7.

7 Flame Arresters, Conservation Vents, XF

and Emergency Vents
Flame Arrester
D. S. KAYSER (1969, 1982) B. G. LIPTÁK (1995, 2003)

PSV
Pressure
Vac.

Conservation
Vent

PSV

Emergency
Vent
Flow Sheet Symbols

Types: A. Flame Arresters

B. Conservation Vents
B1. Pressure relief only
B2. Breather valves for pressure and vacuum relief
B3. Vacuum vents
C. Emergency vents and manhole covers
D. Gauge hatches

Materials of Construction: A. Cast aluminum, cast iron, cast steel, 304 or 316 stainless steel bodies; aluminum
or stainless steel pellets or tube banks; also available with heresite and other
coatings
B. Bodies are available in low-copper aluminum, cast iron, steel, 304 or 316 stainless
steel. Seats can be molded thermosetting phenolic, aluminum, or 316 stainless
steel. Diaphragms are available in FEP Teflon.
Sizes: A. Standard units from 1 to 12 in. (25 to 300 mm), special units up to 30 in. (762 mm.)
B. 2 to 12 in. (50 to 300 mm)
C. 10 to 24 in. (250 to 600 mm)
D. 4 to 8 in. (100 to 200 mm)

Connections: A. Screwed or 150# ANSI flanges

B, C, D. 125# and 150# ANSI or API flanges
2
Pressure Settings: B. Standard pressure and vacuum settings are 0.5 oz/in. (0.865 in., or 22 mm, of
2
H2O); maximum pressure and vacuum settings are 24 and 5 oz/in. (10 and 2 kPa),
respectively
2
C, D. Standard setting is 1.0 oz/in. (about 2 in., or 50 mm, of H2O)

Operating Temperatures: B. −50 to 300°F (−50 to 149°C)

920
© 2003 by Béla Lipták
 7.7 Flame Arresters, Conservation Vents, and Emergency Vents 921

Costs: A. For the 1 to 8 in. (25 to 200 mm) size range in aluminum construction, the price
range is $150 to $1700
B. For the 2 to 10 in. size range (50 to 250 mm), the cost of aluminum units ranges
from $300 to $1200
C. For the 16 to 24 in. (400 to 600 mm) size range, the cost of aluminum units ranges
from $500 to $1200

Partial List of Suppliers: Acetank Equipment (www.acetank.com)

Advanced Catalyst Systems (www.advancedcatalyst.com)
Anderson Greenwood (www.andersongreenwood.com)
BS&B Safety Systems (www.bsbsystems.com)
Cross Instrumentation (www.crossinstrumentation.com)
Enardo (www.enardo.com)
Forgy Process Instruments (www.forgyprocess.com)
Knitmesh Ltd. (www.knitmesh.com)
G. W. Lisk Co. (www.gwlisk.com)
Morrison Bros. (www.morrison_emergency.com)
Parker Yamaha (www.parkeryamaha.com)
Protectoseal Co. (www.protectoseal.com)
Shand & Jurs, Fluid Equipment (www.fluidequipment.com)

