Experimental study of the violence intensity parameters of the explosion of micron-sized zinc powder

The focus of this study was the explosion hazard of micron-sized zinc powder in a small space and low energy environment in the actual using of ventilation pipes of zinc powder processing plants. In the experimental study, the dust explosion parameters in the device (20 L sphere) under special conditions was used, and zinc powder with a median diameter of 3.80 μm was the research material. The experimental conditions were at a temperature 296.15~299.15 K, and a humidity 45~55%. The dust explosion violence parameter of the micron-sized zinc powder was measured. The experimental results showed that when the energy of the igniter was 10 J and the explosion violence parameters of micron-sized zinc powder dust were largest, the ignition delay time was 162~165 ms, the pressure for powder injection was 1.19~1.21 MPa, and the dust concentration was 1750~1820 g/m3. The experimental data were processed by the fitting method, and the degree of influence of three factors on the explosion intensity parameter of micron-sized zinc powder was as follows: dust concentration, ignition delay time, pressure for powder injection. These results are valuable in the design of explosion hazard assessment and anti-explosion measures in zinc powder production.