In industrial plants many types of combustible dusts are generated, processed, handled and stored. When ignited, they can burn rapidly and with a considerable explosion force, when mixed with air in proper proportions. This is the reason why adequate precautions have to be adopted, to ensure all equipment is appropriately protected so that the ignition likelihood of the explosive atmosphere is diminished. Explosion preventing and protection precautions aim to stop explosion occurrence, by eliminating or avoiding the conditions leading to explosions. The paper presents methods of determining dust explosion characteristics and combustion as well as their importance for a proper development and selection of prevention and protection measures. Once known, the protection/prevention measures can be correlated with the safety characteristics. For explosion protection and prevention a series of minimum mandatory requirements have to be fulfilled, for a safe handling and processing of solid materials having fine particle dimensions, among which some are mentioned: knowing the characteristics influencing safety, control and monitoring dust releases in technological processes, installations design for migrating and accumulation of dusts, respectively implementing a rigorous cleaning program at workplaces.
Carcasses of electrical or non-electrical equipment operating in potentially explosive atmospheres must provide a certain degree of protection against access to hazardous parts, penetration of solid bodies and/or water penetration, which must be tested according to the specifications of the Ex protection types. Normal protection classes are indicated by the international IP code followed by two characteristic digits referring to the protection against penetration of solid foreign bodies and water protection, followed by optional letters if required by the beneficiary according to the imposed conditions of use. Within the ENExEMEIP laboratory, have been developed laboratory tests to verify the first characteristic figure of the standard degree of protection according to the standardized European method. In the paper is presented the test stand of the large gauge equipment, a stand made with state-of-the-art equipment that provides the necessary performance for the accreditation of the test according to the standardized requirements. Checking dustproof protection to equipment used in areas where explosive atmospheres generated by combustion dust may occur is particularly important for assessing compliance with the requirements of the ATEX Directive [5], as this protection is a basic requirement for explosion protection.
Non-electrical equipment has been used for over 150 years in industries with potentially explosive atmospheres and great experience has been gained with regard to the application of protective measures to reduce the risk of ignition down to an acceptable safety level. The use of non-electrical equipment in explosive atmospheres required the development of specific requirements with regard to the concept of protection against the ignition of explosive atmospheres, which to clearly define protection measures and to include the experience gained and extended over the years. The practical studies, laboratory research and methods for assessing and testing the hazard of ignition by hot surfaces presented within the paper have as main purpose the improvement of ignition hazard assessment in different operating conditions.
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