INTRODUCTION roof tank is properly vented using breather valves, emergency

vents, and flame arrestors. However, there are many applica-
Tanks and vessels must be protected against rupture due to tions where the cone roof design is used. This section covers
overpressure or against collapse caused by vacuum. They also vent sizing and application for those tanks.
need protection from the propagation of flame through the Tank breathing capacity should be large enough to match
venting system, which could cause fire and/or explosion, if the volume changes due to filling, emptying, and/or thermal
some exterior source caused ignition. In addition, the storage expansion. Three kinds of vents are utilized to meet the various
tanks containing flammable liquids or solvents should be venting requirements. The first is the simple free vent breather.
allowed to breathe, but should also be protected against costly This is an open pipe with its outlet screened and usually point-
evaporation losses. ing down to prevent rain and debris from getting into the tank.
The various breather valve designs (conservation and
emergency vents or vacuum breakers) protect the tanks from Conservation Vents
being exposed to excessive pressures or vacuums during fill-
ing or discharging. The purpose of the flame arresters is to The second type of vent used is the conservation vent or
cool the vapors below their ignition points as they pass breather valve. This valve is a low-pressure relief device and
through them. These devices are often used in combination vacuum breaker valve, combined in a single housing. Operation
with conservation vents where the flame arrester is placed of the conservation vent is illustrated in Figure 7.7b. As the
under the conservation vent and they work as a unit. pressure builds up in the tank, there is a differential created
The airflow capacities of different size flame arrestors in across the pressure relief pallet. When this differential becomes
combination with conservation vents can be determined from large enough to lift the pallet, this inner valve lifts and allows
Figure 7.7a for units from 2 and 12 in. pipe sizes. The data the vapors to flow out of the tank. Similarly, when a vacuum
in these charts provide the capacities for breather valve pres- is developed inside the tank because of the discharge of liquids,
sure or vacuum settings from 0.1 to 100 in. for both pressur- the differential across the inner valve of the vacuum braking
ized and evacuated storage tank applications. valve becomes large enough to lift the vacuum pallet and allows
air to flow into the tank.
TYPES OF VENTS All large storage tanks are exposed to small changes in
internal pressure resulting from (1) vacuums due to liquid
The venting requirement is a function of tank design. Several thermal contraction or pump-out, and (2) pressures due to
tank constructions have been developed to eliminate or reduce liquid thermal expansion or pump-in. These changes are usu-
the requirement for reliance on breather or vent equipment. ally small (on the order of inches of water column), but
Among these are various floating or lifting roof designs, and because they act on the large internal area of the tank, their
diaphragms that have sufficient expansion capacity to take up effect can be great. For example, a positive pressure of slightly
volume changes that are caused by liquid transfer and thermal over 3 in. of water column is enough to rupture the roof to
expansion. It should be noted that some of these tank con- side weld seam on many vertical tanks with cone roofs. Sim-
structions are safer and better able to conserve vapors than ilarly, a small negative pressure over the large wall area may be
the standard cone roof tank. This is true even when the cone enough to cause the walls to collapse. It is therefore necessary

© 2003 by Béla Lipták

922 Safety and Miscellaneous Sensors

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
17.33 30

11.55 20 2" 3" 4" 6" 8" 10" 12"

5.76 Pressure−Inches of Water Per Square Inch 10

4.62 8
3.47 6
Pressure−Ounces Per Square Inch

5
2.31 4

1.15 2

0.58 1
0.9
0.46 0.8
0.7
0.35 0.6
0.5
0.23 0.4
0.17 0.3

0.12 0.2

0.06 0.1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 20 30 40 60 80 100 200 400 600 1000
Flow−Thousands of Standard Cubic Feet Per Hour of Air

0.06 0.1

0.12 0.2

0.17 0.3
0.23 0.4
0.29 0.5
0.35 0.6
0.40 0.7
0.8
Vaccum−Inches of Water Per Square Inch

0.52
0.58 1.0
Vaccum−Ounces Per Square Inch

1.15 2

1.73 3
2.31 4
2.89 5
3.47 6
7
4.62 8
5.78 10

11.55 20

30 2" 3" 4" 6" 8" 10" 12"

17.33
40
50
60
70
80
100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 20 30 40 60 80 100 200 300 500 1000
Flow−Thousands of Standard Cubic Feet Per Hour of Air

FIG. 7.7a
3
Airflow capacities of flame arresters in combination with conservation vents. For converting to SI units use: 1 in. = 25.4 mm, 1 ft = 28 l,
2
and 1 oz/in. = 431 Pa. (Charts courtesy of Sand & Jurs.)

© 2003 by Béla Lipták

 7.7 Flame Arresters, Conservation Vents, and Emergency Vents 923

Recommended Set Pressures

Pressure Valve 2 Psig + " H2O ± 1" H2O + 1 " H2O
Weatherhood (13.8 kPa) (0.19 kPa) (0.25 kPa) (0.38 kPa)
Screen
PCV PCV PI Vac. Press.

