Flame Protection and Arrestors
Protection from potentially catastrophic events
- Automation Solutions
- Valves, Actuators & Regulators
- Flame and Detonation Arrestors
- Flame Protection and Arrestors
Protection from potentially catastrophic events
Protection from flames is of critical importance in systems that collect vapors, such as flare stacks, thermal oxidizers, and vapor recovery units. They can also be used to protect where there are explosive atmospheres, such as furnace air inlets, exhaust stacks, and tank vent valves.
Unconfined flames are end-of-line applications that are not restricted by a physical barrier such as a pipe. Since they are not restricted, they propagate slower (below the speed of sound). Still, they require protection so that a flame is prevented from moving into a tank and igniting.
The heat and pressure energy of a confined flame is not relieved as readily as that of an unconfined flame. This makes a tremendous difference in how the flame propagates, and what kind of flame arrestor is required to stop it.
Selection of an appropriate in-line flame arrestor for confined applications depends on how intense the flame in a pipe is expected to be, in terms of velocity and pressure.There are 7 distinct phases which a flame may reach if the pipe is long enough and the combustion is fast and energetic enough.
Once a detonation occurs in a piping system, it must always go through an overdriven (or “unstable”) condition before it becomes stable. The state of detonation is often unpredictable and therefore detonation flame arrestors designed for unstable detonations are safest to specify.
The arrestor absorbs heat from the flame as it travels through narrow passages with walls of metal (called a Flame Cell Element).
