Two UK-based companies have collaborated on a new explosion prevention product that could transform the safety of the process industry.
Fike UK and MID Valves worked together to produce the first certified explosion isolation valve that will be used on a biomass plant as part of phase one of the Immingham Rail Freight Terminal, located in Stalinborough, Grimsby, in the UK.
At first the companies planned to have separate explosion valves, but eventually decided to try to create one single reinforced process valve that could help protect explosions from occurring in biomass silos at the facility, according to Keith Avila, Fike UK’s general manager.
“Using this new valve, in conjunction with Fike’s chemical isolation system, has provided a fast-acting explosion-proof slide valve of a scale that has never been seen before,” Avila told the materials handling website HUB. With experts from both companies working on the project, they were able to come up with the solution in just six months.
“Achieving this in such a short time is almost unheard of in our industry,” Avila said. “The specifications required were extremely challenging and required some extremely clever engineering input to deliver this solution.”
With opening dimensions of 1.0 by 1.2 meters, the valve closes in less than 300 milliseconds in the event of an explosion and can withstand an instant 0.5 bar increase in explosion parameters. Plus, they can be used as a normal process valve with a slow opening and closing function while also being economically stripped and rebuilt ready to use again after an explosion.