Hazards Analysis, Code Compliance & Procedure Development

Services to identify process safety hazards and facilitate compliance with established standards and codes.

Combustible Dust Testing

Laboratory testing to quantify dust explosion and reactivity hazards

Flammable Gas & Vapor Testing

Laboratory testing to quantify explosion hazards for vapor and gas mixtures

Chemical Reactivity Testing

Laboratory testing to quantify reactive chemical hazards, including the possibility of material incompatibility, instability, and runaway chemical reactions

ISO Accreditation and Scope
Fauske & Associates fulfills the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2017 in the field of Testing
DIERS Methodology

Design emergency pressure relief systems to mitigate the consequences of unwanted chemical reactivity and account for two-phase flow using the right tools and methods

Deflagrations (Dust/Vapor/Gas)

Properly size pressure relief vents to protect your processes from dust, vapor, and gas explosions

Effluent Handling

Pressure relief sizing is just the first step and it is critical to safety handle the effluent discharge from an overpressure event

Thermal Stability

Safe storage or processing requires an understanding of the possible hazards associated with sensitivity to variations in temperature

UN-DOT

Classification of hazardous materials subject to shipping and storage regulations

Safety Data Sheets

Develop critical safety data for inclusion in SDS documents

Biological

Model transport of airborne virus aerosols to guide safe operations and ventilation upgrades

Radioactive

Model transport of contamination for source term and leak path factor analysis

Fire Analysis

Model transport of heat and smoke for fire analysis

Flammable or Toxic Gas

transport of flammable or toxic gas during a process upset

OSS consulting, adiabatic & reaction calorimetry and consulting

Onsite safety studies can help identify explosibility and chemical reaction hazards so that appropriate testing, simulations, or calculations are identified to support safe scale up

Mechanical, Piping, and Electrical

Engineering and testing to support safe plant operations and develop solutions to problems in heat transfer, fluid flow, electric power systems

Battery Safety

Testing to support safe design of batteries and electrical power backup facilities particularly to satisfy UL9540a ed.4

Hydrogen Safety

Testing and consulting on the explosion risks associated with devices and processes which use or produce hydrogen

Spent Fuel

Safety analysis for packaging, transport, and storage of spent nuclear fuel

Decommissioning, Decontamination and Remediation (DD&R)

Safety analysis to underpin decommissioning process at facilities which have produced or used radioactive nuclear materials

Laboratory Testing & Software Capabilities

Bespoke testing and modeling services to validate analysis of DD&R processes

Nuclear Overview

Our Nuclear Services Group is recognized for comprehensive evaluations to help commercial nuclear power plants operate efficiently and stay compliant.

Severe Accident Analysis and Risk Assessment

Expert analysis of possible risk and consequences from nuclear plant accidents

Thermal Hydraulics

Testing and analysis to ensure that critical equipment will operate under adverse environmental conditions

Environmental Qualification (EQ) and Equipment Survivability (ES)

Testing and analysis to ensure that critical equipment will operate under adverse environmental conditions

Laboratory Testing & Software Capabilities

Testing and modeling services to support resolution of emergent safety issues at a power plant

Adiabatic Safety Calorimeters (ARSST and VSP2)

Low thermal inertial adiabatic calorimeters specially designed to provide directly scalable data that are critical to safe process design

Other Lab Equipment and Parts for the DSC/ARC/ARSST/VSP2 Calorimeters

Products and equipment for the process safety or process development laboratory

FERST

Software for emergency relief system design to ensure safe processing of reactive chemicals, including consideration of two-phase flow and runaway chemical reactions

FATE

Facility modeling software mechanistically tracks transport of heat, gasses, vapors, and aerosols for safety analysis of multi-room facilities

Blog

Our highly experienced team keeps you up-to-date on the latest process safety developments.

Process Safety Newsletter

Stay informed with our quarterly Process Safety Newsletters sharing topical articles and practical advice.

Resources

With over 40 years of industry expertise, we have a wealth of process safety knowledge to share.

Recent Posts

Testing Dangerous Goods With The Koenen Test Apparatus

Posted by The Fauske Team on 07.28.15

By Amy Paul, Mechanical Engineer, Fauske & Associates, LLC

Flammability Testing: Koenen Testing Service


The Flammability Testing and Consulting Services department at Fauske & Associates, LLC (FAI) has increased our testing scope once again. We are now able to offer Koenen Testing. This test is used to measure the sensitivity of a solid or liquid sample to intense heat with varying confinement.

The Koenen Test apparatus at FAI meets the requirements for test methods listed in the United Nations’ Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods Manual of Tests and Criteria and the European Parliament’s Council on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH).  In the UN Manual, the Koenen test methods are Test 1(b), Test 2(b) and Test 8(b), while the test method in REACH is A.14 Explosive Properties found in the Official Journal of the European Union. Based on the test results from these procedures, shippng classifications can be determined as well as the limiting diameter.  


Koenen Test Apparatus Figure 1: Koenen Test Apparatus

The sample is placed in a non-reusable tube with a reusable collar fitted with a standard orifice plate ranging from a 1 mm diameter up to a 20 mm diameter, through which the decomposition gases are vented. The tube assembly is then placed in the Koenen Test Apparatus, which is contains four propane burners housed in a support frame which encloses the test tube on three sides and the bottom. The tube assembly is then exposed to direct heat from the four burners until the tube ruptures or five minutes have expired, whichever comes first. The results of the test are based on how and if the tube ruptures during testing and at what orifice size.

 

Tube pre-test

Figure 2: Tube pre-test

Possible effects of heating under confinement according to the Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods Manual of Tests and Criteria:
“O”: Tube unchanged
“A”: Bottom of tube bulged out
“B”: Bottom and wall of the tube bulged out
“C”: Bottom of tube split
“D”: Wall of tube split
“E”: Tube split into two fragments
“F”: Tube fragmented into three or more mainly large pieces which in some cases may be connected with each other by a narrow strip
“G”: Tube fragmented into many mainly small pieces, closing device undamaged
“H”: Tube fragmenting into many very small pieces, closing device bulged out or fragmented

Tube that underwent effect “A”
Figure 3: Tube that underwent effect “A”
Figure_4
Figure 4: Tube that underwent effect “D”
Figure_5 
Figure 5: Tube that underwent effect “E”
Figure_6
Figure 6: Tube that underwent effect “F”
 

Figure 2 through Figure 6 are pictures of results we typically see at FAI. Tests that result in “O” to “E” effect are regarded as “no explosion” according to the UN standards. UN Division classifications are made based on results with a limiting diameter- the largest diameter of the orifice plate used which results in an explosion.

The REACH method for thermal sensitivity uses the 6.0 mm and 2.0 mm diameter orifice plate. Classifications are based on whether or not an explosion occurs at either of these conditions. This test is part of the Explosive Properties test series, which includes tests to determine mechanical sensitivity with respect to both shock and friction. 

For more information regarding the testing of flammable liquid, gasses or vapors, combustible dust or other facility safety and process safety testing or management, please email info@fauske.com.

Process Safety Management (PSM) Overview

Subscribe to FAI's Quarterly "Process Safety News"

#flammable solid

cta-bg.jpg

Is My Dust Combustible?

A Flowchart To Help You Decide
Download Now