The design temperature of flare systems Akey objective when setting flare system design conditions is to maintain the integrity of the system during fire relief xubamn Pl Doi Proce ‘eat doa! has been wrt te about the minim rempersture ff fare and Blowdown 95° tems because cold. tempers turer can case brie fire oF ‘overstessing. of faze piping. Tes hs been writen about set ting the mannan design te perature of fle system ping. "Ametican Peroeuen Inte (APD Standard 521" which Is ‘used Hhrowghost the ind tay by proass engines gives aly general guidance on how to approach the task of sting the (mechanical) design tem perature, The standard advises {hat the extemes of temper fame of the fluids entering ‘he header should be consid ced, beat tanafer analyse ‘may be performed, iti cam- son to exclude the fe case, tnd earful analysis a equied “There is considerable scope for interpretation by india uals and. companies of how this oto be iplementad. The author's experienc is that com Dany standards der fn thelr Approach and in the level of dla they offer, sometnes ilving ise to move questions than answer The refinery ross engineer, faced with fables of relief eace dat, has to place a numer inthe bow on fhe line fist that says ‘Design ‘Temperstore. Ik is = number {er hi he or she wil be had secountable ‘The design temperature of process equipments usally the higher of the madanom pormal operating tempertire plus a margin (ypically ofthe frder of 25°C) oF the highest Temperate expected ducing startup, shutdown or upset Upset conditions incude the operation ofthe pressure allt lve and for equipment con faining a saturated Liquid the temperatre is higher at elit presture than at normal pe fare. The lection of lit valve body and lage eat ing are normally based the ‘squlpment design onions ‘The fire contingency is not notmally ener when se fing. the dasign tempera ofthe equipment ori assoc si prenate rel valve (PR). ‘he fire rele temperate for a heavy hydiventbon mtu, with a wide boing rage, can be very much higher than the equipment design temperature "This can lead tn the somewhat uncomfortable result Gat the PRY fre ee operaing temper- fatue & higher tan is design temperature. Thdaring the fire the vessel PRV opens to relieve vapour, the tamperatace of the Maid centering the flare syslom muy De much higher thin the vee cst design temperature Such 2 postblity gives rise to the ‘question: should Uke design lemperstace ofthe fare system Deligher than the design ta erate ofthe weet eves? ‘A fie on a hydrocarbon pro- cesing anit silly means that 2 less of ‘containment has alrexdy. occured. When a vette containing hydrocae bon is subject to heat input fom major fre, further fal- ‘ure (or instance at the vessel anges) should not be sex pected. Although his results van exalation of the fire, the Incident i il contained the ‘sme plant area If hot vapour relief tthe fare system causes sufficient tase at any point inthe flare Ineader (oy “thermal “expan son) then signifiant dam tage can orc. This may causeJoes of containment at 3 lcs on remote from the of til fre, The result would be @ ‘major excalstion ofthe iio Iti therefore not loge hat paca ofthe lace system should Ihave a higher design temper tare than that of the equlp ‘ment fom which the fe elie ttre origins Howaver tha header ping in onplot fare ystems is highly constrained {by many plping branches are Likely to 8 large in camete. Seting an unceasonaly high design temperate will result fm major mechanical design probl "There is no industry wide practize for selting design tem Derature base on fe ese dat. ‘he somario requzes carctul consideration fo avid ihe ti inadequate apectietion of {an infeasible speciation. API Standard S21 state that it Is ‘oman practice to exlade the Se ele scenario when spec ying, the design temperature ofthe flare Healer. I ay be 1 common practice bat, the Suthocs experienc Tally. not ubigitons, To con ser fire case forthe majoty ff reliaery PRV bat to ignore ie when specifying the dopo! ‘yom to which they dlsdarge might be considera! peston- ble Afr all freon a all finery ina zenonably forse thle contingency ‘The following sections resume thatthe re mi fot be ignored and consider some of he ieuce that will therefore aise ‘What the fre cate relieving temperature? ‘Wetted val vessels Many refinery vesls confine ing ide boing range hyo cexcbone will have very high Called fie relist tempers es, The heavier the hyo bon and the higher the PRV set pressure, the higher willbe the {lle temperate. if we take he average bing point as ics tive ofthe