Originally Posted by WOJTAR

How should I do with vents -> they should go outside the building.

Every effort should be made to ensure that explosion relief panels vent to safe areas outside buildings. Venting inside a building risks frying your workers with a sheet of flame and initiating a secondary explosion, both of which are not good ideas! ■

Originally Posted by WOJTAR

I have to design silo for powderous chili pepper. Due to explosion risk silo has to be inerted with nitrogen. Does anybody know such solutions? Do you know companies offering complete solutions with inert gas blanketing, venting filters, pressure-vacuum relief devices? Another problem is that the silo will be situated inside the building. How should I do with vents -> they should go outside the building.

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A search for "food grade storage tanks" will give you many links for your research.

A company I am familiar with is

www.columbiantectank.com

which absorbed peabodytectank in an aquisition, builds food grade tanks for foods with explosive dust including sugar and flour etc. and they offer complete design and installation world wide.

It would most likely cost you more to design and build one your self versus using a proven system from Columbiantec tank.

They offer complete design and installation service and their experience in the food industry is well known.

disclaimer:

I have no affiliation with columbiantectank

lzaharis ■

You position your silo explosion relief panels so that the ducts go either through the roof for panels in the silo top, or through building walls for panels in the silo sides. Tests ducts should be straight and as short as possible to minimise any additional back pressure that can impare venting.

Best approach is to position the silo in the building to suit the ducts from the panels. ■

Have you got explosive data for chilli peppers ? What is the Kst value? If you don't have this data get your material tested for it. If Kst is above 200 then you should be thinking of inerting.

Nitrogen blanket for this product will be an over kill and if the silo is within the building then nitrogen poses more danger of asphyxiation. In My opinion you will be fine with explosion vent panels only as the Kst value for this product will be well below 200. ■

Originally Posted by WOJTAR

Thanks. What about filter...should it 'breath' inside the building?

Dust filters should be positioned OUTSIDE the building as they are a known significant explosion risk. Ductwork that passes into the the building should be provided with high speed "slam shut" valves triggered by an explosion in the dust unit. This ensures that the explosion does not propagate back into the building. ■

You can't apply the correct design process without the basic test data for the dust you are considering.

Get this data then come back.

Here's a selection of places that can help, I expect there are a lot more

http://www.chilworth.com/labdust.cfm

http://www.bre.co.uk/page.jsp?id=267

http://www.fike.com/products/eptest.html

http://www.gexcon.com/index.php?src=...aboratory.html ■

Hello,

just to give you an idea you can see first pictures in

http://www.explosioncontrolada.com/excon-yarademo.html

this systems are intended for larger installations, but it could help you

Also think that

inertization is different to extinguishing

inertization prevents an ignition and

extinguishing starts with an existing fire

if the explosion suppression is extinguishing or not should be discussed in another moment

Also consider explosion vents for your silo and your dryer

Give as the size of the silo

and data of the chili powder or pieces

Look at the

BGIA - GESTIS-DUST-EX

Database Combustion and explosion characteristics of dusts

http://www.dguv.de/bgia/en/gestis/expl/index.jsp

regards

diego ■