Coal Cement Industry: pulverised Fuel,

MBM, PSP, Powder Explosion Suppression

Venting Explosion vent doors Isolation Silos
Filters Elevators Mills Ducts Pipelines
Cement and Steel Coal and Sustainable Energy: Venting Doors
The cement and steel industries have a long association with coal as a source of heat in their kiln
plant but now they experience the changing times of more sustainable fuels sources from tyres to
sludge pellets.

The Re-closing Door Method

Since most of the plant is located outside venting is not a major problem but they need to vent a
lot of kinetic energy from the mills to filter to silos and prevent the reintroduction of flesh air
after the explosion event to minimise subsequent fires or secondary explosions. The most
popular choice for endurance and efficiency is the Thorwesten reclosing vent doors and flame
diverters. Vent 1 vents the primary explosion force reducing the velocity to the filter. Vent 2
deflects the resultant flame from the Filter. The Filter and silo are then vented as individual

components without the concern of flame jet ignition. Many of these systems are further
protected by inerting using Nitrogen or CO2. Important in these industries are the durability of
the explosion door and its reclosing feature to prevent the ingress of air after the explosion,
minimising the potential fire damage.

EXPLOSION DOORS: Self reclosing,

resettable & re-useable venting doors, plant
& buildings cement
The TV Explosion Door from ATEX is a high performance explosion venting solution for
aggressive environments. It provides economical explosion relief and prevents secondary fire
damage from oxygen intake by rapidly re-closing after the explosion is vented. We also offer a

light weight door for building protection.

Features

Fast response time

High efficiency vent area

Designed for aggressive environments

Long service life (low maintenance)

Low cost of operation

Spring-assisted automatic re-close prevents oxygen ingress and the 'chimney' effect.

Air-cushion design causes smooth deceleration, avoiding damage to the supporting

structure.

Optional vacuum breakers protect against implosion caused by rapid air cooling inside
the vessel.

Available Options

Construction: hot-dip-galvanised steel or stainless steel.

Vacuum breakers

Heating system (prevents obstruction by freezing weather)

Proximity switch (can be used to actuate secondary protection devices)

Concept and Operation

Self-re-closing Explosion Doors open against one or more baffle plates to absorb its kinetic
energy. This dramatically reduces damage to the supporting structure. After venting the door recloses and the unique door catches reseal the vent opening, minimizing the damage from fire. In
contrast, standard Explosion Vent Panels allow air supply into the protected vessel after the
initial explosion, increasing the potential damage from fire, especially in dust collectors and
silos.
The explosion doors can be round or rectangular, to facilitate most industrial applications. The
round explosion doors are ideal for silos and other vessels requiring top-mounting. The
rectangular explosion doors are available for heavy and light industrial environments. The units
can be mounted in a horizontal or vertical position. The heavy industrial explosion doors are
used on vessels such as dust collectors. The light industrial units can be used on weak structures
such as buildings. After explosions in virtually closed vessels, rapid cooling can cause

destructive vacuums. An integrated vacuum breaker

is available to prevent implosion.

EXPLOSION RELIEF PANELS: Cost

effictive, round & square, vacuum resistant
bursting disc
ATEX explosion vent panels are designed to provide cost-effective pressure relief, preventing
overpressure damage to the vessel wall.

Features

Extra low cost.

Low maintenance.

Wide range of relief pressures.

Optional pressure fatigue resistance.

Available Options

Range of sizes, both round and square.

Triple-section and domed designs ensure long service life.

Optional hygienic design (to pharmaceutical standards)

Optional flanges, seal gaskets and tools to suit various applications for high temperature,
vacuum and pressure resistance (especially pressure pulsing)..

Available with break-wire monitoring (can be used to actuate secondary protection

devices).

Concept and Operation

Non-re-closing and non-reusable weak panels which form part of the protected vessel wall, are
designed to burst at a predetermined pressure early in the development of an explosion. This
results in the main force of an explosion being dissipated into a designated safe venting area,
preventing deformation or rupture of the protected plant.

Q-Pipe (Q-Rohr) Q-Box Flameless Explosion

Venting System Inside Buildings
The Q-Pipe & Q-Box Flameless Explosion Vent from Atex is a safe indoor venting solution for
explosion protection of indoor processes in personnel areas. It uses a stainless steel mesh filter to
quench vented explosions and arrest flames.

Features

Ideal for small volume venting inside buildings.

Low cost installation and reconditioning after actuation.

Stand-alone, passive protection system.

Single integrated unit reduces the need for costly suppression systems.

Full compliance with NFPA and European requirements.

Available Options

Wide range of sizes.

Integrated break-wire monitoring as standard (can be used to actuate secondary

protection devices).

Concept and Operation

The Q-Pipe (now also available as a Q-Box) Flameless Vent System was developed in response
to a specific need, i.e. explosion venting inside buildings. Traditional explosion venting
technologies require a safe venting area (usually outdoors), where there is no risk of secondary
explosions or harm to personnel. Explosion vented plant has to be ducted out to a designated
(external) safe area (usually within 3 to 6 metres). The only alternative was to strengthen vessels
to withstand greater explosion pressures and/or to install relatively expensive explosion
suppression systems.
The Q-Pipe design allows venting of explosions without the attendant risks of an external fireball
and without the use of vent ducts. It is essentially a flame-arrester comprising a porous, heatabsorbing surface in the form of a pipe. The vented explosion enters the pipe, the gases are
cooled as they pass through the porous surface, dust is filtered out and the flame is quenched.
The internal surface-area of the Q-Pipe is designed so that the effective vent area is almost the
same as if the vent itself was free.

Explosion Diverter: Mechanical explosion

isolation device, vented flame pressure, safe
area, passive self closing rupture disc.
The TV Explosion Diverter from ATEX is a mechanical explosion isolation device which
protects ductwork and attached vessels by diverting vented flame and pressure to a safe area.

Features

Self-closing explosion door.

Passive system requires no electrical controls.

Sentinel switches to electrically signal other devices e.g. extinguishing barriers,

emergency plant shutdown etc.

Requires little or no reconditioning after an explosion.

Available Options

Rupture disc or self-re closing mechanism.

Ranges from 100 to 1100 mm diameter.

Concept and Operation

Operates by altering the direction of the natural flow to vent pressure and flame through an
integrated explosion door. When an explosion occurs it accelerates down the pipeline into the Ubend of the diverter. Rather than change direction, the explosion hits the door and vents out to a
safe area. When the energy has dissipated, the door will reclose preventing oxygen from entering
the pipeline. It prevents flame jet ignition and pressure-piling from travelling down pipelines but
cannot totally guarantee stopping explosions.