EXPLOSÃO EM SILOS VERTICAIS SEGUNDO AS NORMAS: NFPA 68:2023, EN 14491:2012 E NBR 16385:2015

Abstract

The growth of Brazilian agricultural production, as shown by data from CONAB (2025) and IBGE (2025), has increased the use of vertical silos for grain storage and, consequently, the occurrence of explosions caused by combustible dust, especially in corn and soybean facilities. This study analyzes the sizing of the vent area for explosion pressure relief and mitigation in vertical silos, in accordance with standards NFPA 68:2023, EN 14491:2012 and NBR 16385:2015, and presents the development of the V-Calc software, created in C# for calculating the relief area according to each methodology. Silos with different H/D ratios and variations of P_(red ) were evaluated. The results showed that NFPA 68:2023 maintains constant areas for H/D ≤ 2.0, whereas EN 14491:2012 yields higher values in all cases due to the minimum limit of P_stat≥0,1 bar, evidencing a more conservative approach. The V-Calc software proved effective for the analysis and design of pressure relief systems, contributing to safer, more resilient, and sustainable projects, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.