CHAPTER 8

DESIGNS TO PREVENT FIRES

AND EXPLOSION
OBJECTIVE

1. Inerting
- Vacuum Purging
- Pressure Purging
- Combined Pressure-Vacuum Purging
- Sweep-Through Purging

2. Using the Flammability Diagram to Avoid Flammable

Atmospheres

3. Static Electricity

4. Controlling Static Electricity

 OBJECTIVE Contd’

5. Ventilation

6. Explosion-proof Equipment and Instruments

7. Sprinkler systems, and

8. Miscellaneous design features for preventing

fires and explosion
 1. Inerting-Introduction

 adding an inert gas to a combustible mixture to reduce

the conc. of O2 below limiting O2 concentration (LOC)

 Inert gas – N2 or CO2 or steam

 Approximately LOC for gas is 10 % & dust 8 %

 purge with inert gas to bring the O2 conc. to safe

concentration.
 Common used is 4 % below LOC.
eg. 6 % Oxygen if LOC is 10 %.
 1. Inerting-Introduction

Purging method to reduce the O2 concentration to

the low set point.

 Vacuum purging
 Pressure purging
 Combined pressure-vacuum purging
 Vacuum and pressure purging with impure nitrogen
 Sweep-through purging
 Vacuum Purging
 Is not used for large storage vessels
 is common for reactors

STEP:
1.Drawing a vacuum on the vessel until the desired
vacuum is reached
2. Relieving the vacuum with an inert gas, such as
nitrogen to atmospheric pressure.
3. Repeating steps 1 and 2 until the desired oxidant
concentration is reached.
Vacuum Purging

 The initial mol fraction under vacuum (yo) is the

same as the initial stage.

 A vessel is vacuum-purge from yo to yj. The vessel

is initially at pressure PH and is vacuum-purge at
pressure PL. Determine the number of cycles
required to achieve the desired oxygen conc.

-Assuming ideal gas behavior, the total moles at

each pressure:
 Vacuum Purging Vacuum Purge cycles

End of 1st End of 2nd

Vacuum-purge Vacuum-purge

yo y1 y2
PH
Pressure

yo y1
PL
Mol fraction
of oxygen Number of moles
is constant Of oxygen is constant
Vacuum Purging

Assuming ideal gas behavior, the total moles at each

pressure:
nH =PHV/RT (7-1)
nL =PLV/RT (7-2)
Where nH and nL are the total moles

The number of moles of oxygen for low pressure, PL

and high pressure PH, using Dalton’s law:
(noxy)1L =yonL (7-3)
(noxy)1H = yonH (7-4)

st st
Vacuum Purging

 When the vacuum is relieved with pure nitrogen, the

mole fraction of oxidant are the same as in vacuum
state
The new (lower) fraction of oxidant:
y1 = (noxy)1L/nH (7-5)

Eq 7-3 into Eq 7-5

y1 = (noxy)1L/nH= yo (nL/nH)

If vacuum and inert is repeated after the second purge

y2 = yo (nL/nH)2
 Vacuum Purging

 The concentration or mol fraction after j purge cycles:

j j
 nL   PL  (7-6)
y i  y o    y o  
 nH   PH 
The total moles of nitrogen added for j cycles.

V (7-7)
n N 2  j  PH  PL 
RT
 Example 7-1
Vacuum purging to reduce oxygen of a 1000-gal vessel
to 1 ppm. Temp. 75°F, originally charged with air under
Ambient condition. A vacuum pump is used to reach
20 mm Hg absolute.The vacuum is relieved with nitrogen
Until pressure return to 1 atm absolute. Determine number
Purge required and the total nitrogen used.

yo = 0.21 lb-mol O2/total mol

yf = 1 ppm = 1  10-6 lb-mol O2/total mol
The required number of cycles:m (eq. 7-6)

yj = yo (nL/nH)j = yo (PL/PH)j

ln (yj/yo) = j ln (PL/PH)

= ln (10-6/0.21)/ln(20mmHg/760mmHg) = 3.37

FOUR purge is required to reduce O2 to 1ppm

The Total nitrogen used : eq 7-7
PL= (20 mmHg/760mmHg) x 14.7 psia = 0.387 psia
V
n N 2  j  PH  PL 
RT

4(14.7 – 0.387)psia x (1000gal)(1 ft3/7.48 gal)

(10.73 psia ft3/lb-mol°R)(75 + 460)°R

= 1.33 lb-mol = 37.2 lb of nitrogen

Pressure Purging
 Pressure-purged by adding inert gas under pressure
 Added gas is diffused throughout the vessel,
vented to atmosphere

Consider:
 The vessel is initially at PL and is pressurized using
pure nitrogen at PH.
 The objective is to determine the number of pressure
cycles required to reach the desired concentration.
Pressure Purging

End of 1st End of 2nd

Vacuum-purge Vacuum-purge

PH y1 y2
Pressure

yo y1 y2
PL
Mol fraction Number of moles
of oxygen Of oxygen is constant
is constant

Time
Pressure Purging
Example 7-2
Pressure purging technique is used to reduced oxygen
of a 1000-gal vessel to 1 ppm using pure N2 at a
pressure of 80 psig and temperature of 75°F.
Determine the total N2 required. Compare the quantities
of N2 required between pressure purging and vacuum
purging.
Pressure Purging
Solution
 Po 
yo  0.21  Po = starting pressure
 PH 

The final O2 conc. (yj) is 1 ppm or

10-6 lb-mol O2/total lb-mol.
 yj   PL 
The number of cycles required: ln   j ln 
 y0   PH 
ln(10 6 / 0.0326)
j  5.6
ln éë14.7psi /  80 +14.7 psiaùû
Pressure Purging
The number of purge cycles is 6
The qty of N2 used , from eq. 7-7
V
n N 2  j  PH  PL 
RT
133.7 ft 3
 6 94.7  14.7  psia
10.73 psia. ft 3 / lb  molR  535R 
= 11.1lb =311 lb nitrogen
 Pressure Purging Vs Vacuum Purging
Nitrogen Cycle
Pressure Purging 311 lb 6
Vacuum Purging 37.2 lb 4

 Pressure purging is fast but requires more nitrogen.

 Vacuum purging is a slow process in developing
a vacuum- the capacity of vacuum decreases as the
absolute vacuum is decreased.
 The need for a cost performance comparison to
determine whether the time saved in pressure purging
justifies the added cost for nitrogen.
 Sweep-Through Purging

 Add purge gas into the vessel at one opening

and withdraws the mixed gas from the vessel to
the atmosphere from another opening.

 Process at atmospheric pressure

 Used for vessel and equipment which are not

rated for high pressure or vacuum.
Sweep-Through Purging

The volumetric qty of inert gas, Qv required to

reduce the O2 concentration from C1 to C2 =
 C1  C 0 
Qv  V ln 
 C2  C0 

C0 if the oxygen present in the Nitrogen, V is

volume of the vessel
 Sweep-Through Purging

Example 7-3
 A vessel contains 100% air by volume, to be
inerted by Nitrogen to below 1.25% oxygen,
The volume of vessel is 1000ft3 and nitrogen
contains 0.01% oxygen.
 C1  C 0 
Qv  V ln 
 C2  C0 
 21.0  0.01 

 1000 ft ln
3
 
 1.25  0.01 

= 2830 ft3