Modular Flame Arrester Chambers for Dust-Resistant Pressure Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pressure relief devices for explosive gases and dusts often fail to effectively suppress flames and prevent fire spread due to clogging by dust particles, leading to incomplete pressure relief and increased risk of re-ignition.
Innovation Solution
A pressure relief device with a modular design featuring gas-permeable flame arrester chambers filled with steel wool fibers of varying diameters, which absorb thermal energy and burn combustible dust particles, ensuring rapid pressure relief and flame extinguishment, while preventing clogging and re-ignition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If metal foam panels with small pore size are used as flame barriers, then flame suppression effectiveness is improved, but the panels quickly become clogged by dust particles, causing pressure relief to deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The single flame barrier is segmented into multiple flame arrester chambers (first, second, and third chambers) arranged in series. Each chamber contains flame arrestor material with different pore sizes, creating a staged filtration system that distributes the dust load across multiple sections rather than concentrating it in a single small-pore barrier.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the flame barrier have different pore sizes optimized for their specific functions. The first chamber uses smaller pores for effective flame suppression, the second chamber uses medium pores to capture larger dust particles, and the third chamber uses larger pores to maintain pressure relief capability while catching remaining particles.
2Temperature
If porous metal foam is used to cool explosion gases, then flame arrester performance is improved, but dust particles clog the pores rapidly, severely restricting pressure relief effect
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling function is segmented across three separate chambers rather than concentrated in one. This allows each chamber to handle a portion of the thermal load and dust particles, extending the overall service life and maintaining pressure relief capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution transitions from a single-dimensional pore size selection to a multi-dimensional approach using multiple chambers in series. This adds the dimension of sequential processing, where gases and particles are treated in stages, improving both cooling effectiveness and preventing clogging.
3Device complexity
If a single layer of flame arrestor material is used, then device complexity is reduced, but the material quickly becomes clogged and pressure relief deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The flame arrestor system is divided into three functional segments or chambers, each with a specific role in the flame arrestment process. This segmentation improves reliability by distributing the workload and preventing single-point clogging.
Solution Approach 2:
The pore size parameter is changed across the different chambers rather than using a uniform pore size throughout. This parameter variation optimizes both flame suppression and dust particle capture while maintaining pressure relief capability.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If small pore size flame barriers are used, then flame suppression is enhanced, but large panel area is required for rapid pressure relief
Solution Approach 1:
The total panel area is segmented into three smaller chambers in series. Each chamber can be more compact since they handle different stages of the flame arrestment process, allowing the overall system to achieve effective flame suppression with a smaller total footprint than a single large small-pore panel.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device achieves complete pressure relief, extinguishes escaping flames, and prevents subsequent fires by using thin and thicker steel wool fibers to absorb thermal energy and burn dust particles, ensuring rapid and undamped pressure relief and effective flame suppression.
Implementation Method 1
thin steel wool fibers with a first diameter and in a second flame arrester chamber a second steel wool filling with steel wool fibers of a second diameter are arranged, with the second steel wool fibers being one step thicker than the first steel wool fibers
Implementation Method 2
the second steel wool fibers being one step thicker than the first steel wool fibers
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a pressure relief device for explosive gases, which includes a surround (12) around a relief opening (11) that can be released in the event of an explosion, wherein passage areas with gas-permeable material (8, 9, 10) are provided in the surround (12) through which the explosive gases (13) are directed into the atmosphere (14) in the event of an explosion. The pressure relief device is characterized in that the surround (12) includes at least one gas-permeable pressure relief module (1) which has an outer gas-permeable housing part (2) in which at least two flowable flame arrestor chambers (3, 4, 5) are arranged. In the flame barrier chambers (3, 4, 5) steel wool fillings (8, 9, 10) or gas-permeable materials (58, 59, 60) with steel wool fibers (15, 16, 17) or fibers (55, 56, 57) of different diameters are arranged.Furthermore, the present invention relates to a modular pressure relief unit comprising at least two gas-permeable pressure relief modules (1) in a housing component. Finally, a fire protection device is described, characterized in that an enclosure (112) has at least one gas-permeable fire protection module (101) with at least two flow-through fire barrier combs (103, 104, 105) filled with fibers (55, 56, 57) of different diameters.