Flame arrestors or flashback arrestors are pieces of equipment that commonly are in use in oxy-fuel welding and cutting, to stop flame from burning back up into the apparatus and causing damage or explosion. In simple words, the flashback arrestor is a safety tool, which shuts off the gas flow during a gas flow episode. Flashback is the combustion of a flame mixture that occurs within a gas management system. There are two main types of flame arrestors, namely wet flame arrestor and a dry flame arrestor, each featuring its advantages and disadvantages. These devices are very effective in preventing flashbacks from reaching the protected side of the gas system.
Flashback arrestors come to use for the safety of human lives and human properties, as not using them can cause massive explosions. Since, flashbacks occur under various conditions, inside the pipelines or vessels and move through the pipelines, they cause a scattering explosion. These arrestors usually position at the closest point to the flame, in the main pipeline, and on the fuel gas bank, vessel or cylinder. Majority of the flame arrestors in use are of the dry flame arrestor type.
The fundamental work of
Flashback Arrestors is to cut off the gas flow and extinguish the flame before the flame reaches the gas source and results into an explosion. Therefore, if the flame arrestor is not in line with the gas management system, the flame can travel through the management system and reach the gas source causing a blast in the entire gas management system. Out of the two types of flame arrestors, the dry type arrestor comes to use in most of the workshops, home or portable oxy-fuel kits as they work efficiently with any orientation and require very little maintenance. They are usually light weighted, and small enough and easily installable between hose and torches. However, wet type arrestors or liquid seal flame arrestors are liquid barriers that follow the siphon principles where the liquid prevents deflagration/detonation by extinguishing the flame. This efficient process is possible by the bubbling of the gas through a non-flammable, a non-gas absorbing liquid that characteristically is water (H2O).
