Burst detection upgrade eliminates spurious alarms

Edited by the Processingtalk editorial team Dec 7, 2005

Lucite International, the world leading supplier of Methyl Methacrylate, is utilising Elfab pressure-management systems to safeguard production processes at its Billingham site in Stockton-on-Tees

Lucite International (LI), the world leading supplier of Methyl Methacrylate (MMA), is utilising pressure-management systems from Elfab to safeguard production processes at its Billingham site in Stockton-on-Tees.

The LI safety performance is over ten times better than the European and US chemical industry average.

When LI wanted to re-commission an old section of its plant, it became aware of the need to update the autoclave pressure-relief device, which relied on a traditional type of detector, activated by fluid flow following an overpressure event.

To avoid spurious alarms, Elfab supplied an Opti-Gard reverse-acting bursting disc assembly, featuring an Integral Flo-Tel sensor.

Integral Flo-Tel is an ATEX-approved, non-invasive burst detection system, based on magnetic field-sensing.

"Apart from being much more durable and reliable," says Barry Johnson, LI Engineering Surveyor, "the best thing about the Opti-Gard system is that you can check the operation of the sensor without interrupting your process.

The Integral Flo-Tel detector can be replaced and tested without removing the bursting disc unit, unlike conventional detection devices; there is no potential for damage during installation or spurious alarms that can cause unnecessary downtime".

Previously, in another area of the LI plant, the cable of a membrane-type detector fitted above a bursting disc had been accidentally broken by mechanical work carried out in an adjacent area.

A complete shutdown of the manufacturing facility was required so that the detector could be replaced, which cost the company approximately GBP40,000 in lost production.

MMA is the foundation for acrylic, which is used in a diverse range of products from mobile phone screens to solid surfaces for kitchens and bathrooms.