Energas Technologies, a supplier of high-end and specialised equipment to the oil and gas industries in Southern Africa, has launched the new Series 45000E / 46000E in-line deflagration flame arresters from its United States-based principal, Protectoseal. Launched locally in July this year, the units are designed to withstand low, medium and high-pressure deflagrations (subsonic).
With sizes from 2 to 12 inches and offering maximum operating pressure of 1,6 bar and maximum operating temperature of 60⁰C, the new flame arresters are bi-directional and capable of stopping a flame approaching from either direction in gas piping systems, and can be mounted vertically or horizontally in the pipeline.
“The Series 45000E / 46000E in-line deflagration flame arresters are designed to withstand low-speed, low-pressure and high-speed, high-pressure deflagration flame fronts,” says Lavenda Sekwadi, Process Engineer at Energas. “The flow and pressure drop performance of these units is very competitive versus other manufacturers’ units.”
Depending on customer requirements, these units are available in three options: as deflagration arresters with no burn time, no taps for temperature devices; short burn time arresters available with taps for the addition of thermowells and temperature probes; and short burn time arrester available with taps, thermowells and temperature probes, all furnished by Protectoseal.
In accordance to directive 94/9/EC, all autonomous protective systems such as flame arresters need a third-party certificate. “The Series 45000E / 46000E in-line deflagration flame arresters conform to the latest ATEX Directive and ISO 16852 certification,” says Sekwadi.
The Series 45000E is generally suitable for use with ISO 16852 Explosion Group IIA, equivalent to National Electrical Code (NEC) 500 Group D vapours, while the 46000E is suitable for use with ISO 16852 Explosion Group IIA and IIB3, generally equivalent to NEC 500 Group D & C vapours.
Understanding flame arresters
A flame arrester is a protective device fitted to the opening of enclosures or to the connecting pipe work of a system of enclosures. Its intended function is to allow flow while preventing the transmission of flame. For example, a flame arrester is installed on the flammable liquid storage tank’s roof. It prevents an external flame ignited by the lightning strike from propagating into the tank where flammable vapours are present.
Confined deflagration is a flame front within a pipe that travels along the axis of a pipe at the subsonic speed (lower than speed of sound). Flame arresters are classified according to their location relative to the equipment they are designed to protect. In this case, this range of in-line deflagration flame arresters is installed in piping systems to protect downstream equipment from deflagration flame fronts.
