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How A Detonation Arrestor Works

By Young Lindsay


Basically, hydrocarbons are flammable but the levels in which they burn can be figured and calculated and thus it may be controlled as well with the appropriate ratio of it mixed in with air. With this in mind, combustion may be stopped depending on the environment it is in. This process may be called as deflagration which means burning down the flames.

The Clean Air Act of the United States have pushed industries to properly contain the combustion of gases and liquids in their factories. They need to have it controlled and ensure safety for managing these hazardous materials. With this, the invention of a detonation arrestor is made to provide for this.

It was on 1990 when Nicholas Roussakis invented this Flame Arrester or Arrestor. The initial mechanism for this was to burn down the combustion or ignition within a pipe or tank so that it would not go through anymore towards the source of the gas. This prevents any explosion from occurring, although this one is different with the detonator and is actually a innovation from the initial invention.

The detonation actually is innovated in order to withstand very high pressure rates up to one thousand five hundred psi or ten MPa. It also can handle supersonic speed that travel through the pipes up to two thousand five hundred meters per second. So basically, this is placed between two pipes or sources in order to make it as a demarcation between the two in case of ignition but still lets the gas flow through.

The device is basically passive which means that the parts do not move and when it is properly installed, it would then work as is. The center of this device composed of layers and layers of ribbon like metals where it is fashioned into crumples in tight spaces. This allows gas to pass through but in cases of combustion, the tight spaces would prevent it from going further.

The compression of these corrugations are studied in accordance to the Upper Explosive Limit and the Lower Explosive Limit of hydrocarbons that are usually being used. Laboratory tests have revealed composition percentages in the ratio between the air and the hydrocarbons. This finds out as to what levels would it allow to combust or not.

The LEL is the first start of the hydrocarbon and air composition where it starts small and increase and up to which percentage it would begin burning, while the UEL is the percentage to which it stops after increasing it further. So the air and the hydrocarbon percentage would be recorded appropriately depending on which point it burns and stops. With these calculations, the arrestor is made according to it.

In an example with Methane gas, the LEL it has is about five percent. This means at five percent methane and ninety five for the air, it starts burning. This then stops when it reaches fifteen percent. But there are cases where the gas would still combust even with zero oxygen composition in the air.

These gases are highly dangerous when they are not controlled and contained appropriately and if there is no backup or safety precautions in cases of incidents. That is why this was invented to protect the people inside who are working as well as the environment. This is called a vapor control system for most of these industries.




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