temperature 2 vessel right xp teach en age boiling pont of °C might be over AOD ala seeving pressure of 5 fag, The design of the Mare auvheader piping ‘would be very challenging at isso of empertace ‘Actually, the rlloving tem perature f unlikely 9 reach foorc and it it therefore ‘unlikely that the flare piping Would ever teach this temper: ature. Hydroeutons tend to ‘sat caching, if the tempera: ture exceeds val of around ‘350%; af the liga ta a vessel I oling at S0°C it i kel that some cracking 6 carmen, ft the vessel walls. The lower rmolecslir weight atrial produced by cacking wil tend fo reduce the efeesve vapour prsoure ofthe Hiquid and make Snlely thatthe temperate ‘wil contnue tors In he way prodiced from the foed stream Failing range Depending on hydrocarbon \ype and molecular weight, may well be that the hoon. bon i the vere will Become superna at the releving pressure and. will no longer EGt Prediction af what hap pens inside the vessel now ‘even more diet since ack ing will sill ocer (or increase since the wall temperature Is ely to increase) The for. ration ‘of light hydrocarbons twill tend to ineease the rt ical prewure of the ssure land also coal the vessel con tents since thermal cracking sdodhermic 1 the calculated. fire relict temperature is higher than APC it shouldbe treated with Vessels containing vapour ‘When vanele containing only fealecleree eee fie heat input, very high a til relieving temperateres can be caleuated depending on the ratio of normal opersting to reieving, pressure, In some ‘ioe the esulted tle tem ‘ers wl be infeaibiy high fad file ofthe vel would Ihave occurred before relict I any case the mass rl cate aly to be low an the reli relasoely short lived. Falluee ff the vessel is likely unless the vessel ie effectively cose by Are-water. In either ce the relief wll cease, For these rea Sos, bef fom a vessel con- taining vapour only 6 ney to heat up a sgalfant por tion of the are piping. and 4 unllaly to. determine the desig temperate ofthe flare pte. Winat ie the temperatire dovmtream ofthe pressure tell valve? (vera, the fow through a relief valve i considered to be ‘pproninately Ienthapte~ he note flee ix isentropic bat this dees noe eatin taough- tout the vale, Therefore 30 tual to expect a temperate {top acoes the rll valve de to the peesoure falling at con stant enthalpy. This i 9h tally of the order of LSC per bar diop ncroo the PRY fo a Iyrocarbon sirean, "The low velocity tthe elif valve otilet ie almost always onigueryemiattshigher than a the relief valve Inet Rigorous flow simulators will indent a free temper ‘ture-drop below the sgn ‘ion tenperstane shih would be calealied ‘by. 4 process simulator at the valve outlet, (Stagnation temperture i the temperature that woul occur the flow wae brought 10 sae ‘sentoplcally) This edtionl temperature’ deop will gener lly not senouot fo moe than 2 {ew dagzees and should nat be ‘cconntec for a simple eat irae elelatione t estimate the wall temporsture Due 10 ‘he velodlty prot, the veloaty ‘of She fal ext tthe wall i ero andthe fd temperate ft the wall would be nearer the ftognation temperature than fhe bulk lowing temperature for adisbatie Bow? The How 4s not sctally adiabatic since Treat transfer through the pipe wall occu, but the principle thatthe velocity related temper- sure drop thot fly exper ‘enon atthe wll remains "As vapour flaws. though pipe of corstant diameter, its ‘resoure will ll end its veloc: Ity wil incense ~ this ress in a reduction in tempers fuse. This effect may. bret bbe reversed when 2 How froat a snail pipe emus a larger Ieader, causing the velocity to reduce “Aay fall in tempore faye de to voli increase in fhe fle system will nommaly tee dea than IOC for envy Iydrocarbone at typical back pressures Again, cae should be take in acoounting, for this temperate drop ~ the fuid temperatire oore tthe wal would be higher than the bale feperatine for adnate Row Note: API Standard S21 socom snends the use of ssothermal dente ens: ow caleuations for estimat dng PRV back pressures fom fhe flapping. While this is escalates in a romservtive ack pressure et mate (for pices at above ambi- fet tempertuze)sotbermal {How enetlations ace not gen- rally stable for eodmating 1. Far heavy hydrocarbons the desl pas vale of ys mot mul hove, which is why the ol fated temperature drop a the absence of heat tansfer is ‘usually sll ‘While all these effects are duecioally “helpful for the fare system, thelr combined ‘llc oatvly ema Wier hot ges How dough ‘4 PRV Into the are system, the Insat traf from the gas 0 the