Utilities
Keep your employees safe - reduce risks, reduce costs - ensure your staff are CompEx certified.
The energy, water supply and wastewater treatment industries include many processes and environments in which flammable gases, vapours and dust are present, which all pose a risk of explosion. CompEx qualifications, including specific units for the water industry, are essential for those operating in these potentially explosive environments.
Electricity and gas supply
As a significant proportion of the world’s coal fired power generation has been replaced with natural gas power stations and combined heat and power units, the management of high-pressure methane supplies is of crucial importance to avoid risks of explosion. Flammable gases also pose hazards in smaller scale renewable power schemes based on aerobic digestion of waste material to generate biomethane. For those power stations that remain coal-fired or have been converted to the use of biomass such as wood pellets, the hazards of potential dust-based explosive atmospheres must be managed for safety.
Electricity and gas supply
As a significant proportion of the world’s coal fired power generation has been replaced with natural gas power stations and combined heat and power units, the management of high-pressure methane supplies is of crucial importance to avoid risks of explosion. Flammable gases also pose hazards in smaller scale renewable power schemes based on aerobic digestion of waste material to generate biomethane. For those power stations that remain coal-fired or have been converted to the use of biomass such as wood pellets, the hazards of potential dust-based explosive atmospheres must be managed for safety.
Hydrogen cooling
For larger power station generator sets (typically those of 60MW capacity and above) hydrogen is used as a cooling agent rather than air. Hydrogen is attractive for this application due to its high thermal conductivity and low density, which offers greater efficiency of energy conversion. Within the generators, the hydrogen is maintained at a concentration well above the upper explosive limit. However, significant risks remain in terms of the safe management of hydrogen on site, not least in being prepared for potential leaks.
Water treatment
Methanol dosing of wastewater discharged from treatment facilities is widely used by the water industry. Its addition acts as a supplemental carbon source for denitrification and is used in particular where treatment works outfalls contain high levels of nitrogen and phosphorous, or where the works is located in an environmentally sensitive river catchment or estuary. A highly flammable liquid, methanol combusts with a flame that is almost invisible in daylight conditions, meaning that its safe handling and management is absolutely crucial for safety.
The downstream processing of sewage sludges can also present explosive risks. In addition to the use of sludge in anaerobic digestion to yield biomethane, its drying for the manufacture of fuel pellets can also present risks in terms of dust explosion.
Water industry qualification
Ex09 – The preparation and installation of electrical equipment in explosive atmospheres within the water industry
Ex10 – The inspection, test and maintenance of electrical equipment in explosive atmospheres within the water industry
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