Application of standard EN 14491:2006 to cylindrical steel silos for dust explosion protection

Dust explosions represent a serious hazard in industries and silo facilities that handle combustible materials. Venting devices are commonly used to try to mitigate the damage caused by any dust explosion. To calculate vent area size, the recommendations given in European standard EN 14491:2006 can be used. However, the protection of silos is not always simple, and frequently the installation of vents becomes technically difficult and costly. The aim of the present work was to analyse the application of standard EN 14491:2006 to cylindrical steel silos, remarking the existing difficulties and limitations and explaining some critical points in order to understand the aforementioned standard. In addition, the cost of protection by venting in silos was studied. Finally, the authors have provided some suggestions to solve the protection of silos, alternative methods to calculate vent areas and expected future trends in this field.