Waste Treatment Industry

Many processes are to be undertaken before the final disposal including collection, transportation and treatment. During these processes, flammable substances need to be carefully handled with suitable explosion-proof equipment so that the risk of explosion is avoided completely or limited to the absolute minimum.

As an example, most waste management sites need forklift trucks, cranes and/or lifts to handle bulk containers and drums containing varied flammable materials received from industrial facilities. These could be in the form of gases, solids (i.e. powders) or liquids (i.e. solvents), all potential sources of explosions. Therefore, standard industrial equipment is not suitable for handling and treating such materials as they may generate sparks, which could be responsible for the ignition of the flammable substances.

It is for this reason that waste management firms are highly regulated and are required to perform environmental analysis (also referred to as Area Classification) to identify potentially hazardous areas and to install electrical and mechanical equipment designed and manufactured in accordance with ATEX/IECEx regulations where necessary.

Identification and management of hazardous areas is a key issue, specifically in the operation of water and wastewater plants where the presence of gases such as methane and hydrogen sulfide can generate potentially hazardous situations.

In the water management industry, potentially explosive atmospheres are commonly associated with wastewater treatment plants and underground sewer systems where digesters and gas recovery systems are involved.

However, these are not the only cases: indoor gas contained in gas compressors or that move through piping in galleries and basements, or when forced ventilation is present, could potentially create an explosive atmosphere:

• Gas accumulation in a ventilated compressor room where a gas leak, typically from pipe flanges, causes a hazardous area despite forced ventilation,
• Gas accumulation in a pipe gallery with inadequate ventilation where a small gas release in the gallery could result in significant layering of gas, within flammable limits, near the ceiling.

These are only few examples of the plant hazards for the risk of explosion. In order to detect all areas in which a potentially explosive atmosphere may be present, it is vital to carry out an assessment of the plant hazards. This assessment has to consider the degree of protection that ATEX/IECEx equipment must ensure and also has to evaluate the necessary preventive measures to avoid ignition sources to be present during normal operation.

After carrying out environmental analysis, it is possible to conclude that the most typical hazardous locations in wastewater treatment plants include:

• Water/wastewater plant process areas;
• Booster stations and valve areas along pipelines;
• Loading and unloading areas in terminals;
• Storage areas for tanks, barrels and trucks. 

Nowadays, there are enormous quantities of waste coming from all industry sectors and their storage is more and more complicated. In order to dispose of these flammable wastes with the minimum environmental impact, technologically advanced incinerator plants have arisen. However, during incineration processes, vapors and dusts of flammable substances may be released into the atmosphere resulting in the creation of hazardous areas. 

For this reason, incinerator plants are highly regulated and need to carry out environmental analysis to identify the potentially hazardous areas within the plants and consequently install electrical and mechanical equipment designed and manufactured in accordance with ATEX / IECEx regulations.

Here below, we present some examples of hazardous areas in incinerators plants, which require suitable explosion-proof equipment:

• Waste storage silos and loading / unloading areas where leaking of flammable substances may occur;
• Internal volume of the furnaces, which are completely automated and require reliable ex-proof electrical equipment since flammable dust and vapors may be released during the incinerator process;
• On-site oxygen measurement area, where gas analyzers measure the oxygen concentration during combustion and need to be protected into ATEX/IECEx enclosures;
• Post-combustion dust filtration areas which need to be powered with explosion-proof junction boxes and local control stations;
• Flue gas treatment area - after the incineration of the waste, the fumes are subjected to a complex treatment process involving various reagents (hydrated lime, soda ash, powder activated carbon, etc.). All electrical equipment regulating this process needs to be adequately ATEX / IECEx certified.

Wastewater treatment plants, underground sewer systems and incinerator plants require a high-standard of explosion-proof electrical equipment complying with the stringent safety requirements which regulate these sectors. Our products can not only withstand potentially corrosive atmospheres, but also high pressure and extreme temperatures.

TECHNOR ITALSMEA can supply a full range of Ex-proof enclosures, lighting fixtures and fittings:

• In full compliance with ISO 9001, ATEX, IECEx and EAC requirements;
• For installation in Zones 1, 2, 21, 22 & non-hazardous areas;
• With high resistance to high temperatures;
• With various materials: Copper-free aluminium, GRP & stainless steel to satisfy any requirement;
• With a full range of protection methods;
• Designed to be robust, durable and reliable over the years;
• With long lifetime and low power consumption;
• With low costs of ownership and maintenance.