Patent ID: 7056114

Claim:
A combination of a detonation flame arrestor with a reflection suppressor comprising in combination: (a) a housing having opposite housing ends with an orifice defined at each opposite end, a mid-region having opposite mid-region ends, each said mid-region end being defined by a transversely extending, apertured wall member, a matrix of elements disposed in said mid-region, which define small channels that extend longitudinally therethrough, a pair of opposite end regions in said housing, each said end region being located between a different one of said orifices and said matrix of elements; (b) a reflection suppressor having side wall portions that extend between a base portion and an apex portion thereof, a length that is shorter than the distance between said orifice and said matrix of elements in a selected one of said opposite end portions, a cross-sectional area along said length between said base portion and said apex portion that generally declines with increasing distance from said base portion, and said base portion having a cross-sectional area that is less than the cross sectional area of said selected one opposite end region; (c) mounting means for mounting said reflection suppressor in one of said opposite end regions with said reflection suppressor being centrally positioned in said one opposite end regions with said base portion being located adjacent to said orifice at said one opposite end region; whereby an advancing flame front with an associated pressure wave can enter the opposed one of said orifices, the flame of said flame front can be suppressed in said mid-region, said pressure wave can pass through said mid-region and around said reflection suppressor and out said orifice, and whereby a reflection wave that propagates back to said orifice strikes said reflection suppressor and is attenuated thereby.