Factors influencing and a statistical method for describing dust explosion parameters: A review

The maximum and minimum values of dust explosion parameters are indeterminate because the possibility of explosion has not been quantified under conditions that approach the explosion limit. In this review, the influencing factors, laws, and mechanisms of dust explosion characteristics are described by comparing the differences in the methods for measuring the parameters in the ASTM, EN, GB, and ISO standards. The variation law of explosion parameters changes when crossing the limit values of the characteristic diameters and dust concentration. The similarities of certain influence mechanisms are also introduced. In addition, a new method is introduced to quantify explosion probability. The statistical nature of ignition is revealed by discussing the variability of the data overlap region of the “explosion” and the “no explosion” near the MEC and MIE measurements. The influence of sample size and positive factors on the statistical phenomena of ignitions were analyzed. The variability of the results increases when the conditions are not conducive to explosions. The values with 50% probability of explosion are independent of the number of trials and are less affected by the regression models. Reliable statistics can be obtained by sequential analysis methods in a small number of tests. The present work is a more accurate guide for the risk assessment of dust explosions, and introduces a potential statistical method to more accurately analyze the actual explosion characteristics.