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Investigation and actions after an internal air compressor filter fire
Author(s) -
McAllister Paul M.,
Dyche John L.,
Graves Russell C.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
process safety progress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.378
H-Index - 40
eISSN - 1547-5913
pISSN - 1066-8527
DOI - 10.1002/prs.11544
Subject(s) - gas compressor , containment (computer programming) , ignition system , filter (signal processing) , engineering , environmental science , forensic engineering , automotive engineering , waste management , mechanical engineering , computer science , electrical engineering , aerospace engineering , programming language
In November 2005, an internal fire occurred in a filter downstream of a dual headed diaphragm compressor. Subsequent investigation revealed that the compressor diaphragms had been punctured after failure of a check valve allowed debris to impact the diaphragms. The puncture extended through three separate diaphragms allowing compressor oil to be pumped into the air stream on the process side. The compressor continued to operate, oil collected in a downstream filter, and ignition occurred resulting in an internal fire. Discoloration of the filter housing indicated a temperature in excess of 700°F occurred in this filter housing. Fortunately, there was no loss of containment and the fire was extinguished without operator intervention. This article reviews the investigation into the causes of the equipment failure, how the ignition may have occurred, and the actions taken to prevent future incidents. Implementation of improved shutdown systems, more frequent maintenance, and changes to reduce possible causes of the fire were implemented, and the compressors have operated without another incident since 2005. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 32: 96–101, 2013