How does flame arrestor work

A flame arrester, as the name suggests, is a device used to stop a flame from entering into an atmosphere where combustible gases may be present and prevent explosions. Gas-based equipment and appliances such as glycol dehydrators and indirect line heaters often use flame arresters. Flame arresters are also used in-line of a flare header just before the flare stack. At Aspire Energy Resources Inc.

If you are looking for assistance in selecting the right flame arrester for your application, give our experts by calling or For instance, flame arresters made by most manufacturers employ layers of metal ribbons with crimped corrugations.

Flame arresters are passive devices with no moving parts. They prevent the propagation of flame from the exposed side of the unit to the protected side by the use of wound crimped metal ribbon type flame cell element. This construction produces a matrix of uniform openings that are carefully constructed to quench the flame by absorbing the heat of the flame.

Accidental ignition of the flammable mixture will result in a flame that will travel through the unburnt mixture until the fuel is consumed by the reaction. In an enclosed space, such as a vessel or a pipe, the significant temperature increase of the mixture caused by the combustion process will lead to a rapid increase in the volume of the gas mixture.

The resulting increase in pressure will induce turbulent effects which will further accelerate the flame front.

Failure to stop a flame can result in catastrophic damage to equipment, loss of production, injury to people and even loss of life and potentially large litigation costs. If any flammable mixture of vapor or gas comes in contact with an ignition source, a flame front will develop. This flame will burn through the vapor or gas until:.

If a flame front is propagating at a speed less than the speed of sound in the vapor, it is known as deflagration. This is further classified in two types. An unconfined deflagration occurs when there is an ignition of a flammable atmosphere outside a container or other process equipment. For example, a breathing or ventilation outlet from a tank storing gasoline may produce an unconfined cloud of flammable vapour in its immediate vicinity.

Ignition sources such as a lit cigarette, a static electrical discharge or a lightning strike could ignite this vapour cloud and the resulting flame front may enter the tank through the outlet. A confined deflagration occurs when there is an ignition of a flammable atmosphere inside a pipeline, container or other process equipment.

Typically this could occur in industrial or process plant. For example, many coal mines generate flammable and poisonous methane gas below ground which is pumped to the surface along a pipe and then burnt in a boiler for heating purposes.

Problems with the boiler or the pumping system could ignite the pipe contents and the flame could travel back down the pipe resulting in an explosion below ground. A detonation occurs where a flame travels along a pipe, usually at supersonic velocities and is combined with a shock wave.

Typically this occurs as a result of turbulence-induced flame acceleration caused by roughness in the pipe walls or interruptions such as bends, valves or changes in section of the pipe. It can also occur simply by allowing the flame to continue to accelerate along a pipe for a sufficient distance. A shock wave is characterized by a step change in pressure and density through which the flame velocity changes from being subsonic to supersonic. If a flame front is propagating at a speed in excess of the speed of sound in the vapor, it is known as overdriven detonation.

Overdriven detonation is a short lived phenomenon and usually occurs as the flame front is transitioning from a high speed deflagration to a detonation. Flame arrestors operate on the principle of removing heat from the flame as it attempts to travel through narrow passages with walls of metal or other heat-conductive material.

Flame arrestors are passive mechanical devices that are mounted to a tank or in a process piping system. In normal operation, vapor mixture in the pipe are directed through the flame arrestor.