PSV
PSV
Nitrogen

Storage
Tank

Tank Vacuum Valve FIG. 7.7c

Screen Venting of blanketed storage tanks.

FIG. 7.7b with flash points below 73°F (23°C) and boiling points above
Conservation vent. 100°F (37°C) and on tanks that contain liquids with flash
points in the 73 to 100°F (23 to 37°C) range.
to provide some mechanism to keep the internal tank pressure The flash point of a liquid is the lowest temperature at
within a certain tolerance around the atmospheric pressure which sufficient vapors are given off to form a flammable
during thermal expansion and liquid transfer. vapor-air mixture above the liquid. Conservation vents are
In many cases, a simple vent pipe is not enough. One of generally recommended for tanks that store liquids have flash
these is where the material has a low flash point and would cause points of up to 140°F (60°C). Stored liquids are often heated
a hazard if large amounts were allowed to continuously enter to prevent freezing and/or to reduce their viscosity. The
the atmosphere. Another is where the vapor is corrosive, toxic, installation of conservation vents should be considered for
or expensive, and continuous venting to air is not desirable. all tanks in which the stored liquid is heated to or near to its
There are several advantages to the use of conservation flash point.
vents in comparison to the free vent. Conservation vents save Another application of conservation vents is on tanks that
the process fluid by reducing the waste of vapors to the require inert gas blanketing. Inert gas blankets are used to
atmosphere. For example, a study of the effectiveness of prevent product contamination by air or by the moisture in air
conservation vents by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and to hold down the vapor layer of low-flash-point materials.
found that in case of a 30-ft-diameter (9 m) tank having the Free vents are of no use where a gas blanket is required. One
3
capacity of 210,000 gal (794 m ), an annual saving of 1400 gal method of venting a blanketed tank is shown in Figure 7.7c.
3
(5.3 m ) of material could result from the use of a conserva-
tion vent. The study assumed that the stored liquid had a Determination of Required Capacity There are several guides
vapor pressure of 5 PSIA (34.5 kPa) at 60°F (16°C), and the to tank venting requirements, but one of the most widely used
conservation vent pressure setting was 3/4 in. (19 mm) H2O. is API’s “Guide for Tank Venting.” Table 7.7d gives venting
By reducing product loss, the conservation vent also capacity requirements for thermal venting, and Table 7.7e gives
reduces the potential for fire and the amount of air pollution the required capacities for fire emergency venting of above-
around the storage tank. Of course, if at the particular ambient ground tanks. In addition, the following recommendations are
temperature no liquid vaporized at all, a free vent would be usually made to cover venting required due to liquid transfer:
sufficient and the value of the conservation vent would drop, For liquids with flash points below 100°°F (37°°C)—In
as the vapor pressure of the stored liquid increases. addition to the capacity requirements for thermal breathing
listed in Table 7.7d, provide 17 SCFH (8 l/min) of venting
When to Use Conservation Vents capacity for each gal/min (3.78 l/min) of filling rate and 8
SCFH (3.8 l/min) of inbreathing capacity for each l/min (3.78
Whether a conservation vent is required, recommended, or l/min) of emptying rate.
not needed depends on the applicable code, the value of the For liquids with flash points above 100°°F (37°°C)—
process fluid and the weather. API requires conservation Provide 8.5 SCFH (4 l/min) of vent capacity for each gpm
vents on all tanks containing liquids whose flash point is (3.78 l/min) of filling rate and 8 SCFH (3.8 l/min) of inbreathing
below 100°F (37°C). The National Fire Protection Associa- capacity for each gal/min (3.78 l/min) of emptying rate plus
tion (NFPA) requires a conservation vent on all tanks that sufficient capacity to meet the thermal breathing require-
contain a liquid with a flash point below 73°F (23°C) and a ments of Table 7.7d.
boiling point below 100°F (37°C). NFPA requires a conser- In addition to the above requirements, the diameter of
vation vent or flame arrestor on tanks that contain liquids the vent pipe must be at least as large as the largest filling

