Preventive Fire and Dust Explosion Protection

! ! GreCon, Inc. 15875 SW 74th Ave, Tigard, Oregon 97224 • (503) 641-7731 • www.grecon-us.com Preventive Fire and Dust Explosion Protection GreCon, Inc. Terry Franklin 02.15.2016 In any type of production facility, fire control encompasses a wide range of equipment or systems from building sprinklers to plant site fire departments. A spark detection & extinguishing system must be thought of as part of a plant’s overall security and safety network. Just as a residential alarm system provides protection to a homeowner, a spark detection system provides preventive protection against potential loss of human life, production facilities, equipment and costly downtime. ! ! GreCon, Inc. 15875 SW 74th Ave, Tigard, Oregon 97224 • (503) 641-7731 • www.grecon-us.com Where do Spark Streams Appear? Spark streams in dust collection systems are a very common danger. They are not easily detected and this means that they may exist but are not known! Consequently, attention is paid to a spark stream only when it is too late, namely when there has been an explosion or a fire. When working with industrial machinery, sparks are created very quickly. A blunt tool, a damaged bearing in the fan, an overheated motor or foreign body within the material can be the cause. Sparks are a constant danger in those factories where combustible materials are being worked, exhausted, transported, filtered or dried. The damage statistics provided by the insurance companies point out that filters, dust collection bins, silos and even complete production lines are the areas of a plant at greatest risk. Foreign bodies in the conveyed material, defective parts of the production machinery, friction processes as well as electrical sparks are all identified as fire generating. Why are Spark Streams so Dangerous? In today’s production plants, we have to cope with all elements that can lead to fire damage or cause an explosion. Extraction systems and pneumatic conveyors increase the danger of fire. Once sparks and glowing embers are created, the pneumatic extraction system conveys this danger very quickly to other subsequent areas of the plant. The danger is when two of the three elements necessary for the creation of fires and explosions are transported, namely: air and ignition sources (sparks). When this conveyed danger meets combustible materials (filter cloth, deposited and combustible dust in a separator or silo) it becomes more and more likely that a reaction will happen. Environmental protection measures regarding dust emissions and tightened regulations for air pollution led to an increased use of filter systems, but the danger of dust explosions has not been reduced. In the process of drying, the dryer capacities have been steadily increased so that prevention of fires in these systems has become more important than ever. What happens after a filter fire? Environmental regulations prohibit plant operation without the filter system. The plant will not only have the cost of repairing the damaged filter system caused by fire but also absorb the extremely high loss of a production shutdown. These production losses can exceed the damage costs many times over. ! ! GreCon, Inc. 15875 SW 74th Ave, Tigard, Oregon 97224 • (503) 641-7731 • www.grecon-us.com How can you take Preventive Measures? For the creation of fires or explosions there must be three elements that are combined simultaneously: combustible material, oxygen and an ignition source. Removal of one of the elements will prevent a fire or explosion. Protection can be achieved by installing a modern spark detection & extinguishing system. The sensors detect sparks and glowing embers immediately after their creation. Upon detection and evaluation, countermeasures are induced immediately in order to eliminate the causes of a fire or an explosion. Let us compare fire extinguishment systems with spark detection and extinguishment systems. Fire extinguishing systems combat fire after it has come to life, consuming material and air thus producing smoke and damage. A spark detection & extinguishing system eliminates one of the three elements (the ignition source) before it becomes a fire. In this way there is no fire, no smoke, and no damage. Detection of the ignition source is made by means of spark sensors recognizing the infrared radiation of sparks and glowing particles. These sensitive spark sensors are even capable of detecting sparks through layers of dust or through the conveyed dense material flow. The sensors give alarm signals to the control console, which processes the signals and activates the appropriate countermeasures automatically. Normally an extinguishing device is triggered, which is installed downstream from the spark detectors. This device releases a mist of water in the duct section where the sparks are transported. When no additional sparks are detected, the extinguishment spray is automatically stopped. While the extinguishment takes place, the production process can continue unless otherwise desired. Spark Detection Systems and Insurance Premium Rates Fire insurance companies have acknowledged the minimized risk when automatic spark detection and extinguishing systems are installed, and may grant discounts on insurance premiums. Precondition for achieving discounts on premium rates is the use of an extinguishment system that is approved by a commercial and industrial property insurance and risk management organization. Factory Mutual is one such organization and the only North American organization to test spark detection and extinguishment systems. Factory Mutual requires stringent manufacturing standards and technical reliability that not only applies to the system, but also to the planning, installation and after-sales service. ! ! GreCon, Inc. 15875 SW 74th Ave, Tigard, Oregon 97224 • (503) 641-7731 • www.grecon-us.com Safety for Your Plant, People and Production Spark Detection & Extinguishing Systems are among the most efficient and cost effective fire prevention systems, which is a result of their highly developed technique and reliability. The use of these systems for various applications is even prescribed by Factory Mutual. All these factors lead to considerable investment reductions and improved safety for your plant, people and production. Spark!Detector! Extinguishing!Device! The!sensors!detect!sparks!and!embers!then!send!alarm!signals!!to!the!control!console,!which!processes!the!signals!and!!activates!the!appropriate!countermeasures!automatically.! Contact Terry Franklin at 503.641.7731 or [email protected] Sparks' Water!Mist!