Automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming the fire and explosion protection sector, and vendors are bringing forth new innovations to improve plant protection and safety. As producers strive to strengthen safety protocols and protect their facilities and employees, industry experts are focusing on continued advancements such as smart sensors and integrated response systems while identifying key areas for improvement.Meeting Industry Needs&nbsp; IEP Technologies has been involved in explosion protection since 1958. Formed from four leading explosion protection companies in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland, the company’s roots stem back to the first application of industrial explosion protection in the early 1950s by Graviner Ltd. The company has installed thousands of systems around the world since its inception and has been a key contributor to safety regulations such as NFPA 660. “We helped create the prescriptive requirements that are necessary to help keep these facilities safe,” says David Grandaw, vice president of sales for the Marlborough, Massachusetts-based company. “Included in that is the requirement for explosion mitigation.”Per the nature of technology, explosion protection has evolved over the decades. In recent years, Grandaw says he’s seen much innovation being done with passive explosion protection, which typically falls into the categories of standard explosion vents, passive flat-valve-style explosion isolation devices, rotary airlock valves and flameless explosion vents, of which IEP has two different styles that are used in the biomass industry.&nbsp;Some new innovations from IEP center on detection, according to Grandaw. “When you have an explosion, there’s pressure that’s traveling at the speed of sound, but the fireball is only traveling maybe 3 to 10 meters a second, so there’s a gap between the pressure wave and the flame front,” he explains. “We take advantage of that by using pressure-activated explosion detectors. The big innovation has been in the use of rate-of-rise pressure sensors, so rather than just being a pressure switch that could go off due to process pressure variation, these are detecting an explosive rate of pressure increase, and this helps filter out any false discharges.”&nbsp;Another well-known company in the fire prevention space, Fagus GreCon has been manufacturing innovative spark detection and extinguishing systems for more than 50 years. Its InfraRed sensors detect sparks and embers to automatically trigger countermeasures that enable elimination of early causes of fires and explosions.“Common causes of fires in wood bioenergy production are heat, sparks, embers and hot particles,” says Eric Peterson, CEO of the Charlotte, North Carolina-based company. “One of the most efficient measures for preventing fire or dust explosion is the early identification of the ignition source so it can be extinguished quickly.”The company recently introduced a smart extinguishing option, the Intelligent Extinguishing Module GreCon, which extinguishes sparks while using sensors to detect the wear of nozzles and monitor low-pressure flow, thus increasing plant and system availability and enabling efficient planning of maintenance to reduce downtime. “The system will also detect and recognize when microleaks are occurring with a nozzle, allowing for repair of defective nozzles before they become a problem,” Peterson says. “The IEM system can add an integrated frost monitoring component to the system, for greater operational safety.”Over the past 20 years, CV Technology has become a world leader in superior fire and explosion protection design, known for designing custom engineered protection solutions tailored to processes that handle combustible dust. One of its recent developments is the offering of remote connection capabilities with control systems that allow real-time communication with on-site maintenance teams and employees, lessening downtime and assisting plant operations in reliable troubleshooting.CV Technology’s Interceptor-QV is a patented explosion isolation device that utilizes flameless venting principles to protect clean air lines. “This passive valve is able to provide immediate isolation of a deflagration with minimal pressure drop during normal operating procedures,” says Daniel Obarski, sales engineer for the Jupiter, Florida-based company. “We have seen great success using the Interceptor-QV to protect clean air lines that would have posed a safety risk as they were exhausting inside of a building or being recirculated back inside the building.”CV Technology is particularly proud of its ability to serve as a single source for &nbsp;both fire and explosion protection, allowing end users to have continuity throughout their facilities with protection design and equipment maintenance.&nbsp;Originally founded over 50 years ago as Moldow Dust Control Inc. with Danish roots, Flamex Inc. is primarily known for spark detection and extinguishing systems used for the prevention of fires and explosions in dust collectors. Its European parent company, East Asiatic Company, developed the first system of this type, and it was introduced in North America in the late 1970s. &nbsp;Allen Wagoner, marketing and operations manager for the High Point, North Carolina-based company, notes that its latest generation of fire protection control panels incorporate significant technological advancements that have resulted in great improvements in reliability and increased capabilities, as well as improved operational efficiencies.&nbsp;“The CLUNID FMZ 6000 Series offers functional redundancies of the CPU, control boards and modules to prevent breakdowns and repairs,” he says. “Individual modules can be replaced during operation without interruption. The LogicManager feature provides plausibility checks to prevent operator errors. Users also benefit from the ServiceAssistant feature, which makes it possible to access status and event history messages, including documentation, at any time during operation.”Still, perhaps the most salient new capabilities are the improved communication protocols that not only allow use with a wider range of detectors and actuators, but also facilitate remote technical support access via a Gateway module with the control panel during operation, according to Wagoner.