© 2003 by Béla Lipták

924 Safety and Miscellaneous Sensors

TABLE 7.7d
Thermal, Venting Capacity Requirements (Cubic Feet Per Hour of Air)*
Outbreathing (Pressure)
Tank Capacity Inbreathing (Vacuum)
Flash Point 100°F Flash Point Below
Barrels* Gallons* All Stocks (37.8°C) or Above 100°F (37.8°C)
60 2,500 60 40 60
100 4,200 100 60 100
500 21,000 500 300 500
1,000 42,000 1,000 600 1,000
2,000 84,000 2,000 1,200 2,000
3,000 126,000 3,000 1,800 3,000
4,000 168,000 4,000 2,400 4,000
5,000 210,000 5,000 3,000 5,000
10,000 420,000 10,000 6,000 10,000
15,000 630,000 15,000 9,000 15,000
20,000 840,000 20,000 12,000 20,000
25,000 1,050,000 24,000 15,000 24,000
30,000 1,260,000 28,000 17,000 28,000
35,000 1,470,000 31,000 19,000 31,000
40,000 1,680,000 34,000 21,000 34,000
45,000 1,890,000 37,000 23,000 37,000
50,000 2,100,000 40,000 24,000 40,000
60,000 2,520,000 44,000 27,000 44,000
70,000 2,940,000 48,000 29,000 48,000
80,000 3,360,000 52,000 31,000 52,000
90,000 3,780,000 56,000 34,000 56,000
100,000 4,200,000 60,000 36,000 60,000
120,000 5,049,000 68,000 41,000 68,000
140,000 5,880,000 75,000 45,000 75,000
160,000 6,720,000 82,000 50,000 82,000
180,000
7,560,000 90,000 54,000 90,000

*One cubic foot per hour equals 0.472 liters per minute. One gallon equals 3.78 liters and one barrel
equals 42 gallons, or 159 liters.

or emptying line connected to the tank. For small, UL-labeled

tanks, the required vent line sizes can be obtained from
TABLE 7.7e Table 7.7f.
Required Capacities for Emergency Relief of Excessive Internal
Pressure in Above-Ground Tanks Sizing Much of the sizing data for venting equipment is
Tank Capacity empirical. Therefore, once venting requirements are deter-
Total Pressure-Relief
mined, the user should refer to published capacity charts to
Gallons* Barrels* Capacity SCFH of air
determine vent sizes. As a guide to conservation vent sizing
1,000 23.8 25,300
refer to Figure 7.7g, which gives the recommended sizes as
4,000 95.2 69,500
a function of tank volume and discharge pumping rates.
18,000 428 139,000
25,000 595 166,000
These recommendations assume that the flash point of the
stored liquid is below 100°F (38°C) and the settings of the
56,000 1,330 253,000
conservation vent are 1 in. water column (0.4 kPa) for both
100,000 2,380 363,000
155,000 3,690 458,000
the positive and the vacuum settings.
222,000 5,290 522,000 Most published data provide the required venting capac-
ity in units based on the venting of free air. In order to convert
475,000 11,300 624,000
735,000 17,500 648,000
these data into the venting capacity requirements of other
Unlimited 648,000 vapors, the following equation may be used:

A
*One cubic foot per hour equals 0.472 liters per minute. One gallon V= 7.7(1)
equals 3.78 liters, and one barrel equals 42 gallons, or 159 liters. (SG)

© 2003 by Béla Lipták

 7.7 Flame Arresters, Conservation Vents, and Emergency Vents 925

6
TABLE 7.7f (1.50)
Vents for Underwriter Laboratory Labeled Tanks 5 3

Tank Gague Pressure, Ounces Per Square Inch (kg/m2)

(1.25) 2-Inch (139)
Vent-Pipe Size (Inches)* 4

Tank Gauge Pressure, Inches of Water (kPa)

