What is a rupture disc?

Rupture disc

What is a rupture disc?

Rupture disc, as the name sounds it is also called burst disc, bursting disc, pressure safety disc. It protects a pressure vessel, equipment or system from being overpressurization or potentially damage under vacuum conditions. It is a pressure relief device which saves other parts of the system from pressure damage. Once the disc has ruptured it cannot be re-used.

Even experienced users can easily make costly mistakes. With the introduction of the rupture disc, this confusing landscape has changed. The rupture disc has been designed to reduce human error. Different disc strengths are available for low-pressure liquid/gas relief, high-pressure liquid/gas relief, medium pressure liquid/gas relief.

Rupture discs are very often used in combination with safety relief valves, isolating the valves from the process, thereby saving on valve maintenance and creating a leak-tight pressure relief solution. image

Features of high-performance rupture disc

• Machined inlet bite: it provided a gas-tight seal from the atmosphere and eliminates unwanted disc movement, thereby improving the disc reliability.

• Counterbore: the disc and the outlet is fitted into a counterbore for perfect alignment of all three components. Improving falling characteristics.

• Offset shoulder guarantees 360 degrees support to the disc transition radius, eliminating unwanted disc movement

• Offset locating pins prevent installing the disc upside down in the holder

• High strength pre-torque screws eliminate unwanted leaks

• They are specially designed and tested for non-fragmentation

• Withstands vacuum without any vacuum support

• They have a high cycle life

Advantages

• Its light weight and can open it easily.

• Less expensive and requires no maintenance

• Can be manufactured in varied sizes according pressure variance .

Disadvantages

• Once used itcannot be reused and the system must shutdown. The shutdown time is costly.

• Its use is limited in system with problems of excessive pressure

• Once ruptured, it should be replaced with disc that can with same pressure ie disc that withstand 230 psi cannot be replaced with disc 500 psi or less than 230 psi.