Go/No go test in KSEP for the Determination of Dust Explosibility

1. Relevant standards:

  • EN ISO/IEC 80079-20-2,

  • ASTM E1226.

2. Measuring equipment:


  • A hollow sphere testing chamber with a volume of 20 liters manufactured by Kühner.

Figure 4.: Hollow sphere testing chamber with a volume of 20 litres manufactured by Kühner.

3. Amount of sample required:

  • 200-250g,


4. Aim of the test:

  • Determination of the explosibility of the given dust under ambient conditions.


5. The procedure of the measurement:

  • The 20-l-sphere and the dust storage chamber must be cleaned thoroughly before each test. The dust is supplied into the 20 l chamber by a solenoid valve with an overpressure of 20 bar.

  • The ignition source required for the explosion is provided by two 1 kJ chemical igniters. A 0.06 s delay between the start of the ignition source and the dispersion of the dust is applied. The test must be performed at a wide range of concentrations: 30 g/m3, 60 g/m3, 125 g/m3, 250 g/m3, 500 g/m3, 750 g/m3, 1000 g/m3, 1250 g/m3, 1500 g/m3, 1750 g/m3, 2000 g/m3.


6. Results, evaluation:

  • Dust that cannot be induced to explode over a wide range of concentrations with ignition energy of IE = 2 x 1 kJ (chemical igniters) is classified as not explosible.

If at any concentration the dust explodes, then it must be classified as explosible and no further concentration increase is required.


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