Rupture disc
Encyclopedia
Burst disc redirects here. For the human back ailment see Spinal disc herniation
.
A rupture disc, also known as a bursting disc or burst diaphragm, is a non-reclosing pressure relief
device that, in most uses, protects a pressure vessel
, equipment or system from overpressurization
or potentially damaging vacuum
conditions. A rupture disc is a type of sacrificial part
because it has a one-time-use membrane that fails at a predetermined differential pressure, either positive or vacuum. The membrane is usually made out of metal, but nearly any material (or different materials in layers) can be used to suit a particular application. Rupture discs provide instantaneous response (within milliseconds) to an increase or decrease in system pressure, but once the disc has ruptured it will not reseal. Major advantages of the application of rupture discs compared to using pressure relief valves include leak-tightness and cost.
Rupture discs are commonly used in petrochemical
, aerospace
, aviation
, defense, medical, railroad, nuclear
, chemical
, pharmaceutical, food processing
and oilfield applications. They can be used as single protection devices or as a backup device for a conventional safety valve
; if the pressure increases and the safety valve fails to operate (or can't relieve enough pressure fast enough), the rupture disc will burst. Rupture discs are very often used in combination with safety relief valves, isolating the valves from the process, thereby saving on valve maintenance and creating a leak-tight pressure relief solution.
Some models of gene gun
also use a rupture disk, but not as a safety device. Instead, their function is part of the normal operation of the device, allowing for precise pressure-based control of particle application to a sample. In these devices, the rupture disk is designed to fail within a optimal range of gas pressure that has been empirically associated with successful particle integration into tissue or cell culture. Different disk strengths can be available for some gene gun models.
Although commonly manufactured in disc form, the devices also are manufactured as rectangular panels (rupture panels or vent panels). Device sizes range from under 1/4" to 3' or more, depending upon the industry application. Rupture discs and vent panels are constructed from carbon steel, stainless steel
, hastelloy
, graphite
, and other materials, as required by the specific use environment.
Rupture discs are widely accepted throughout industry and specified in most global pressure equipment design codes (ASME
, PED
, etc.). Rupture discs can be used to specifically protect installations against unacceptably high pressures or can be designed to act as one-time valves or triggering devices to initiate with high reliability and speed a sequence of actions required.
of the structure. Blow-off panels are used in ammunition
compartments of some tank
s to protect the crew in case of ammunition explosion, turning a catastrophic kill
into mere firepower kill. An alternate example is a deliberately weakened wall in a room used to store compressed gas cylinders; in the event of a fire or other accident, the tremendous energy stored in the (possibly flammable) compressed gas is directed into a "safe" direction, rather than potentially collapsing the structure in a similar manner to a thermobaric weapon.
Blowout panels are installed in several modern tanks, including the M1 Abrams
and T-80, and have in the past been considered as a possible solution to magazine explosion
s on battleship
s.
Spinal disc herniation
A spinal disc herniation , informally and misleadingly called a "slipped disc", is a medical condition affecting the spine due to trauma, lifting injuries, or idiopathic, in which a tear in the outer, fibrous ring of an intervertebral disc allows the soft, central portion A spinal disc herniation...
.
A rupture disc, also known as a bursting disc or burst diaphragm, is a non-reclosing pressure relief
Relief valve
The relief valve is a type of valve used to control or limit the pressure in a system or vessel which can build up by a process upset, instrument or equipment failure, or fire....
device that, in most uses, protects a pressure vessel
Pressure vessel
A pressure vessel is a closed container designed to hold gases or liquids at a pressure substantially different from the ambient pressure.The pressure differential is dangerous and many fatal accidents have occurred in the history of their development and operation. Consequently, their design,...
, equipment or system from overpressurization
Overpressure
The term Overpressure is applied to a pressure difference, relative to a "normal" or "ambient" pressure, in various circumstances:* In engineering: the pressure difference over the wall thickness of a pressure vessel...
or potentially damaging vacuum
Vacuum
In everyday usage, vacuum is a volume of space that is essentially empty of matter, such that its gaseous pressure is much less than atmospheric pressure. The word comes from the Latin term for "empty". A perfect vacuum would be one with no particles in it at all, which is impossible to achieve in...
conditions. A rupture disc is a type of sacrificial part
Sacrificial part
A sacrificial part is a part of a machine or product that is intentionally engineered to fail under excess mechanical stress, electrical stress, or other unexpected and dangerous situations...
because it has a one-time-use membrane that fails at a predetermined differential pressure, either positive or vacuum. The membrane is usually made out of metal, but nearly any material (or different materials in layers) can be used to suit a particular application. Rupture discs provide instantaneous response (within milliseconds) to an increase or decrease in system pressure, but once the disc has ruptured it will not reseal. Major advantages of the application of rupture discs compared to using pressure relief valves include leak-tightness and cost.
