50 kilopascals. That is the explosion pressure that the doors at the Cummins facility in Herten can withstand in an emergency—specifically from the opposite side of the hinge, i.e., from the direction that is structurally less favorable. Anyone who designs pressure-resistant doors knows what this specification means: Under load, the door panel is not pressed into the frame but away from it. The entire force must be absorbed by the hinges and the locking mechanism. This is precisely why BUCHELE developed the IMPACT series.
At its Herten site in the Ruhr region—once dominated by mining—Cummins (Hydrogenics) is now working on a key technology for the energy transition: fuel cell and hydrogen technology. Hydrogen is a highly efficient energy carrier, but it is highly flammable. In production and testing areas, structural explosion protection is therefore an essential part of the safety concept, and doors play a central role in this.
Series IMPACT
The IMPACT doors absorb the enormous forces of a shock wave through their solid door panel construction and special locking systems, which BUCHELE has developed specifically for blast-resistant doors and manufactures in-house. Each blast-resistant door is one-of-a-kind: It is individually designed, statically calculated, and built based on the customer’s specific risk assessment—that is, depending on the quantity and type of substances handled. What sets the units in Herten apart is that they feature integrated wicket doors. Staff can easily pass through the large door units in their daily work without having to open the entire unit and without compromising the protective effect in any way. Combining explosion protection with practicality for everyday use in a single design is an engineering challenge and demonstrates what every BUCHELE door is capable of.
The hydrogen economy is growing, and with it, the need for certified structural explosion protection. With the IMPACT series, BUCHELE delivers the doors that ensure tomorrow’s energy technology can be operated safely today.
