Flame arrester

A flame arrester (also spelled arrestor), deflagration arrester^[1], or flame trap^[2] is a piece of equipment installed in an industrial process to stop the propagation of a deflagration traveling along a pipeline by extinguishing the flame^[3]. Flame arresters are used on storage tank vents, fuel gas pipelines, storage cabinets, and the exhaust system of internal combustion engines^[2].

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Principles

A flame arrester functions by forcing a flame front through channels too narrow to permit the continuance of a flame^[2]. These passages can be regular, like wire mesh, or irregular, such as those in random packing^[1].

Safety

Flame arresters should only be used in the conditions they have been designed and tested for. Since the depth on an arrester is specified for certain conditions, changes in the temperature, pressure, or composition of the gases entering the arrester can cause the flame spatial velocity to increase, making the depth of the arrester insufficient to stop the flame front. The deflagration may continue downstream of the arrester^[1].

Flame arresters should be periodically inspected to make sure they are free of dirt, insects using it as a nest, or corrosion. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board concluded that an uninspected and badly corroded flame arrester failed to prevent a 2006 explosion at a wastewater treatment plant in Daytona Beach, Florida^[4].

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Arpentinier, Philippe; Cavani, Fabrizio & Trifiro, Ferrucio, , vol. 2, Paris: Editions TECHNIP, pp. 748, ISBN 2710807777, . Retrieved on November 19 2007
2. ^ ^{a b c} McManus, Neil, , CRC Press, pp. 147, ISBN 1566703263, . Retrieved on November 19 2007
3. ^ The United States Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (2005). "Investigation Report: Aluminum Dust Explosion, Hayes Lemmerz International-Huntington, Inc, Huntington, Indiana, October 29, 2003": 47. The United States Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.
4. ^ The United States Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (2007). "Investigation Report: Methanol Tank Explosion and Fire, Bethune Point Wastewater Treatment Plant, City of Daytona Beach, Florida, January 11, 2006": 29. The United States Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.

See also

• Flashback arrestor
• Detonation arrester