Tank Capacity (1.00) (50 mm)
3-Inch 2
(Gallons)* Buried Tanks Above-Ground Tanks 3 (75 mm) (86)
To 500 1
1
1 /4 (0.75)
1 1 2
501–1,000 1 /4 1 /2 (0.50) 1
1,001–3,000
1
1 /2 2 4-Inch (43)
1
3,001–6,000
1
1 /2
1
2 /2 (0.25) (100 mm)
6,001–12,000 2 3 0 0
12,001–30,000 3 4 −1
(−0.25)
*One inch equals 25.4 mm; one gallon equals 3.78 liters. −2 −1
(−0.50) (−43)
−3 4-Inch
(−0.75)
3-Inch (100 mm) −2
−4 (−86)
1,200 (−1.00) (75 mm)
2-Inch
(4536) −5 (50 mm) −3
(−1.25) (−129)
1,000 −6
Tank Capacity−Thousands of Gallons (l)

6"(150 mm)
(−1.50) 0 10 20 30 40
(3780)
(0.28) (0.56) (0.84) (1.12)
Air Flow, SCFH × 1000 (m3/h)
800
(3024) FIG. 7.7h
6"(150 mm) Approximate capacities for conservation vents with various settings
600 and sizes.
(2268) 4"(100 mm)

4"(100 mm)
400 Wire Weatherhood
(1512) 3"(75 mm)

200 3"
(756) (75 mm)
2"(50 2"(50 Guide Seat
mm) mm)
0 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400
(1512) (3024) (4536) (6048) (7560) (9072)
Pump Rate−GPM (l/m)
FIG. 7.7i
FIG. 7.7g
Emergency manhole cover.
Conservation vent size required for given tank and pump sizes.
1
Capacity based on pressure and vacuum setting at 1 /2 in. (38 mm)
H2O. Solid lines for pressure; dotted lines for vacuum relief. Some constructions of emergency relief devices can be
bolted to the tank manhole and also double as manhole cover.
NFPA requires that, “Every above-ground storage tank shall
where have some form of construction or device that will relieve
V = volume of vapor in SCFH excessive internal pressure caused by external fire.” This
A = volume of air in SCFH requirement may be met by use of the emergency vent or by
SG = specific gravity of vapor to be vented (air = 1.0) the use of one of several special tank constructions. These
special constructions are floating roofs or week-seam con-
If the pressure setting of the conservation vent is other structions.
1
than 1 /2 in. H2O (0.4 kPa), the vent capacity in units of free
air can be obtained from Figure 7.7h. Dessicating Vents

Emergency Vents The desiccant vent air dryer is a device that is sometimes
used on storage tanks in conjunction with vents and that may
The third type of venting device, the emergency vent, is used be installed in the vent piping. The desiccant dryer may be
as a secondary or backup relief device on storage tanks, required to prevent the contamination of stored liquid due to
which can be subjected to external heating such as fire. The moisture entering through the tank venting system (Figure 7.7j).
emergency vent is a large area cover that is opened when It is important to note that the breather valve also has a
excessive pressure develops in the tank (Figure 7.7i). vacuum relief setting. This is required to prevent vacuum

© 2003 by Béla Lipták

926 Safety and Miscellaneous Sensors

Breather Valve Arrester

Plates
Union (Bank)
Vapor Connection
Exhaust
Air Drier

Sight Glass
Flame Vacuum Valve
Arrester

Air
Intake
FIG. 7.7k
In-line flame arrester.
Tank

Flame Weather
FIG. 7.7j
Arrester Hood
Breather valve installation with desiccant dryer.

buildup in the tank if the water in the desiccant freezes and

thus plugs the dryer. The vacuum setting on the breather valve
should be about 1 in. (25 mm) of H2O below the setting on
the vacuum valve.

