 Shawn McCorkle Oseco OEM Manager Visit Website |
Shawn McCorkle, OEM Manager for Oseco, has 20 years experience in the pressure relief industry. As OEM Manager, Shawn is responsible for providing custom explosion venting solutions for a wide variety of unique applications. Shawn has an in-depth knowledge of NFPA 61 and 68 standards for explosion venting requirements.Oseco is a manufacturer of NFPA approved explosion vents and other pressure relief devices for over 27 years. Ask this Expert a Question |
Explosion Venting/Suppression Q&A
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If I keep the air/material separator under 8 ft. 3 in., can I avoid explosive mitigation?This is a tricky question. NFPA 654 (7.13.1.2) requires that protection be provided for air material separators that have an explosion hazard. Section 7.13.1.1 requires that air-material separators shall be located outdoors unless it is has explosion protection per 7.1.2.1 (venting through duct, suppression, innerting, containment, flameless venting) or if the volume is less than 8 cubic feet. Therefore it can be located indoors but still must be protected. The problem is that the volume is too small to vent or suppress. So the way I would interpret it is that it would have to be built to contain or innerted. I think that the best solution is to direct this question to NFPA 654 for a clarification.
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We are designing a dust collection system for a biomass truck unloading and conveying operation. The dust collector will draw dust from several ports along the system. The dust collector is protected with a rupture panel. Is a quick-acting isolation valve required to be installed in the duct upstream of the dust collector?
NFPA 654 states that the interconnecting ductwork from combustible materials must have some sort of isolation. This isolation may come from either mechanical isolation (such as the quick-acting isolation valve you mention), or from chemical isolation. I would suggest you contact a vendor such as Kidde Fenwal that specializes in these applications and manufactures both mechanical and chemical isolation units.
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Where does one draw the line in a plant where NFPA 654 begins and ends, and where NFPA 61 also applies?
NFPA 654 1.4.1 states that 654 does not apply to materials covered under other NFPA documents including NFPA 61. Therefore, in any application in which NFPA 61 applies, its provisions will supersede those in NFPA 654.
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I have a vessel with other equipment located on three sides. The fourth side, which is the logical location for an explosion vent, would face one of our buildings. What options do I have available?
If the only option were to vent towards another structure, allowances can be made in some instances for a properly designed deflector plate mounted between the explosion vent and the structure. Keep in mind, an explosion vent can only be located on one side of a vessel as long as the vessel is structurally sound enough (or braced) to withstand the reaction force.