Spark-arresters

Elame arresters for chemical process equipment and flammable liquid containers have been available for over 120 years. A US patent was issued as early as 1878 for a spark-arrester (Allonas 1878), while another spark-arrester was patented in 1880 (Stewart 1880). Numerous US patents have been issued for various designs of flame arresters, with one as recent as 1995 (Ronssakis and Brooker 1995). In Germany, patents were issued in 1929 and 1939 for flame arresters that contained shock absorber internals upstream of the flame arrester elements. This innovation made them suitable as detonation arresters (Wanben 1999). 

Society of Automotive Engineers, (SAE), Recommended Practice J 342, Spark Arrester Test Procedure for Large... 

Detectors for inflammable gas leak and warning devices must be provided. Vehicle parking should not be permitted in the vicinity of liquefied petroleum gases storage tanks due to chance of fire caused by sparks flying from exhaust pipes of the vehicles. All vehicles in the area must have spark arresters on their exhaust pipes. 

Provide spark arresters for internal-combustion engines. 

Spark gap These have a pair of conducting rods with an adjustable gap, depending upon the spark over voltage of the arrester. Precise protection is not possible, as the spark-over voltage varies with polarity, steepness and the shape of the wave. These arresters are also now obsolete for the same reasons. 

Minimize the probability of ignition by shutting off all ignition sources welding vehicles sparking electrical tools and other non-explosionproof electrical equipment flares incinerators and boilers (unless protected with flame arresters in the air inlets), actuated by a site-wide alarm... 

The heat leg can be controlled with common sense measures to stay away from heat sources. Here are some examples of heat sources open flames, smoking, static electricity, cutting and welding, hot surfaces, electrical and mechanical sparks, and lightning. The heat leg can also be controlled by the use of a flame arrester, discussed later in this article. 

Dry systems technology (DST)—This alternative allows indirect cooling of exhaust gases via a tube or shell water-cooled heat exchanger. To reduce emissions, the DST includes a wateijacketed oxidation catalytic converter. Spark and flamer arrest are provided via mechanical means. 

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