Experimental Study of Polyethylene and Sulfur Dust Explosion Characteristics
Abstract
Polyethylene and sulfur are widely used substances in today’s industries, and therefore, the assessment and control of dust explosion risks associated with their production, storage, and usage are of paramount importance to ensure the safety standards in these industries. Since the petrochemical industry in Qatar is growing vastly to accommodate the Qatar National Vision for 2030, process industries in Qatar face challenges to control the hazards and risks of an explosion of both polyethylene and sulfur dusts which are generated in the polyolefin production process and in the desulfurization units of the gas processing plants, respectively.
Prevention of polyethylene and sulfur dust explosions and the mitigation of their consequences require a deep understanding of the explosive properties of these dusts. This knowledge can be used to reduce the frequency of dust explosions and to minimize the severity of explosions, therefore controlling the risks associated with polyethylene and sulfur dust explosions. Very few data exist in literature regarding dust explosibility properties for high density polyethylene (HDPE) dust and sulfur dust explosions. This experimental work focused on the determination of one of these explosive properties, called the minimum explosion concentration (MEC), for both polyethylene and sulfur dust in the context of the Qatar industry.
To achieve the objectives of this research, the work was divided into three key phases:
• Phase I: Analysis of physical characteristics of both polyethylene and sulfur dust found in local industries.
• Phase II: Experimental determination of MEC values for these dusts using a modified Hartmann tube and a 20-liter sphere.
• Phase III: Determine correlational relationship between dust particle size and MEC of both polyethylene and sulfur dust.
Results of this work gave insights regarding the explosibility of dust samples used in local plants at Qatar. This research generates some new MEC data for both HDPE and sulfur dust using a modified Hartmann tube. It was shown for both sulfur and polyethylene dust, that at smaller particle sizes (<100 µm), the particle size does not have a strong influence on MEC values. For larger particle sizes, MEC will clearly increase with particle size.
Subject
Dust ExplosionsCollections
Citation
Kazmi, Mohammad Zeeshan (2018). Experimental Study of Polyethylene and Sulfur Dust Explosion Characteristics. Master's thesis, Texas A & M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /173398.