Polyphenylene ether (PPE), used in the production of copper-clad laminate resin, can emit methane and ethane at elevated temperature during the aforementioned production process. Moreover, a cloud of PPE dust can form during the feeding process. Both these scenarios can lead to a dust or inflammable gas explosion at the feed port. This study investigated the explosion characteristics of PPE in air, methane, and ethane atmospheres by using 20-L apparatus. The study findings revealed that the presence of methane and ethane lowered the minimum explosive concentration of PPE dust. In air, the minimum explosion concentration was 40 g/m³, which decreased to 30 and 22 g/m³, respectively, in the presence of methane and ethane. However, the addition of these gases also increased the severity of explosions from St-2 to St-3. Furthermore, the thermal depolymerisation of PPE dust was examined. PPE was discovered to undergo thermal depolymerisation when heated, releasing a substantial quantity of inflammable gases. These gases, in combination with oxygen, can form an explosive mixture, expanding the explosion range. Moreover, these inflammable gases exhibit various degrees of toxicity, posing substantial health and safety risks to workers involved in PPE manufacturing.

中文翻译：

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聚苯醚与挥发性有机物混混的粉尘爆炸特性及机理


用于生产铜包层压板树脂的聚苯醚 （PPE） 在上述生产过程中可在高温下排放甲烷和乙烷。此外，在饲喂过程中会形成一团 PPE 粉尘。这两种情况都可能导致进料口出现粉尘或易燃气体爆炸。本研究使用 20 L 仪器调查了 PPE 在空气、甲烷和乙烷环境中的爆炸特性。研究结果表明，甲烷和乙烷的存在降低了 PPE 粉尘的最低爆炸浓度。在空气中，最低爆炸浓度为 40 g/m³，在甲烷和乙烷存在下分别降至 30 和 22 g/m³。然而，这些气体的添加也增加了从 St-2 到 St-3 的爆炸的严重程度。此外，还检查了 PPE 粉尘的热解聚。发现 PPE 在加热时发生热解聚，释放出大量易燃气体。这些气体与氧气结合，可形成爆炸性混合物，扩大爆炸范围。此外，这些易燃气体表现出不同程度的毒性，对参与 PPE 制造的工人构成重大健康和安全风险。