FLAME ARRESTERS
FIG. 7.7l
End-of-line flame arrester.
Flame arresters are in-line or end-of-line venting devices
provided with an internal flame-arresting grid. They are
designed to prevent an external fire from entering a tank that
contains a flammable product (Figures 7.7k and 7.7l). The Vacuum Pallet Cover
Swing Bolts
internal grid or bank of plates is of sufficient size, and the
plates are spread so that an external flame that flashes into Weather
the arrester will be cooled and extinguished before it can pass Hood
through the arrester and into the storage tank. Flame arresters
are also available as combination flame arrester/conservation Housing
vent units (Figure 7.7m).
When sizing flame arresters, the selected size must be
large enough to vent a quantity of air, which equals the Pressure Pallet
volume displaced by product transfer plus the volume gen- Flame
erated by thermal expansion. The data given for conservation Arrester
vents (see Tables 7.7d, 7.7e, and 7.7f) also apply to flame
arresters. It should also be noted that a flame arrester of a FIG. 7.7m
given size has a lower capacity than the same size conserva- Combination flame arrester/conservation vent.
tion vent. Therefore, it is the flame arrester that will determine
line and vent nozzle size, if a combination unit is used, or if
the two units are installed in series. 2. On tanks that contain liquids with flash points above
Factory Mutual System requires that flame arresters be 110°F (43°C), but where the tank may be exposed to
used under the following conditions: combustibles or other tanks containing liquids with
flash points below 110°F (43°C)
1. On tanks that contain liquids with flash points below 3. On tanks where the contents can be heated to their
110°F (43°C) flash points under normal operation

© 2003 by Béla Lipták

 7.7 Flame Arresters, Conservation Vents, and Emergency Vents 927

NFPA requires that flame arresters or conservation vents American Petroleum Institute, “Sizing, Selection, and Installation of Pressure-
be used on tanks that contain liquids with flash points below Relieving Devices in Refineries,” API RP 520, Parts I and II, Washington,
D.C., 2000 and 1994, respectively.
73°F (23°C) and with boiling points above 100°F (38°C). Block, B., “Emergency Venting,” Chemical Engineering, January 22, 1962.
NFPA also requires their use on tanks that contain liquids Factory Mutual System, Handbook of Industrial Loss Prevention, New York:
with flash points in the 73 to 100°F (23 to 38°C) range. McGraw-Hill, latest edition.
Flame arresters cannot always be relied upon to provide Fauske, H.K., “Properly Size Vents for Nonreactive and Reactive Chemi-
tank venting. Whenever the stored material in the tank can cals,” Chemical Engineering Progress, February 2000, pp. 17–29.
Kletz, T., “What Went Wrong? Case Studies of Process Plant Disasters,”
foam, plug, or freeze, it is possible that the space between
Houston, TX: Gulf Publishing, May 2001.
the flame arrester plates will clog and restrict or stop venting. Lees, F.P., “Loss Prevention,” Gulf Professional Publishing, September 1996.
When this condition is anticipated, the flame arrester can be Lisciani, C., “Vents and Flame Arrester,” Instrumental Technology, July 1968.
steam-traced to prevent product freezing. Under these condi- National Board of Fire Underwriters, “Liquefied Petroleum Gases,” NBFU
tions it is advisable to provide a secondary pressure-relieving No. 58, latest edition.
device that will protect the tank in case of flame arrester National Fire Protection Association, “Explosion Venting,” NFPA No. 68,
Quincy, MA, latest edition.
plugging. National Fire Protection Association, “Fire Facts,” Quincy, MA, 1982.
National Fire Protection Association, “Flammable and Combustible Liquids
Code,” NFPA No. 30, Quincy, MA, latest edition.
“Regulator, Safety, Relief, Check Valves,” Measurements and Control, June
Bibliography 1991.
Vervalin, C.H., Fire Protection Manual, Houston, TX: Gulf Publishing, latest
Ahmad, S.M., “Eaaase Relief System Design and Documentation,” Chem- edition.
ical Engineering Progress, May 2000, p. 43. Walter, L.F., “Reshaping Process Safety Regulations,” Chemical Engineer-
American Insurance Association, “Fire Prevention Code,” latest edition. ing Progress, March 2002.
American Petroleum Institute, “Manual on Installation of Refinery Instruments,” Wong, W.Y., “Fires, Vessels and the Pressure Relief Valve,” Chemical Engi-
API Recommended Practice 550, Washington, D.C., latest edition. neering, May 2000.

© 2003 by Béla Lipták