Rupture discs are commonly used in petrochemical
Petrochemical
Petrochemicals are chemical products derived from petroleum. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable sources such as corn or sugar cane....
, aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
, aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
, defense, medical, railroad, nuclear
Nuclear engineering
Nuclear engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the application of the breakdown as well as the fusion of atomic nuclei and/or the application of other sub-atomic physics, based on the principles of nuclear physics...
, chemical
Chemical industry
The chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, it converts raw materials into more than 70,000 different products.-Products:...
, pharmaceutical, food processing
Food processing
Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food or to transform food into other forms for consumption by humans or animals either in the home or by the food processing industry...
and oilfield applications. They can be used as single protection devices or as a backup device for a conventional safety valve
Safety valve
A safety valve is a valve mechanism for the automatic release of a substance from a boiler, pressure vessel, or other system when the pressure or temperature exceeds preset limits....
; if the pressure increases and the safety valve fails to operate (or can't relieve enough pressure fast enough), the rupture disc will burst. Rupture discs are very often used in combination with safety relief valves, isolating the valves from the process, thereby saving on valve maintenance and creating a leak-tight pressure relief solution.
Some models of gene gun
Gene gun
A gene gun or a biolistic particle delivery system, originally designed for plant transformation, is a device for injecting cells with genetic information. The payload is an elemental particle of a heavy metal coated with plasmid DNA...
also use a rupture disk, but not as a safety device. Instead, their function is part of the normal operation of the device, allowing for precise pressure-based control of particle application to a sample. In these devices, the rupture disk is designed to fail within a optimal range of gas pressure that has been empirically associated with successful particle integration into tissue or cell culture. Different disk strengths can be available for some gene gun models.
Although commonly manufactured in disc form, the devices also are manufactured as rectangular panels (rupture panels or vent panels). Device sizes range from under 1/4" to 3' or more, depending upon the industry application. Rupture discs and vent panels are constructed from carbon steel, stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
, hastelloy
Hastelloy
Hastelloy is the registered trademark name of Haynes International, Inc. The trademark is applied as the prefix name of a range of twenty two different highly corrosion-resistant metal alloys loosely grouped by the metallurgical industry under the material term “superalloys” or “high-performance...
, graphite
Graphite
The mineral graphite is one of the allotropes of carbon. It was named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1789 from the Ancient Greek γράφω , "to draw/write", for its use in pencils, where it is commonly called lead . Unlike diamond , graphite is an electrical conductor, a semimetal...
, and other materials, as required by the specific use environment.
Rupture discs are widely accepted throughout industry and specified in most global pressure equipment design codes (ASME
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a professional body, specifically an engineering society, focused on mechanical engineering....
, PED
Pressure Equipment Directive
The Pressure Equipment Directive 97/23/EC of the EU sets out the standards for the design and fabrication of pressure equipment generally over one litre in volume and having a maximum pressure more than 0.5 bar gauge...
, etc.). Rupture discs can be used to specifically protect installations against unacceptably high pressures or can be designed to act as one-time valves or triggering devices to initiate with high reliability and speed a sequence of actions required.
Blowout panel
Blowout panels, also called blow-off panels, areas with intentionally weakened structure, are used in enclosures, buildings or vehicles where a sudden overpressure may occur. By failing in a predictable manner, they channel the overpressure or pressure wave in a direction where it causes controlled, directed minimal harm, instead of causing a catastrophic failureCatastrophic failure
A catastrophic failure is a sudden and total failure of some system from which recovery is impossible. Catastrophic failures often lead to cascading systems failure....
of the structure. Blow-off panels are used in ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
compartments of some tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s to protect the crew in case of ammunition explosion, turning a catastrophic kill
Catastrophic kill
A catastrophic kill, K-Kill or complete kill refers to damage inflicted on a vehicle by a weapon that renders it both unusable and unrepairable whereas a "knocked out" vehicle is completely inoperable but not beyond repair...
into mere firepower kill. An alternate example is a deliberately weakened wall in a room used to store compressed gas cylinders; in the event of a fire or other accident, the tremendous energy stored in the (possibly flammable) compressed gas is directed into a "safe" direction, rather than potentially collapsing the structure in a similar manner to a thermobaric weapon.
Blowout panels are installed in several modern tanks, including the M1 Abrams
M1 Abrams
The M1 Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank produced in the United States. It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. The M1 is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for...
and T-80, and have in the past been considered as a possible solution to magazine explosion
Magazine (artillery)
Magazine is the name for an item or place within which ammunition is stored. It is taken from the Arabic word "makahazin" meaning "warehouse".-Ammunition storage areas:...
s on battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s.