Educted flame suppressor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025067403-A1
Application number	US-202418813731-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 23, 2024
Priority date	Aug 23, 2023
Publication date	Feb 27, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A flame suppressor for venting pipelines, vessels or tanks containing a combustible gas includes a quench module and an injector located in a flow path of the vented pipeline product exiting the quench module. The injector introduces an educted jet of a second gas into the flow path so that vented pipeline product has speed above a flame propagation speed of the combustible gas. The second gas may be a non-combustible or inert gas or air and may be used to dilute, as well as accelerate, the vented pipeline product. Or the second gas may inject a combustible gas, for example, methane, still accelerating the vented pipeline product.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A flame suppressor adapted for connection to a venting mechanism of a source containing a pipeline product comprising a combustible first gas, the flame suppressor comprising:
an outlet-side pipe ( 28 ) arranged to receive the combustible first gas and including an injector ( 16 ) adapted to receive a second gas and oriented to educt the second gas into an interior space ( 29 ) of the outlet-side pipe and toward an exhaust end ( 30 ) of the outlet-side pipe; wherein the source containing the pipeline product is selected from the group consisting of a pipeline, a vessel, and a tank.

2 . The flame suppressor of claim 1 , further comprising a quench module ( 14 ) connected to the outlet-side pipe ( 28 ) and located upstream of the injector to receive the combustible first gas prior to the outlet-side pipe.

3 . The flame suppressor of claim 1 , wherein the second gas is a gas selected from the group consisting of a non-combustible gas, an inert gas, and a combustible gas.

4 . The flame suppressor of claim 1 , wherein the source containing the second gas is different from the source containing the pipeline product.

5 . A flame suppressor adapted for connection to a venting mechanism of a source containing pipeline product comprising a combustible first gas, the flame suppressor comprising:
an inlet end ( 20 ) and an exhaust end ( 30 ) a quench module ( 14 ) located between the inlet and outlet ends and comprising a plurality of ports ( 42 ), each port providing a flow path for the combustible first gas; and an injector ( 16 ) located between the quench module and the exhaust end, the injector having an inlet end ( 15 ) adapted for connection to a source of a second gas and having an outlet end ( 17 ) oriented toward the exhaust end of the flame suppressor and adapted to educt the second gas into an interior space ( 29 ) of the flame suppressor; wherein the source containing the combustible first gas is selected from the group consisting of a pipeline, a vessel, and a tank.

6 . The flame suppressor of claim 5 , wherein the injector is located nearer to the quench module than to the exhaust end.

7 . The flame suppressor of claim 5 , wherein the second gas is a gas selected from the group consisting of a non-combustible gas, an inert gas, and a combustible gas.

8 . A system for venting a combustible first gas from a source containing a pipeline product, the system comprising:
a tap ( 100 ) in communication with an interior space of the source; a venting mechanism ( 110 ) connected to the tap; and a flame suppressor ( 10 ) connected to the venting mechanism and comprising:
an inlet end ( 20 ) and an exhaust end ( 30 );
a quench module ( 14 ) located between the inlet and outlet ends and including a flow path adapted to increase a speed of the combustible first gas; and
an injector ( 16 ) located downstream of the quench module, the injector having an inlet end ( 15 ) adapted for connection to another source, different than that of the first source, of a second gas and having an outlet end ( 17 ) oriented toward the exhaust end of the flame suppressor and adapted to educt the second gas into an interior space ( 29 ) of the flame suppressor; wherein the source containing the pipeline product is selected from the group consisting of a pipeline, a vessel, and a tank.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the quench module ( 14 ) comprises a plurality of ports plurality of ports ( 42 ) each providing the flow path for the combustible first gas.

10 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the injector is located nearer to the quench module than to the exhaust end.

11 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the pipeline venting mechanism is a valve.

12 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the flow path of the quench module has a cross-sectional area equal to a cross-sectional area of the tap.

13 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the second gas is selected from the group consisting of a non-combustible gas, an inert gas, and a combustible gas.

14 . A method for reducing a flammability risk of a vented pipeline product including a combustible first gas, the method comprising:
venting the combustible first gas through a flame suppressor including a quench module; and downstream of the quench module, educting a second gas into the flow of the combustible first gas so as to increase a speed of the combustible first gas above a flame propagation speed of the combustible first gas.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the second gas is at least one gas selected from the group consisting of a non-combustible gas, an inert gas, and a combustible gas.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the combustible first gas includes hydrogen.

17 . A method for reducing a flammability risk of a combustible first gas when vented from a source containing a pipeline product, the method comprising:
installing an injector ( 16 ) within an outlet pipe ( 28 ) connected to a venting mechanism ( 110 ) of the section of pipeline, the injector arranged to educt a second gas into a flow path of the combustible first gas and toward an exhaust end ( 30 ) of the outlet pipe; wherein the source containing the pipeline product is selected from the group consisting of a pipeline, a vessel, and a tank.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein a source of the second gas is different than that of the combustible first gas, the second gas being a gas selected from the group consisting of a non-combustible gas, an inert gas, and a combustible gas.

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the combustible first gas includes hydrogen.

20 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the pipeline is an isolated section of pipeline.

Assignees

• Tdw Delaware Inc

Inventors

• Poe Roger L

Classifications

• A62C3/06

  of highly inflammable material, e.g. light metals, petroleum products · CPC title

• F17D5/005 Primary

  of gas pipelines, e.g. alarm · CPC title

• A62C4/02 Primary

  in gas-pipes (safety valves F16K17/00) · CPC title