of different concentrations. Then, we expose these dust clouds to a 2kJ ignition source (chemical igniters) and see if they explode.
Benefit
If the result shows that the product is combustible, you can take necessary preventive and mitigation measures to avoid the occurrence of devastating incidents.
To ensure that you are not under-/ overpredicting the necessary measures, additional tests can be performed to understand better your product’s ignition and explosion properties.
Dust explosibility test enquiries
Do you have any questions about the test? Please submit them through the form below.
