Explosion Vented Equipment System Protection Guide

ROBERT C. COMER, P.E., is a Life Member of the National Society of Professional Engineers. He served as President of the New Jersey, Morris County Association of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors for two years. He holds seven patents. He retired as the Site Engineering Manager for M & M, Mars, Inc. and has been a consultant to Hazards Research, Inc. for the last 25 years. He has been a consultant to plants all over the world, analyzing over 200 dust explosion vented equipment systems.

Forward xii

Preface xvii

How to use this book xix

Part 1: Introduction

Part 1: Structural analysis and design for reinforcing dust handling systems              

Chapter 1: Design criteria and general theory 1

Chapter 2: Square/Rectangular Dust Collectors: walls, roof and hopper sections 7

Chapter 3: Round Cylindrical Dust Colectors 43

Chapter 4: Reinforcing member to panel weld analysis and Port (nozzle) 58

Chapter 5: Access doors, hinges and latches 72

Chapter 6: Explosion vent ducts, mill air inlet ducts, blast deflectors, and    86          

Chapter 7: Explosion vent duct weather covers 136

Chapter 8: Dust collector stability 144

Chapter 9: System explosion isolation 150

Chapter 10: Screw conveyors rotary airlock valves and isolation valves 152

Chapter 11: Grounding of systems 155

Chapter 12: Housekeeping 161

Appendix A: Part 1 worksheets 164

Part 2: Explosion relief element and flowing pressure (PRed) analysis 193

Chapter 13: Know your process dust characteristics 195

Chapter 14: Venting analysis of dust handling systems 200

Chapter 15: Duct back pressure considerations 220

Chapter 16: Other methods of explosion pressure reduction 229

Appendix 2: Part 2 worksheets 230

References 234

Index 235