Regarding the operating pressure of flame arresters
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Hello, everyone in this forum. Currently, the flame arrestors used in oil and gas recovery systems are the subject of the most attention and discussion. The two standards most commonly applied to flame arrestors are GBT13347 and ISO16852; the type inspection reports issued by An Gong Yuan and Shenyang Yuan are also based on these two standards. I have a rather casual question: the pressure range specified in these two standards as suitable for flame arrestors is 80–160 KPa, but the operating pressure of gases in oil and gas systems is generally not within this range, right? How do people usually design things?
The inspection stated that a differential pressure gauge should be installed on the pipeline flame arrester. Is this a mandatory requirement?
It’s not specified as mandatory; the differential pressure gauge is simply used to determine whether the flame arrester is clogged by detecting abnormal pressure differences.
In the ISO and GB standards for flame arrestors, pressure and the design pressure of the pipeline are entirely different concepts, and it is indeed easy to get them mixed up. In the ISO and GB standards for flame arrestors, the pressure referred to is usually the pressure prior to ignition during the type testing of the flame arrestor; at this point, the testing system for the flame arrestor already has all the conditions necessary for ignition (combustible gas, oxidizing gas, ignition source). However, the design pressure of the pipeline is usually much higher than this; at such times, the conditions for ignition do not exist within the pipeline. Even if there is a leak, it is high-pressure gas that escapes, and no air is drawn in. It is only when the pressure drops to at least atmospheric pressure that air can be drawn in, thereby creating the conditions for ignition. At this point, the pressure falls within the range specified by the ISO and GB standards for flame arresters. In summary, in the ISO and GB standards for flame arrestors, pressure is a parameter that indicates the flame-arresting performance of the device, whereas the design pressure of the pipeline refers to a parameter indicating its capacity to withstand pressure. Of course, the pressure resistance capacity of the flame arrester housing must match the design pressure of the pipeline. To expand on this, according to ISO and GB standards, the pressure range for flame arrestors is 80–160 KPa. If ignition occurs at 160 KPa during unstable detonation tests, the pressure at the instantaneous flame front can reach up to 7.5 MPa, which is truly astonishing.
In the ISO and GB standards for flame arrestors, pressure and the design pressure of the pipeline are entirely different concepts, and it is indeed easy to get them mixed up. In the ISO and GB standards for flame arrestors, the pressure referred to is usually the pressure prior to ignition during the type testing of the flame arrestor; at this point, the testing system for the flame arrestor already has all the conditions necessary for ignition (combustible gas, oxidizing gas, ignition source). However, the design pressure of the pipeline is usually much higher than this; at such times, the conditions for ignition do not exist within the pipeline. Even if there is a leak, it is high-pressure gas that escapes, and no air is drawn in. It is only when the pressure drops to at least atmospheric pressure that air can be drawn in, thereby creating the conditions for ignition. At this point, the pressure falls within the range specified by the ISO and GB standards for flame arresters. In summary, in the ISO and GB standards for flame arrestors, pressure is a parameter that indicates the flame-arresting performance of the device, whereas the design pressure of the pipeline refers to a parameter indicating its capacity to withstand pressure. Of course, the pressure resistance capacity of the flame arrester housing must match the design pressure of the pipeline. To expand on this, according to ISO and GB standards, the pressure range for flame arrestors is 80–160 KPa. If ignition occurs at 160 KPa during unstable detonation tests, the pressure at the instantaneous flame front can reach up to 7.5 MPa, which is truly astonishing.