Gold Bursting Discs

A bursting or rupture disk is a pressure relief device that protects a vessel or system from excess pressures. They have been commonly used in aerospace, aviation, defense, nuclear, and oilfield applications often as a backup device for a conventional safety valve. In this instance, if the pressure increases and the fitted safety valve fails to operate, the rupture disk will burst as required. The discs are usually made from thin metal foil, and gold has been used in some instances because of its ductility and resistance to corrosion. Gold discs fitted to liquid ammonia tanks, for example, have shown good durability in this application compared to other metals. The use of gold in this application was reviewed in the 1970s when this industrial application for gold was more common [10]. 

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Gold bursting discs for the protection of chemical plant, J. E. Philpott, Gold Bull, 1974, 7, 97. 

Bursting discs may be fabricated of gold, silver, platinum or palladium. The recommended maximum temperatures for continuous use are 80 C for gold, 150 C for silver, 300 C for palladium and 450 C for platinum. Figure 6.6 gives bursting pressure/disc thickness data for these metals and for aluminium and nickel. 

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