Dust explosions are widespread phenomenon, that can happen in every type of industry in which we are dealing with dusts. For dust explosions to happen, different conditions have to be fulfilled. The origin, development and consequences of dust explosion are influenced by number of factors: particle size, dust concentration, oxidant concentration, moisture, turbulence.
In my diploma I have determined explosion parameters of commercially available starch from potato and corn. I was determining size of particles and their distribution, thermal characteristics, specific surface, minimum ignition energy, lower explosion limit, maximal explosion pressure, maximal velocity increase of pressure, I have calculated dust explosion index and observed surface of particles with scanning electron microscope. Determinations were made with a commercially available and dried sample. I compared the results of the determination of the explosion parameters with the literature data.
Starch from potato had higher moisture content than corn starch. Corn starch had bimodal distribution of particles, but its middle size of particles was smaller than middle size of starch from potato. Using the results of; minimum explosion concentration, maximal velocity increase of pressure, minimum ignition energy and maximal explosion pressure I can claim, that corn starch is more dangerous than potato starch, because it has lower minimum ignition energy, lower maximal explosion concentration, higher maximal explosion pressure, higher maximal velocity increase of pressure and higher dust explosion index.
I have found out, that dried samples of starch from potato and corn are more dangerous than samples that we get in commercial available packaging. Minimum ignition energy of corn starch as it is, was almost 2,6 times higher than of dried corn starch. Minimum explosion concentracion of dried corn starch was lower for 35 g/m3 than for commercially available corn starch. Maximal explosion pressure of dried corn starch was 0,6 bar higher than of wet corn starch. Minimum ignition energy of dried and wet starch from potato, was the same, because equipment didn’t allow that high energy. Minimum eksplosion concentration of dried starch from potato was lower for 315 g/m3 than of wet starch from potato. Maximal eksplosion pressure of dried starch from potato was 2 bar higher than of wet starch from potato.
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