Flange Guards, Safety Shields, Spray Guards
How to Select the Right Flange Spray Protector
Pipe safety shields, also known as flange guards, are used in a variety of industries, including oil & gas, power generation, chemical, marine, and much more. The primary function of spray shields is the prevention of harmful sprays and mist formation from failing pipe joints, of toxic, corrosive and dangerous liquids such as acid, oil or steam. Flange Guards offer a controlled leak, providing maintenance techs or plant personnel time to tend to the pipe leak(s).
Safety or spray shields offer the last line of defense. They are not designed to contain the leak indefinitely, but to prevent the harmful spray-outs that often result in fire or explosions causing considerable plant down time, capital expenditure and even loss of life.
There are many descriptions for safety shields... and a growing number of designs and manufacturers. But one thing stays the same: the importance of choosing the right shield design for your application.
What to Consider for Selecting Spray Shields / Flange Guards
There is no single shield design suitable for all process applications; especially for process media as diverse as sulphuric acid, cryogenic LNG, hydrogen, lube oil, thermal oil, HP steam (and many others).
For this reason it is critical to select a shield which is fit for purpose, considering:
- Process and material compatibility
- Temperature and pressure ranges
- Suitability for your specific pipe joint types
With all these things considered, you should be able to select the right shield with help from a trusted expert. This seemingly simple process is complicated by the growing number of unqualified suppliers and products (many of which have gone through no physical pressure testing). As reminder, there are no international standards for safety shields .
In today’s world, we believe selection and supply of Flange Shields should be easy.
When shopping for flange spray protectors, our partners at Flange Guards strongly suggest the following points:
- Driver - What is driving this requirement for shields. Maybe insurance company, some regulations, a recent near miss or Hazardous Area Zoning
- Process - What is the process media, pipeline pressure, pipe joint types requiring shields?
- Purpose - What is the most important requirement for the shield? To prevent a spray/jet, give leak indication, prevent contamination, avoid mist formation or something else
Identifying the right supplier is often the difficult part. If you Google Flange Shields, you will find a long list of companies all claiming to be experts.
It's more about finding a simple, cheap solution. You should find the right solution for your unique application.
This article was contributed by our partner Jeff Hardwood, President of Flangeguards.
For more information, or to shop Flangeguards, contact us today.
