Test Laboratory
Many industrial processes include combustible materials in the form of liquids, vapours, mists, gasses, dusts, fibres and/or flyings. Fiditas experts provide solutions to potential problems that can occur during technological treatment of such hazardous materials. This technological treatment may involve different operations, such as transport, storage, handling, mixing, or unique patented industrial methods, all of which can generate explosive atmospheres which may explode in the presence of the ignition source.
Any such explosion may cause huge human losses and devastate facilities and surroundings, having potential hazardous effect to the environment. Companies operating hazardous materials are exposed to additional risks, involving the negative publicity and the loss of production, not to mention individual responsibilities of the managing personnel.
Combustible materials can normally be found in gas distribution, petroleum refining and distribution, petrochemical, defense, wastewater, pharmaceutical, mining, food, grain, printing, research and test facilities, cement production, off shore rigs, petrol filling stations, chemical industry, shipyards, furniture production as well as in a variety of specialist manufacturing and processing plants.
To avoid unwanted scenarios there is essential need to apply effective safety measures. Such safety measures are identified in the process of Explosion Risk Assessment, as defined in Directive 1999/92/EC, also known as ATEX 153 (or DSEAR in UK). Explosion Risk Assessment requires deep understanding of several international and national safety standards and codes, industrial guides and rules and competency in different fields of science, including fluid dynamics, finite elements methods, computer aided design… Experience of person performing the Explosion Risk Assessment is another key element to achieve reliable results and define effective explosion safety solutions.
Reliable and effective explosion safety solutions cannot be obtained if physical and chemical properties of combustible materials are not known. Fiditas provides integrated set of laboratory tests performed on combustible materials in compliance with current editions of international standards. This integrated set of tests includes determination of a full spectrum of material properties which allows us to define its flammability and explosiveness. By understanding and adopting process improvement and lean principles, Fiditas laboratory achieves more efficient workflows by eliminating steps, reducing waste, and producing higher reliability results more quickly than ever before.
Fiditas laboratory is capable to perform tests in order to obtain following material properties (current standard editions used):
| Gas and vapor testing |
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| Determination of maximum explosion pressure pmax and the maximum rate of explosion pressure rise (dp/dt)max of gases and vapors | EN 15967 |
| Determination of the explosion limits and the limiting oxygen concentration (LOC) for flammable gases and vapours | EN 1839 |
| Determination of the auto ignition temperature of gases and vapours | EN 14522 |
| Dust’s testing |
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| Characterization of sample (moisture content and granulometry). Preparation of sample (grinding, drying, vacuum drying, humidifying) |
| Combustible dusts and combustible flying’s determination | ISO/IEC 80079-20-2 (visual inspection, test in a Hartmann tube with a spark, test in a Hartmann tube with a hot coil ignition source, ignition test in the 20-litre sphere, G-G oven at 1000oC) |
| Minimum ignition energy of dust/air mixtures (MIE) | ISO/IEC 80079-20-2, EN 13821, ASTM E2019, VDI 2263 |
| Minimum ignition temperature of a dust cloud (MIT of a dust cloud) | ISO/IEC 80079-20-2, EN 50281-2, ASTM E2021, VDI 2263 |
| Minimum ignition temperature of a dust layer (MIT of a dust layer) | ISO/IEC 80079-20-2, EN 50281-2, ASTM E1491, VDI 2263 |
| Maximum explosion pressure pmax of dust clouds | EN 14034-1, ASTM E1226, VDI 2263 |
| Maximum rate of explosion pressure rise (dp/dt)max of dust clouds | EN 14034-2, ASTM E1226, VDI 2263 |
| Lower explosion limit LEL of dust clouds | EN 14034-3, ASTM E1515, VDI 2263 |
| Limiting oxygen concentration LOC of dust clouds | EN 14034-4, VDI 2263 |
| Electrical resistivity of dust | ISO/IEC 80079-20-2 |
| Determination of burning behavior of dust layers (The Burning Rate test is used to classify materials as “flammable solids” – CLASS 4, division 4.1 UN) | EN 17077 |
| Hybrid mixtures |
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| Testing: MIE, pmax and (dp/dt)max, LEL, LOC Tests in the simulation of real technological conditions: tests at different proportions of individual substances, different temperatures and pressures, etc. |
| Custom testing |
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| Sintered metal testing |
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| Determination of bubble test pore size | EN 24003, ISO 4003 |
| Determination of density | EN ISO 2738 |
| Determination of fluid permeability | EN ISO 4022 |
| Testing of Ex equipment and Ex components |
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| General requirements | HRN EN IEC 60079-0 |
| Equipment protection by flameproof enclosures d | HRN EN IEC 60079-1 |
| Equipment protection by pressurized enclosure p | HRN EN IEC 60079-2 |
| Powder filling q | HRN EN IEC 60079-5 |
| Equipment protection by liquid immersion o | HRN EN IEC 60079-6 |
| Equipment protection by increased safety e | HRN EN IEC 60079-7 |
| Equipment protection by intrinsic safety i | HRN EN IEC 60079-11 |
| Equipment protection by type of protection n | HRN EN IEC 60079-15 |
| Equipment protection by encapsulation m | HRN EN IEC 60079-18 |
| Equipment dust ignition protection by enclosure t | HRN EN IEC 60079-31 |
| Non-electrical equipment for explosive atmospheres — Basic method and requirements | HRN EN ISO 80079-36 |
| Non-electrical equipment for explosive atmospheres — Non-electrical type of protection constructional safety ”c”, control of ignition sources ”b”, liquid immersion ”k” | HRN EN ISO 80079-37 |
You can see the accredited FIDITAS laboratory test methods at the following link