Inline plug flame arrestors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8960320-B2
Application number	US-61695409-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2009
Priority date	Nov 12, 2009
Publication date	Feb 24, 2015
Grant date	Feb 24, 2015

Abstract

Example inline plug flame arrestors are disclosed. A disclosed example flame arrestor includes a body having a passage to enable fluid communication between a first end of the passage and a second end of the passage, wherein the first end of the passage includes a shoulder and a plug disposed within the passage to substantially fill a cross-sectional area of the passage, wherein a first end of the plug engages the shoulder, wherein the plug is configured to provide a gap between an exterior surface of the plug and a wall of the passage to fluidly couple the first and the second ends of the passage, and wherein the plug includes at least one slot at the first end of the plug extending along an exterior surface of the first end of the plug to a peripheral edge of the first end of the plug to direct fluid flow in the slot toward the wall of the passage and along the gap and the exterior surface of the plug toward the second end of the passage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flame arrestor to receive and extinguish a flame originating from a combustible environment, comprising:
a body having a passage to enable fluid communication between a first end of the passage and a second end of the passage, wherein the first end of the passage includes a shoulder; and
a plug disposed within the passage to substantially fill a cross-sectional area of the passage, wherein a first end of the plug engages the shoulder, wherein the plug has a substantially constant diameter between the first end of the plug and a second end of the plug, the diameter of the plug being less than a diameter of the passage to provide a gap between an exterior surface of the plug and a wall of the passage to fluidly couple the first and the second ends of the passage, and wherein the plug includes at least one slot at the first end of the plug, wherein the slot is open to the first end of the plug and to the exterior surface of the plug and the slot is to direct fluid flow in the slot toward the wall of the passage and along the gap and the exterior surface of the plug toward the second end of the passage to extinguish a flame propagating between the second end of the passage and the first end of the passage.

2. A flame arrestor as defined in claim 1 , wherein the plug is secured to the body.

3. A flame arrestor as defined in claim 2 , wherein the plug is secured to the body by at least one of staking the body at the second end of the passage to the plug, creating at least one aperture at the second end of the passage and at least one corresponding tab to engage the aperture, crimping the first end of the plug to the shoulder, or welding a portion of the plug to the body at the second end of the passage.

4. A flame arrestor as defined in claim 1 , wherein the gap between the exterior surface of the plug and the wall of the passage is between about 0.0001 millimeters to about 2.0 millimeters.

5. A flame arrestor as defined in claim 1 , wherein the gap between the exterior surface of the plug and the wall of the passage is between about 0.05% to about 10% of a diameter of the plug.

6. A flame arrestor as defined in claim 1 , wherein a diameter of the passage is substantially constant from the second end of the passage to the shoulder and decreases from the shoulder toward the first end of the passage.

7. A flame arrestor as defined in claim 1 , wherein the slot on the first end of the plug includes at least one of a rectangular slot extending a distance into the plug and having a length substantially equal to a diameter of the plug or a curved slot extending a distance into the plug and having a diameter substantially equal to a diameter of the plug.

8. A flame arrestor as defined in claim 7 , wherein the at least one of the rectangular slot or the curved slot extends into the plug from about 0.01% to about 95% of the length of the plug.

9. A flame arrestor as defined in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the body or the plug comprises at least one of aluminum, plastic, or stainless steel.

10. A flame arrestor as defined in claim 1 , wherein the at least one slot at the first end of the plug has a shape that is at least partially circular, rectangular, or triangular.

11. A flame arrestor as defined in claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the slot is open at a portion of the shoulder.

12. A flame arrestor as defined in claim 1 , wherein the plug is secured to the body by at least one stake at the second end of the passage that engages the second end of the plug.

13. A flame arrestor plug to extinguish a flame propagating between an outside environment and a combustible environment, comprising:
a first end;
a second end opposite the first end;
an exterior surface having a substantially constant circumference between the first end and the second end;
a slot extending into the plug from the first end of the plug along a longitudinal axis of the plug; and
a channel extending between the exterior surface of the plug to the slot inside of the plug, wherein the slot is to direct fluid flow in the slot through the channel to the exterior surface of the plug, wherein when the plug is disposed within a passage of a flame arrestor body having a diameter greater than a diameter of the plug, there is a gap between the exterior surface of the plug and a wall of the passage to extinguish a flame propagating between a first end of the passage and a second end of the passage.

14. A flame arrestor plug as defined in claim 13 , wherein the gap fluidly couples first and second ends of the passage.

15. A flame arrestor plug as defined in claim 13 , wherein the slot at the first end of the plug includes at least one of a rectangular slot having a length substantially equal to the diameter of the plug or an elliptical slot having a major diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the plug.

16. A flame arrestor, comprising:
a body having a passage and a shoulder within the passage, the passage having a first end and a second end, the passage to receive a flame originating from a combustible environment; and
a plug having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, wherein at least a portion of the first end of the plug is to engage the shoulder and the plug includes at least one slot at the first end of the plug, the slot having a first aperture open at the first end of the plug in a first direction and a second aperture open at an exterior side surface of the plug in a second direction, the second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction, wherein the slot is to enable fluid communication between the first end of the plug and the exterior side surface of the plug, wherein the plug has a substantially constant diameter between the first end of the plug and the second end of the plug, the diameter of the plug being less than a diameter of the passage to provide a gap between the exterior surface of the plug and a wall of the passage, and wherein the slot is to direct fluid from the first end of the plug toward the wall of the passage and along the gap to extinguish a flame propagating between the second end of the passage and the first end of the passage.

17. A flame arrestor as defined in claim 16 , wherein the plug is secured to the body by at least one connector between the body and the second end of the plug.

18. A flame arrestor, comprising:
a body having a passage to enable fluid communication between a first end of the passage and a second end of the passage, wherein the second end of the passage is to receive a flame originating from a combustible environment; and
a plug disposed within the passage to:
substantially fill a cross-sectional area of the passage with a first end of the plug; and
provide a gap between an exterior side surface of the plug and a wall of the passage to fluidly couple the first and the second ends of the passage, wherein the plug includes at least one slot at the first end of the plug extending along an exterior end surface of the first end of the plug to a peripheral edge of the first end of the plug and open at the peripheral edge to the exterior side surface of the plug to direct fluid in the slot toward the wall of the passage and along the gap and to extinguish a flame propagating from the second end of the passage to the first end of the passage.

19. A flame arrestor as defined in claim 18 , wherein the propagating flame is to be extinguished by at least one of the plug or the wall of the body absorbing heat associated with the flame.

20. A flame arrestor a

Assignees

• Moyer Daniel Glen
• Fisher Controls Int

Inventors

• Moyer Daniel Glen

Classifications

• A62C4/00 Primary

  Flame traps allowing passage of gas but not of flame or explosion wave · CPC title