Experimental and numerical investigation of burst characteristics of ultra-high pressure rupture discs

Abstract

Rupture discs, as a critical safety device in the chemical industry, are extensively employed in systems such as pressure vessels and pipelines for overpressure relief protection. This study addresses the issue of accidental rupture of ultra-high-pressure rupture discs in high-pressure polyethylene facilities by conducting stress analysis using the elastoplastic nonlinear finite element method. It reveals the stress characteristics of the rupture discs under real-world operational conditions and scenarios. Moreover, the accuracy of the model is validated by comparing the numerical simulation results with those from ultra-high-pressure rupture experiments. Both simulation and experimental results indicate that the discrepancies in burst pressure and post-burst arch height are controlled within approximately 5 %. By comprehensively simulating the pre-bulging, unloading, and pressurized bursting processes of the rupture disc, this paper analyzes the failure causes of the rupture discs from a mechanical perspective, introducing a new metric, the thickness thinning rate, to characterize the deformation extent of the rupture disc, with thickness thinning reaching nearly 50 % at the point of failure. Through multifactorial analysis of key parameters such as the clamp fillet radius, relief diameter, and plate thickness, the study further clarifies the effects of these parameters on burst pressure, and the peak stress and displacement at the pole. The research provides a scientific basis for the failure analysis and parameter optimization design of ultra-high-pressure rupture discs.