US group BS&B Safety Systems said its R-IQR flameless vent system is now supplying to the “relatively new area” of printer cartridge recycling.
In an interview with Materials Recycling World, the company said the R-IQR is the “latest solution for passive relief of explosive pressure caused by dust explosions”, mentioning the example of toner dust as “highly combustible” and a cause of “major explosions during the recycling process”. The system, which was launched in April 2015, has already been applied in food, bulk and solids industries, with plans to supply it to “protection for shredding, grinding, roasting and pelletising processes”.
The system comprises an explosion panel, bursting sensor and quench module, which work to quench and retain any flames and burning material, “preventing their release into the surroundings”, while acting as a “vacuum beaker” and allowing cool air to enter in and create equilibrium, in turn saving “on adopting other expensive solutions”. The explosion panel “interfaces with the protected process” and bursts at a certain pressure, immediately opening when an explosion happens.
In turn, the quench module “absorbs and dissipates heat and pressure” from burning materials and hot gas passing through it. A bursting sensor triggers a process shutdown “within a fraction of [a] second” to prevent additional fuel from coming in or “the spread of hazardous material to other process areas”.
The R-IQR is available in eight sizes, ranging from 170 x 470mm to 586 x 920mm in terms of venting area size. The system is tested to EN1600:2011, specifically for flameless venting devices, and conforms to EU legislation for protective systems, with Atex certification and the CE conformity marking. Additional bracing is recommended for integrating larger size devices on weaker equipment, connecting to the eyebolts that form part of each unit.
It differs from other systems the security specialists offer as it has a “venting face”, allowing for “maximum venting efficiency on a wide range of process dust types”, returning a “maximum venting area for minimal unit weight”. Also included is an inspection door, allowing the user to “easily check the condition of the sensor and explosion vent during maintenance” without need to remove the quench module.
BS&B described the device as “lightweight and user-friendly”, “easily installed” by a bolted flange connection at its inlet to any suitable place, while each unit incorporates an integral burst alert sensor and monitor circuit that sounds an alarm when the system activates.
So far the R-IQR has been supplied to “aerospace clients”, being fitted with “carbon dust filter units” to lower explosion risk. The group said little routine maintenance is required and “factory-trained personnel are available for assistance with commissioning, maintenance shutdown and annual inspections” to ensure “optimum safety”.
There is little external cleaning necessary when it has been activated and it can be refurbished for quick and economic process restarts. The system’s “robust” designs mean it will “perform for many years”, BS&B commented.