Fike & Hobré Announce Partnership to Safeguard Industrial Drying Operations

Fike Corporation, a world-leading manufacturer and supplier of industrial safety products and Hobré International, the worldwide leading designer and manufacturer of online process analysers and sample solutions, have announced that they will safeguard industrial drying operations that are susceptible to fire and explosion hazards.

Spray dryers are a common fixture in food, beverage and drug production and in 2023 had been implicated in nearly 18% of all reported fires and explosions (2023 Combustible Dust Incident Report –dustsafetyscience.com). 

They are particularly vulnerable to these hazards because the conditions of the process result in product coagulating and clumping together, which can subsequently smoulder due to the high heat to which they are exposed. If not found, this smouldering product will then catch fire and make the dust cloud within the spray dryer incinerate.

Hobré's BICOSYS system identifies the initial stages of such smouldering by monitoring discrepancies in carbon monoxide levels, which can be identified up to 30 minutes before fire. 

The system scans continuously for truck inlets and outlets of the spray dryer to identify discrepancies in CO levels and also avoids truck-sourced false alarms, exhaust pipes, etc.

“Hobré's BICOSYS system fills a critical gap in Fike's continuing efforts of explosion prevention,” said Jan-Bart Seymortier, Fike Director of Sales, Europe. “Identifying the early signs of combustion, a major fire or deflagration is prevented and prevents suppression and explosion protection systems from being used, leading to downtime avoided in case of such an incident.“

Humidity measurement with Hobré's HICOSYS system will also be made available by Fike. Accessible humidity data allow accurate control of the dryer without potential tacky deposits accumulating in the dryer. Monitoring the process humidity thereby reduces the risk of product coagulation and hence also smouldering.

Etienne Hunt, Hobré Global Sales Manager, said that this partnership with Fike adds to the joint endeavors of both firms to reduce the number of reported incidents annually caused by spray dryers.

“With this collaboration, we are combining Hobré's seasoned analytics capabilities with Fike's vetted safety products,” Hunt said. “Together, we're introducing the concept of simple one-stop shopping by offering integrated, end-to-end solutions that protect people and assets while reducing OPEX and TCO without sacrificing quality.”.

For further information visit www.fike.com