• Elfab Limited

Burst Detection System for Gas Handling

Elfab, the leading European manufacturer of rupture discs, has developed a Burst Detection System for the gas transportation industry. OE-Tel allows most customers with screw-fit rupture disc devices to benefit from fitting a simple, fail-safe burst detection system. Derived from Elfab’s unique, ATEX-approved Flo-Tel™+ burst detection system, launched in 2003, OE-Tel allows customers to identify when a disc has functioned. The unit offers all the benefits of Elfab’s family of magnetic burst detection systems and is available with the company’s screw-fit type of custom-engineered devices. These products are typically supplied in bonded brass, or electron beam units for more critical applications. Gas transported in liquefied form by road tankers has to be kept under pressure. When a tanker arrives at a site, its pumping system is connected to the site’s storage vessel via a hose. Should the tanker try to pump too much gas, a rupture disc fitted to the storage vessel will burst, preventing the vessel from exploding. When an overpressure event occurs, gas flow to the storage vessel needs to be shut off. This has traditionally required human intervention, which is problematic if the tanker driver is temporarily absent or the liquid gas has escaped and is obstructing access to the pump. OE-Tel ensures that the pumping system will automatically shut itself off as soon as the rupture disc bursts. Unlike traditional membrane-type detectors, OE-Tel is fail-safe and non-invasive. The detection system is fitted to the vent side of the rupture disc and only operates when a disc has functioned, eliminating false alarms. The unit is currently undergoing ATEX approval for use in explosive atmospheres.