Problem:
- hazards related to static electricity during loading and unloading processes from road tankers and dump trucks transporting flour, bran and grain
- downplaying by drivers the need to connect tanks or dump trucks to ordinary earthing clamps
Solution:
- application of earthing control systems with the possibility of blocking the process when no earthing is detected
- equipping part of the stands with a system of earthing with the key for changing the operating mode, which will result in efficient and reliable earthing of vehicles
- application of optical sensors detecting the vehicle
Hazards during loading / unloading processes
Typically, a number of loading and unloading stations are located in each flour production plant. During loading or unloading operations, bulk material can be electrified. There is a serious risk of ignition of dust, which can contribute to serious irregularities in the course of technological processes.
Earth clamps alone do ensure 100% reliability
Our customer has a total of 13 loading and unloading stations in their plants. Until now only simple earth clamps with conductors have been used on each of them. The downside of this solution was primarily the impossibility to obtain information on the current earthing status. What’s more, many drivers often even downplayed the need to connect a tanker or dump truck to the earthing clamp.
On-site inspections and selection of appropriate solutions
In many cases it is necessary to carry out on-site inspections because often investors do not know which systems will be suitable to solve their problems and where exactly they should be used. After the on-site inspections carried out at the customer’s plants, it was recommended that an earthing monitoring system be installed at each station with the possibility of blocking the technological process when a lack of earthing is detected. Due to the fact that not only tankers but also dump trucks enter the unloading stations, some stations will also be equipped with a key for changing the working mode. As a result, one earthing system will be able to operate both with a road tanker (electrical capacitance calculation) and with a dump truck (earthing verification by resistance measurement).
Even greater confidence
Failure to follow the procedures by drivers can be a real challenge. To solve this problem, additional optical sensors will be installed in one of the plants to detect the vehicle that appears at the unloading site. They will be connected to the control system and the earthing monitoring system. If the operator does not connect the vehicle to the earthing system within a specified time limit after the vehicle is detected by the sensors, a loud audible signal will sound. Thanks to the solutions applied, the customer will gain confidence in the condition of vehicle earthing and, above all, will ensure an adequate level of safety in their plants.
