| Summary: | High speed separators from Alfa Laval are widely in use for processing flammable and non-flammable liquids. The following work is focusing on the case of non-flammable liquid as the process liquid in case the working area around the equipment may contain quantities of explosive gases. As stated by Alfa Laval documentation, the major risk is leaking of the explosive atmosphere into the separator from the surrounding environment which may result in producing zone 1 or zone 2 of hazardous area classification. Zone 1: Area in which an explosive gas-air mixture is likely to occur for short periods in normal operation.1 Zone 2: Area in which an explosive gas-air mixture is not likely to occur, and if it occurs it will only exist for a very short time due to an abnormal condition.1 According to Alfa Laval design package, there is a need of continuous inert gas injection into the separator during the process in order to reduce the oxygen concentration and keep it in the safe level (inert gas purging) and this policy is aimed to meet the requirements of ATEX-directive 94/9/EC/2003. The objective of the current thesis is a wish to have a better understanding of the potential risks, evaluating them and try to find ways to ease the process. The outcome can be useful to make a basic instruction for further tests and simplifications as well. The separator GTN 50 is selected and hydrogen (1% concentration) is used to simulate the explosive atmosphere. The result of the tests indicates that the cooling down stage after normal operation is the only period in which hydrogen will leak into the separator, frame top part and it should be cleaned up before the next start up. A number of recommendations -Ventilation to the fresh air, Water discharges, Pressurized air injectionare also being tested and discussed. Ventilation to the fresh air and injection of pressurized air seem to be applicable A Standard Testing Flow chart is suggested and calculation on real case is considered. A number of additional ideas are also included in the last section.
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