Article: Following the ATEX Directives: dust explosion protection; almost all industrial dust can be considered potentially explosive. So it is no surprise that the new European ATEX Directive lays down strict requirements for the use of equipment in potentially explosive atmospheres, as Dr. Thorsten Arnhold, Director Marketing and Product Manager with R. Stahl explains.(Brief Article)

As with gas explosions, dust explosions require the presence of a combustible substance, oxygen, and an ignition source. Electric and mechanically-generated sparks, arcs and open flames are effective ignition sources. Others include static electricity, electromagnetic waves, reaction heat caused by decomposition of organic substances, hot surfaces, and imported glowing spots. Mechanically-generated sparks are by far the most frequent cause of dust explosions (see table).

The procedure for technical evaluation of safety measures used to avoid the risks of dust explosions is complex and extensive. In order to describe the explosion risk posed by dust a number of ...

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