Elaboration of a series of types of active ultrafast industrial explosion suppressing systems

Aim of project
The project aims at an elaboration of and investigations into several active ultrafast explosion suppressing systems. The investigations will be carried out in terms of feasibility of using the elaborated system in industrial conditions. The investigated types of suppressing systems which use containers with suppressing material of 2 to 10 dm3 capacity should already provide protection of various industrial installations. The main element of the suggested explosions suppressing systems is a steel container partly fi lled with suppressing powder or water. The container is closed at the bottom with a membrane. Below the membrane, there is an outlet pipe ended with a dispersing head. Inside the container and over the surface of the suppressing material there is a gas generator in the form of an adequately designed smokeless powder charge. The efficiency of the system depends on the speed of membrane perforation which is connected with the speed of dispersion of the suppressing material in the protected volume. A characteristic feature of the investigated suppressing systems is lack of overpressure during waiting time. Overpressure in the containers with suppressing materials, which is the result of combustion of the smokeless powder charge, appears only at the moment of triggering the system. The signal which initiates the installation is pressure increase or glowing of the fl ame which appears at the moment of explosion initiation. The volume of generated combustion products and their pressure are sufficient for membrane perforation and for fast dispersion of the suppressing material in the protected area.

Expected results
Maximum efficiency of the investigated suppressing systems will be obtained as a result of optimization of smokeless powder charge geometry and the number of chemical igniters. Additionally, the total stream of combustion products will be divided into two parts: the main stream and the stream directed over the membrane surface. Membrane thickness will also be optimized. The conducted experiments will provide us with new data needed to devise more efficient explosion protecting systems for typical industrial installations.