Flameproof joints on corrosive sites: how do you keep flamepaths free of corrosion?
Standards and manufacturer instructions allow some protection methods for flamepath gaps and rule out others. What do you do on offshore platforms, chemical plants and coastal sites to prevent corrosion without losing the protection?
Replies: 1
- excodex
Corroded flamepaths are one of those problems that only show up when someone opens the enclosure, and by then the protection may already be compromised.
The general rule is simple: only use what the standard and the manufacturer's instructions allow on the flamepath, and never reduce the gap protection by painting, gasketing or machining the joint. In coastal and offshore sites, the real questions are about maintenance:
- Which corrosion-protection products do you allow on flamepaths, and how do you make sure the right product is used by every contractor?
- Do you specify stainless steel enclosures from the start for marine environments, or treat aluminium enclosures?
- How often do you open and inspect flameproof joints in a corrosive atmosphere?
Please share what you have seen fail and what has held up over the years.
Excodex Editor