Flame Arresters & Tank Fittings Inspection Services

Phil Black - PII Editor 02/04/2010

201 3 minutes read

Listen to this article

Elmac Technologies® has launched a new range of inspection services specifically tailored to flame arresters and low pressure venting equipment. The Elmac inspection service is primarily aimed at companies who either lack the resources to carry out their own maintenance, or who have a narrow time-frame in which to carry it out and are looking to out-source that aspect of the work.

The provision of this new service is in direct response to customer demand. With many plant operators down-sizing their maintenance crews, manpower, knowledge, and skills gaps have been created which site managers are finding difficult to fill.

“Flame arresters and other tank fittings are essential safety items which, if not inspected regularly, can become blocked or jammed, leading to a situation whereby they cease to perform their basic safety function”, said Elmac Technologies’ managing director Dr Martyn Cooling. “It is essential that these items be incorporated into regular maintenance schedules, yet we find that operators are extending the time periods between inspections or they do not have people with the necessary skills to carry them out”.

United Kingdom Health & Safety Executive (HSE) guidelines for flame arrester maintenance HS(G)158 states, “It is essential that flame arresters are well maintained. They should be covered by a programme of regular inspection and maintenance. Records should be kept for the specification of each arrester, its location and its inspection maintenance history.”
“Our engineers are able to identify potential safety hazards when on a site”, continued Dr Cooling, “and after an informal visit, customers frequently ask us to perform full site surveys to assess their explosion protection and venting requirements. We can provide a full written assessment along with a list of recommendations which operators can act upon.”
Elmac are currently able to offer their inspection services to any site or facility in the United Kingdom (excluding off-shore facilities), and can co-ordinate with site operators to ensure minimum disruption to plant operations.

About Elmac Technologies
In 2008, Elmac Technologies celebrated sixty years of expertise in the design and development of flame arresters for use in the worldwide gas processing and distribution industry, and can proudly claim to be the technical leader in flame and explosion safety systems.

Originally known as Elmac Engineering, the company developed its first flame arrester in 1948, for use with town gas, and rapidly established a global reputation for the design, manufacture and supply of products to enhance process safety in a broad range of industrial sectors. These sectors include the global oil, gas and petrochemical industries; bio-fuels, mining, pharmaceuticals and power generation; agro-chemicals and fertilisers; distillers, food, flavours and fragrance companies; waste treatment organisations and special equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

Acquired by KnitMesh in 2001, and re-branded “Elmac Technologies” in 2007 to reflect better the high levels of innovation and enhanced protection offered by its products, Elmac Technologies has grown to become one of the premier brands in the global market for flame arresters.

Elmac can assist clients by specifying appropriate products for proposed new installations and plant retrofits. In addition, Elmac are able to provide advice on the positioning of these products in an installation and to evaluate the suitability of flame arresters already fitted. To support clients in meeting the 2006 EU ATEX Directive for flame arrester compliance, the company is also willing to undertake site visits to discuss existing installations and to provide technical presentations to enhance awareness amongst the engineering community.

With state-of-the-art commercial, manufacturing and test facilities in the UK and additional manufacturing centres in South Africa and the People”s Republic of China, Elmac Technologies is rapidly developing a comprehensive range of enhanced in-line and end-of-line deflagration arresters and in-line unstable detonation arresters. These devices are suitable for use in gas groups IIA, IIB3 and IIC having been rigorously tested in accordance with relevant international standards. The high-tech testing facilities can also be used to conduct experiments to demonstrate that proposed technical solutions meet client-specific requirements.

Elmac is also able to draw on the benefits of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to model the behaviour of a system in order to investigate the flow behaviour, including the study of flow patterns and the prediction of pressure drop. This information can be used to optimise designs for particular applications whilst avoiding the need for costly plant trials.

As part of an international group that also includes global knitted mesh specialists, KnitMesh Technologies, Elmac enjoys the financial stability necessary to continually innovate, research and develop the flame arrester solutions that will help bring greater safety to industry worldwide.

For more press information, please contact:

Dr Martyn R Cooling – Managing Director
Elmac Technologies Ltd.
Tel: +44 1352 717600
Fax: +44 1352 717642

E-mail: martyn.cooling@elmactechnologies.com