 |
When people think about industrial explosions, they generally consider petroleum distillation facilities, propane plants, ammunition, fireworks plants, coal mines and fertilizer plants – places that handle inherently dangerous materials. People usually don’t consider ordinary food products such as corn starch or sugar as an explosive fuel source.
Dust explosions occur when there is a presence of combustible dust suspended in air, an ignition source, and oxygen sufficient to sustain rapid combustion. A global study of industrial dust explosions shows that 48% of the dust explosions were in food production facilities
This paper is intended to clarify the differences between constructions for Ordinary and Hazardous Locations and explain why these differences are life-saving requirements. It explains why an equipment builder, qualified in Hazardous Location equipment, will not offer equipment that is underqualified for the specified location. The paper also describes the differences between the NEC and ATEX qualifications, and why equipment for one jurisdiction is not always applicable in the other jurisdiction.
