Explosion Prevention and Protection in the Sugar Industry

Handling powdered sugar carries a risk of explosion due to its flammable nature

The sugar manufacturing process carries a significant risk of explosion due to the generation of combustible dust during various stages of the process.

To ensure safety in these facilities, an exhaustive Explosion Risk Assessment must be carried out. The level of risk obtained will be the starting point for establishing what measures will be necessary to reduce these risks.

To this end, it may be sufficient to establish preventive measures, mainly aimed at reducing the probability of the appearance of explosive atmospheres (ATEX) and/or effective ignition sources. But if with these measures the level of risk is maintained, protective measures will also be necessary.

In a sugar plant, the main explosion hazards appear in two pieces of equipment: the bucket elevator and the bag filter of the dust extraction system.

Download our INFORMATIVE GUIDE with information on the applicable regulations and the protection and prevention measures against explosions recommended for the sugar industry.