Theoretical and Experimental Research on Designed Bursting Pressure of Ultrahigh Pressure Rupture Disk

Rupture disk safety device plays an important role as the last safety barrier to prevent catastrophic overpressure in chemical vessels. In this article, a burst pressure calculation method of ultrahigh pressure rupture disk is presented based on “Levy–Mises Increment Theory” and “Torque Theory.” Besides, the calculation result is verified reasonable by numerical simulation and experiment. Thus, the calculation formula can be applied in the design of ultrahigh pressure rupture disk.

Analysis of Venting of a Resin Slurry

A resin slurry venting analysis was conducted to address safety issues associated with over-pressurization of ion exchange columns used in the plutonium uranium redox extraction (PUREX) process at the U. S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS). If flow to these columns is inadvertently interrupted, an exothermic runaway reaction could occur between the ion exchange resin and the nitric acid used in the feed stream. This reaction generates significant quantities of noncondensable gases. To prevent the column from rupturing due to pressurization by these gases, rupture disks are installed on the column vent lines. The venting analysis models accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC) tests and data from tests that were performed in a vented test vessel with a rupture disk. The tests showed that the pressure inside the test vessel continued to increase after the rupture disk opened, though at a slower rate than prior to the rupture. The increase in the vessel pressure is modeled as a transient phenomenon associated with expansion of the resin slurry/gas mixture upon rupture of the disk. It is postulated that the maximum pressure at the end of this expansion is limited by energy minimization to approximately 1.5 times the rupture disk burst pressure. The magnitude of this pressure increase is consistent with the measured pressure transients. The results of this analysis demonstrate the need to allow for a margin between the design pressure and the rupture disk burst pressure in similar applications.

Reliability Study on a New Integrity Pressure Relief Device in Nonrefillable Steel Gas Cylinder

A new integrity pressure relief device in a nonrefillable steel gas cylinder is proposed and tested. Instead of a rupture disk welded on the opening of the head, the new integrity pressure relief device is machined by stamping a circular groove on the vessel head, which not only avoids an additional penetration on the head but also reduces the manufacture cost. To ensure the safety and reliability of the device, its performance is evaluated using a reliability method based on material properties and burst pressure. The effect of stamping pressure on the groove depth is investigated, and then, the material properties taken from different locations are tested. Tensile properties taken along the circumferential direction of the cylinder are suggested to be used to predict burst pressure of the new integrity pressure relief device. The tolerance of the burst pressure in a percentage is analyzed, and a probabilistic model is built. The reliability analysis shows that the batch of cylinders with the integrity pressure relief device has a very high qualified probability.

Performance of Depressurization Devices to Dynamic Loads Generated by Arcing in Liquid Filled Transformers

This study provides a methodology that can be used to evaluate the dynamic performance of fast depressurization devices used in liquid-filled oil transformers. Liquid-filled transformers are susceptible to explosions due to internal arcing if the dielectric insulation fails. The internal arc vaporizes a portion of the liquid and generates a sudden pressure wave. The first peak of the pressure wave has been measured to be as high as 13 bars, with time durations on the order of milliseconds [1]. Transformer tanks have a typical static withstand limit of approximately 1 bar gauge [2]. It is thus imperative that the tank be depressurized before the static pressure reaches such a threshold. One industry-accepted Fast Depressurization System [3] used to depressurize transformers after an internal arc is based on a patented rupture disk design [4]. This study compares the dynamic performance of this disk to results from a successful test campaign using a rupture disk as the depressurization device. Limiting loading rate values from the test campaign are then used to comment on the effectiveness of the design. The evaluation methodology is based on Pressure-Impulse (P-I) curves. The P-I curve was generated by running a series of Implicit Dynamic analysis using Code_Aster [5]. This iterative process first required establishing a failure mode that is consistent with actual observed failure in the field and observable in the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model. The criteria were then used in interpreting the response of the Rupture Disk to a series of different half-sine wave pulse loading of varying amplitudes and time-periods. The generated P-I curve was then compared to loading rates observed in the test campaign [1] as well as three other higher loading rates (1.28 times, 2 times, 3.8 times, and 10.25 times the reported experimental rate) to qualitatively assess the effectiveness of the design. Results indicated that disk functions extremely effectively as a Fast Depressurization System as also corroborated by the test campaign. Although this methodology is used for the rupture disk, it is expected that this methodology can be extended to compare the dynamic performance of other depressurization devices.

Study on the Response Behavior of Large Steel Seamless Cylinder Pressure Relief Devices Under Different Fire Conditions

The pressures relief devices (PRDs) are widely used on long tube trailers, and can automatically open in a fire accident to relieve pressure when the pressure exceeds the set value to keep the cylinder safe from explosion. However, there is a big difference in the structure selection of PRDs and the calculation methods of the effective discharge area between different standards such as GB/T33215, API521 and CGA S-1.1. The overall fire test and local fire test of large capacity steel seamless cylinder were carried out to obtain the response behavior of different PRDs with different discharge areas, and the change law of temperature and pressure during the pressure relief process. Results showed that the requirements of safety release of cylinders in the fire environment were satisfied by the effective discharge area calculated by API521, CGA S-1.1 and GB/T33215, and the inner temperature and pressure were greatly affected by the different discharge orifices. In the same cases that the PRD were isolated from fire by steel plate, the single rupture disk device has a faster response than the combination rupture disk/fusible-plug devices.

Fukushima Unit 2 Accident Simulation With MELCOR 2.1

A VTT Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3 (1F3) method for estimation of liquids and consequences of releases (MELCOR) model was modified to simulate the Fukushima Daiichi Unit 2 (1F2) accident. Five simulations were performed using different modeling approaches. The model 1F2 v1 includes only the basic modifications to reproduce the 1F2 accident. The model 1F2 v2 includes the same modifications used in 1F2 v1 plus the wet well (WW) improvement. In the 1F2 v3 model, the reactor core isolation cooling (RCIC) system logic was modified to avoid the use of tabular functions for the mass flow inlet and outlet. Because of this analysis, it is concluded that there is a strong dependency on parameters that still have many uncertainties, such as the RCIC two-phase flow operation, the alternative water injection, the suppression pool (SP) behavior, the rupture disk behavior and the containment failure modes, which affect the final state of the reactor core.