Flame Arrestor Failures in Industrial Equipment and Consumer Products

Flame arrestors are used as part of industrial equipment and consumer products to prevent the propagation of a deflagration. The successful performance of flame arrestors depends on selecting an appropriate design based on a number of process specific conditions that include the composition temperature and pressure of the fuel-air mixture and the geometry of the flame path approaching the flame arrestor. These conditions impact several fundamental parameters of the flame to be contained, including the combustion product temperature, flame speed, and volumetric heat capacity. This paper will provide an overview of current standards and guidelines for flame arrestor design and selection for both industrial and consumer applications, as well as lessons learned from the authors’ investigations of flame arrestor failures.