FAILURE ANALYSIS OF HIGH PRESSURE RUPTURE DISCS AND EFFECTIVE COUNTER MEASURES

摘要

For the production of LDPE, high process pressures (>1000 bar up to 3500 bar and above) as well as high temperatures (>100 °C up to 300 °C and above) are required. In order to ensure a safe production process the autoclaves and compressors have to be protected against dangerous overpressure. Rupture discs are typically used to protect this high pressure process itself, as well as the employees, and the environment. Traditionally rupture discs for high pressure applications are manufactured by a weld seam which has an influence on the burst pressure. After installation the applied pressure is nearly fully-loaded on the welding joint. Additionally, the welding joint is another unwanted influencing factor. This increases the possibility of an unexpected failure which leads to an unwanted rupture disc response or, in critical cases, to a rupture disc failure recently after initial operation of the process even at lower pressures than the defined burst pressure. This, in turn, leads to a reduced life time of the disc. A special version of a rupture disc, a High Pressure Rupture Disc (HPRD) is developed specifically for this application. This long life version for high pressure applications has a lifetime which is 5-10 times higher than that of a standard rupture disc, that saves money and installation time. The differences are explained in some minor geometrical changes. This safety device allows a protection of high pressures up to 4000 bar and beyond. The HPRD is a forward acting rupture disc and the burst pressure is adjusted by a combination of material thickness, the height of the dome, and, of course, of the chosen material. An easy and simple geometrical change eliminates the welding joint as an influencing factor, thus eliminating any unwanted responding of the rupture disc. The tolerances for high pressure rupture discs are +/-3% and lower and the HPRD can be used for all kind of different high pressure applications.