Why Your Acetylene Plant May Need an Upgraded Generator Relief Valve?

Pressure vessels serve different purposes, and they are used across various industries. These vessels may be compressed with different types of industrial gases. Some common gasses include air, acetylene, helium, oxygen, or nitrogen. Being a popular industrial gas, acetylene is generated in a tank used across the world. As with any other vessel, over pressurizing creates a potential problem.

So, these generators and their operators must be protected from the overpressure situation. Installing relief valves on acetylene generators with enough capacity to relieve excess pressure is important.

Many generators have been altered to increase their capacity since being manufactured. We urge you to verify the actual generator production. Some may be operating at a rate as high or higher than the relief valves capacity to release the acetylene. Acetylene generator manufacturers have upgraded their designs to allow for increased relief capacity. This allows for relief capacity beyond what was once deemed best practice. Rexarc has upgrade kits for its acetylene generator relieving capacity. Are you intrigued to know how this upgrade can make your acetylene generator safer? Read the post to know more.

Features of Rexarc’s Generator Relief Valve Kit

The following features of generator relief valves have contributed to their easy acceptance in the market.

1. High Capacity Flow: These valves have a set pressure, which is always less than the Maximum Allowable Working Pressure (MAWP) of the generator. The pressure relief valve provided by Rexarc is rated at 15,000 Standard Cubic Feet per Hour (SCFH), which ensures better protection to the generator.

Rexarc’s acetylene generators built before 1990 were equipped with four safety relief valves. Two of these valves were mounted on the generator tank and two on the liquid flashback arrestors. The valves were designed to provide a vent for excess pressure at a rate up to 13,200 SCFH at 3 psig above the initial relief pressure. Now, Rexarc recommends plants with a generator capacity larger than 8,000 SCFH to use the fifth and the latest pressure relief valve. This includes Models ATX 2400 and 5000 and 10,000.

2. Improved Relieving Capacity: Imagine this scenario: The generator fills with water to its top. The water goes through the screw-feed valve seat and begins to react with carbide in the screw-feed. In such cases, the pressure increases beyond what the older design had the capacity to release. In fact, the older generators didn’t have relief valves on their hoppers, resulting in the lid being pushed off. This also created a large release of acetylene gas, another challenge to the safety of operators and damage to operations. This is where Rexarc’s generator relief valve kits come into effect. They release the pressure at 14 PSI and allow more for more relief capacity and relief points with additions to the generator tank and hoppers. The upgrades help the safety of the vessel, operators, and facility.

Rexarc is committed to the safety of its equipment and users. This is why the company is continuously investing in safety mechanisms, which help improve the safety, efficiency, and productivity of its acetylene gas plants.