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The BARTEC Academy

A unique training and further education offering focusing on explosion protection

Explosion Parameters

Examples of the assignment of gases and vapours to the respective temperature classes and explosion sub-groups:

Examples of the ignition temperatures of different types of dust
Designation
of the solid
material
Ignition
temperature
EN-ISO/IEC
80079-20-2
T5 mm layer (°C)
Ignition
temperature
EN-ISO/IEC
80079-20-2
TCloud (°C)
Permissible surface temperature of the equipment
lowest value of the calculation (T5 mm layer - 75 K) and 2/3*TCloud
> 300
...450
> 280
...300
> 260
...280
> 230
...260
> 215
...230
>200
...215
> 180
...200
> 165
...180
> 160
...165
> 135
...160
Dust from natural materials (examples)
Cotton 350 560     275              
Brown coal 225 380                   150
Cellulose 370 500   295                
Cereals 290 420           215        
Sawdust (wood) 300 400         225          
Cocoa 460 580 385                  
Cork 300 470         225          
Fooder concentrate 295 525         220          
Milk powder 340 440     265              
Paper 300 540         225          
Soya 245 500               170    
Starch 290 440           215        
Hard coal 245 590               170    
Tobacco 300 450         225          
Tea 300 510         225          
Wheat floor 450 480 320                  
Dust of chemical technical products (examples)
Cellulose ether 275 330             200      
Isosorbide dinitrate 240 220                   146
Unvulcanised rubber 220 460                   145
Petroleum coke 280 690           205        
Polyvinyl acetate 340 500     265              
Polyninyl chloride 380 530 305                  
Soot 385 620 310                  
Laminated plastic 330 510       255            
Sulphur 280 280             186      
Metal dust (examples)
Aluminium 280 530             205      
Bronze 260 390               185    
Iron 300 310             206      
Magnesium 410 610 335                  
Manganese 285 330             210      

Ignitition temperature from dusts (layer and cloud)

For different types of dust, the method for determining the ignition temperature has been unified and coded in document EN-ISO/IEC 80079-20-2. Please note that dust in its deposited form (layer) has a different ignition (read: smouldering) temperature than in its stirred form (cloud).

The permissible surface temperature for those parts of systems and equipment is determined by subtracting 75 K (Tmax = T5 mm - 75 K) from the smouldering temperature value determined for the 5 mm dust layer and by taking 2/3 (Tmax, = 2/3TCloud) of the ignition temperature value determined for the dust cloud.

The permissible surface temperature of the equipment shall always be smaller than the lowest outcome of the Tmax. values determined by using above mentioned formulas. Temperature classes are not defined for dust, so a concrete type of dust must always be considered. The parameters are made available in comprehensive tables, laboratories determine the values on request, and a small, non-official overview is contained in the downloadable brochure ‘basic concepts’ (edition 14).

Equipment sub-groups for combustible Dusts

From the point of view of electrical engineering, it is not possible to classify dust as precisely as the chemically defined gases and vapours. For that reason, it is considered sufficient to divide the dust according to type and conductivity. EN-ISO/IEC 80079-20-2 contains the test method to determine the specific electrical resistance of dust. Dust is divided into 3 sub-groups:

  • IIIA - combustible flyings
  • IIIB - non-conductive combustible dust, specific electrical resistance > 10³ Ω
  • IIIC - conductive combustible dust, specific electrical resistance < 10³ Ω