SAFETY AND EMISSIONS CONTROL
Eliminating fugitive emissions

An important feature of bursting discs is that they can significantly reduce the problem of fugitive emissions. The American Institute of Chemical Engineers states that in a medium-sized synthetic organic chemical plant there are over 3,500 possible leak points, with leaks accounting for over 30% of all routine organic emissions.

PRVs are one of the hidden culprits: although individually they may only leak tiny amounts of product, collectively they can be significant contributors to a plant's overall fugitive emissions. This not only has environmental implications, but financial ones as well. For this reason, even if PRVs are not located in aseptic areas, bursting discs are often fitted below them to prevent these emissions from occurring.