Research & Development

Explosion safety is a dynamic topic. New knowledge is generated through experiments and computer simulations. There are significant challenges associated with understanding the physics of explosions and how to handle explosion safety optimally in practical situations. It is important to have an active R&D activity in order to be at the forefront with regard to explosion knowledge.

R&D at GexCon

The R&D team at GexCon has over 30 years experience in the field of gas and dust explosions within Christian Michelsen Institute (up to 1992) and Christian Michelsen Research (1992-2000). Research programs within dust explosions (50 man-years) and in particular gas explosions (>200 man-years) have been carried out in previous multisponsor research projects.

The R&D team at GexCon has access to advanced test facilities at various scales as well as the source code of the CFD explosion simulator FLACS. This gives a unique opportunity to understand the physics of explosions, and develop safe solutions in environments where existing guidelines are inappropriate. The increasing performance of computers also makes it possible and cost efficient to benefit from CFD simulations for a much wider application area in future. The R&D team is aiming at increasing the applicability of FLACS towards new areas like dust and mist explosions, and further develop methods to use the simulator more efficiently in quantitative risk assessments.

For  more information in relation to past and present projects visit our GexCon corporation website.