&nbsp;Within the past few years, Flamex also introduced the MXOne Firefighting Turbine, which allows application of water mist from a long distance with high accuracy. “The unit has a 360-degree operating range and can project water mist up to 40 meters and a full water stream up to 80 meters,” Wagoner says. “It’s capable of a maximum output of 1,000 gallons per minute, and even large fires can be addressed. The operational flexibility of the unit allows control either remotely, automatically, manually or in some combination.”While the aforementioned companies are continually focused on enhancing their offerings and meeting individual facility needs, they offer valuable perspective on improvements that can be made within the industry, from best practices to protection system design.Continually Improving&nbsp; Regarding industry safety culture areas for improvement, one issue that Wagoner says Flamex has consistently seen is failure of plant management to recognize the fire and explosion hazards present at the facilities in which they operate. “Despite the large amount of attention devoted to the dangers inherent in combustible dust and the efforts made by the NFPA and loss control community, there is still ignorance among mill operators on this topic,” Wagoner says. “Examples include large dust accumulations on various surfaces and equipment, which sometimes even reach the point that they engulf actively running motors; explosion vents on dust collectors that are sometimes absent or placed in dangerous locations; as well as poorly designed dust collection systems that do not allow proper suction to effectively evacuate the dust particulate through the system.”The best solution to avoid these and other dangerous potential pitfalls, he says, is through obtaining a dust hazard analysis by a competent professional. &nbsp;&nbsp;Grandaw points to one thing that is missed more than any other: the stoppage of flames traveling from one vessel to another—a gap where things can be improved. &nbsp;“We see this time and time again—you have an explosion that starts in one vessel, but there’s no isolation,” he explains. “When a fireball is allowed to spread unchecked through a duct, that ignition energy expands dramatically. The existing explosion protection measures are often inadequate.”&nbsp;In Obarski’s opinion, the area with the greatest potential for improvement within the industry is ensuring the reliability and functionality of existing fire and explosion protection systems. “In many such cases, the process that the protection equipment was originally designed for is constantly changing,” he says. “It is very important to keep the existing safeguards in mind as the process is evolving.”Advancing with AI and Automation&nbsp; Technological advancements are opening up new possibilities to facilitate and improve the level of safety in industrial facilities. For example, Flamex is breaking new ground with the use of virtual reality (VR) technology to assist customers remotely and provide training for plant personnel in the operation and maintenance of their systems. “This allows customers to gain specific, relevant training experience in operating and troubleshooting within their facility, thereby dramatically minimizing both their time and costs,” Wagoner says. &nbsp; &nbsp;For IEP Technologies, AI is used for computer modeling to determine the worst-case explosion potential and predict the worst-case reduced pressure after suppression. “We also use computer modeling to determine the mid-max distances, size and type of nozzle necessary to effectively stop an explosion from propagating from one vessel to another,” Grandaw says. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;While automation and AI are being looked at to shape the future of fire and explosion protection, it’s still early in the development and there are limitations in regard to how quickly advancements can be made. “Since spark detection and extinguishment systems require long-term development, testing, certification and adherence to standards, AI is being used on the product development side of things right now,” Peterson says.&nbsp;Finally, perhaps the most critical component to fire and explosion protection puzzle is plant personnel training and education.Employee Training and the Future&nbsp; Employee training is paramount when working in a facility handling combustible dust. Obarski notes that even the best fire protection systems can be severely compromised due to a lack of operational understanding or lack of preventative maintenance. “Bringing general awareness of the inherent risk in many facilities is the first step to a safer workplace,” he says. “CV Technology trains on-site employees to understand the fire and explosion protection solutions and systems in place to ensure proper use, maintenance and service is conducted.”Peterson agrees that training is critical to the successful implementation of any fire system. Fagus GreCon’s systems capture the history of occurrences at every site, which allows the company to understand the number and type of issues that are occuring. “We get the best feedback when we do our periodic maintenance, when our team is on-site and hears about the challenges, issues and concerns that the customers express to them directly,” Peterson says. “Usually, this is relating to improving the intuitiveness of the system or improving the user experience.”The fire and explosion protection industry will continue to evolve, whether through new processes, unconventional process layouts or even new standards such as NFPA 660. “Future trends are likely to involve more automation, requiring less human interaction,” Peterson adds. “[This includes] an emphasis on early detection of developing fires and more unconventional methods for detection and suppression, such as the use of drones and thermal imaging.”Author: Keith Loria&nbsp; writer@bbiinternational.com&nbsp; &nbsp;

2025-05-19 - A Never-Ending Pursuit (Biomass Magazine)

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Fire and explosion protection experts share insights regarding product improvements, personnel training and technological improvements.

A Never-Ending Pursuit

A Never-Ending Pursuit

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