Advances in Explosion Protection: How Advanced Solutions Open New Doors

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Optical detection in conjunction with pressure detection provides several advances in protection design. The radiation of a spark at one extreme or a flame front at the other extreme allows detection that often would not be possible with pressure detection. Sparks particularly would not contribute to pressure and would be un-detected. The advantage of optical detection is also its disadvantage; it responds to radiation in general. This requires that the system be isolated from any ambient radiation or is able to differentiate flame radiation from ambient radiation. Most optical detectors currently respond in the near IR or IR region and thus require this shielding.

Stop the Threat Right from the Start

Key advantages are the ability to respond to very low levels of radiation, e.g., sparks and the ability to detect a flame front faster than a pressure detector. This last case is exemplified by certain isolation scenarios. A deflagration occurring in a large enclosure with a relatively low K_st will require considerable time to develop a detectable pressure.

When ignition is close to an interconnection, flame can start propagating through that ductwork. If pressure detection is “slow”, the flame front can accelerate and reach a connected vessel or achieve high velocities and potentially transition to detonation. Optical detection at that interconnection however will respond to the first appearance of flame and allow isolation to be effective. On the other hand, optical detectors are not suited for enclosure detection due to obscuration of the radiation.

System Controllers – High–Speed Data Management for Explosion Protection

The advanced pressure transducers provide data but the control unit is where the next major advances have been made (see Table 2).

The existence of a continuous pressure signal allows interpretation and documented decision making. The new controllers are based on high speed micro-controllers and have the capability to capture and analyse the data before making an activation decision. Much of the value gained here is not only in sensing an actual explosion, but in discriminating against non-explosions and preventing un-intended activations.

But digital controllers can do much more - they also provide important features for diagnostics....

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