Dust Explosions in the Process Industries: Research in the Twenty-first Century

Accidental dust explosions pose a threat to personnel and property in industries that produce, process, handle or transport combustible dusts. Over the last decade, the international research community has made significant progress towards improved understanding of the dust explosion phenomenon. This has resulted in improved standards and best practice guidelines for safe operation, as well as increased awareness of the inherent limitations in test procedures and methods for extrapolating results from laboratory experiments to industrial scales. Of particular importance is the development in the field of numerical modelling of dust explosions, and the accompanying need for reliable validation data from large-scale experiments. The purpose of the paper is to review the development and trends in dust explosion research in the twenty-first century, with particular emphasis on numerical modelling of flame propagation in dust clouds and the application of advanced models for risk assessment and risk management in the process industries.