Rupture disc

Rupture discs are compressed backups from injurious protect a container or a system over-or under pressure by a disposable membrane bursts. Bursting discs are a type of predetermined breaking point.

Design and function

The membrane is typically a thin film, consisting of steel, stainless steel or graphite; Also, other materials can be used to adjust the burst disk to a specific application. Rupture discs provide a fast response to a change in the system pressure. If the membrane is once destroyed, it can not be closed again.

Bursting discs are produced mainly in a circular shape, but there are also systems which require a rectangular rupture panel. The size varies depending on the intended use, as well as the burst pressure, that is the pressure that must be applied in order to destroy the membrane. This pressure is usually at 80 % of the system pressure, the correct interpretation, however, national and European guidelines and standards for pressure vessels must be used if necessary. In addition, a distinction is made in tensile stress and reverse rupture discs. Tension Type are aligned with the concave side of the rupture disc to the process medium pressure. As soon as the process pressure increases beyond the allowable operating pressure, the tensile strength of the material is reached, and the burst occurs. Reverse rupture disks are aligned with the convex side of the system pressure and are equipped by special manufacturing processes a narrow tolerance range in which they respond. The different bursting discs are adapted to the corresponding pressure conditions and requirements.

Often bursting discs are coupled with alarm systems, such as the BDI Alarm System ( burst -disc -indicator ), which were developed especially for bursting discs. When rupture of the disc a signal cable is damaged and the electric power is cut off, so then the associated warning device sends a warning and / or a corresponding equipment is activated.

Use

Rupture discs are commonly used in the aerospace industry, as overpressure protection in chemical and process engineering, medical technology, nuclear and petrochemical industry, as well as oil field used. In this case, rupture discs can be used as individual devices or as a protective back-up device for a conventional safety valve, when a pressure change is present and the actual safety valves do not work. They are also suitable for tertiary explosion protection, especially where the potential for these components large relief areas Prevent eg, the bursting of a pressure vessel.

Rupture Disks find today widely used in the industry and are standard pressure-loaded systems. Rupture discs can be used to protect certain plants to extremely high pressures, or be designed to function as a single - valve with high reliability and thus to protect industrial plants.