cold pipe will lly renal fn relatively eapid cooling of the hot gas The heat taser ‘confcient between the fw ing. exe steam and metal Likely tobe ited by the foul ing factor (refinery fare lnes ft ypicliy heavily sce). NNevertheles the inside colle Sent wil be well over an onder ‘of magnitude greter than the ‘outaidecoafcent and this ‘els in the pipe wall heating (quicly, Since the uae cool ‘ent is very low, the steady- ate pipe wall temperate ile ove to the Hell steam temperamie. Near the PRW, the steadystate temperature ‘willbe raced within mints. (oe the sleady-atate tempers: ture is reached inthe pipe sea ment just downsteam of the PRY, the gas temperature into the next segment is hat much lower than at the PRY outlet ~ heat transfer, inte by the ‘outa co-etficien, slow. The Wall temperature In the est Segment also not much lower than the PRV vapour outlet temperatuce, “As we move dowasteam teoughh the ate system, thie rome beeps cepentng all The gas_ond wall tures ree later ue #0 the Iieger upeenm ena of meta to be heated) a the steady state temperate lower (ue {othe enter upstream heat tranfer area). The tate of Both these ellos fe dependent on the relief case athe system, eometey- Hosrewee 08 219 Ital process unit the time 10 peady state sail Maly to be Imeamined in minutes and the Sieodysiate lemperature is aly to be wel within 50°C of ‘the PRV ole temperate ‘Oteplot fine headers are often of considerable length, fre designed with considerable oxibility, and have far fewer ‘emwestions. Thay are down- steam of the sub-heade, offen ‘downsteatn of lage knock fut drum and the header it has contierable ass and rel tively large best tsar are, All the considerations for the ‘ub-header apply but, forthe coffplot header 36 a wile, the frie of fempecatare se wll be slgnifcanty slower and the seadystate temperate will ‘What ithe hazard? Process engineers are accus- founed to hi of the anges 96 {he weal points in piping ye temo and most of ue are gute capable of assosing thee pres ssresempersture sting |For fare au headers with motilebranches, the thermal expan lon of the header can cnase sires for which the flange presoue-emperature rating Is rot divcty eleven. tis the lempersture of the pipe wall (causing thermal growth) that 4 important, not necessary the temperatize of the flange. amight coeur due to Bre webel, ‘an e in the ub-hender or one ofthe ranch and eat ly be prodited by a fll stress anal> sie This stress analysis will Feflet the fact that only pst of the mubrhesder may be a high tomperauze, depending on the Tocation ofthe fre, Where the failre coeuea in not seceasa Ay nttive. Te may well be that the flue i ata Mange, but the ‘ange that ls may not be one {hat experiences the highest temperature The sens may be ‘caused hy the growth of piping clewhers. File in the fare ays tern during a ocllaed fie Is 8 highty undesirable event. The fre is an important aaety system. AS the fre scenario. ‘unfolds, operators ay vent ‘ga fom merous locations Into the fae Faire wl reall {i highly" Mammal or toe as venting to atmoyphere at “expected locaton. “Setting the flare system design temperature ‘The are system does not us sly have a deg trapertice Tower than the owing empes tue for non fre enaingencles. Setting, the design temperse fuse of the PRU tailpipe to 8 value of 20%C-35"C, based om {he fie case, ght not be ean dened mnteasonable fr eqn: tent containing heavy’ of wide ‘ailing hydrocarbon steams. However, 30°C would be a very high design temperstine for the proces unit fae sab Fbsader or downstream piping and refinery “henders. pene tly have design temperatures lower thin this There are sow fer reasons for this including those tat have been dissed 1 There will be some heat ss ‘empertare drop a he wapout flaws theough the PRV and axe piping the velit valve opens inter- rittonly then fare piping ray nok seach it equllbeacn temperature The li stream foe the vessel in question may imix with other materiel fa it etre the eubheader * tetas timo forthe vapour fo heat the metal of the Hace sibheader. “The heat-up tine may also allow the fre brigade 10 start ‘cooling sprays on the area sur founding. the ‘fre Althogh the flare header is likely to be tele proity, cooing of the process equipmeat in the Bre fren should reduce the rele! te ‘Thane are two sneihode by hich the design trmperatare of the Have suber is a ally set AL targe companies sometimes have a ‘not to be exceeded! vale based on experience This value is derived. fom many yeas of operating mpl pro ‘eae crits and is kxown to Be racial fr desig from the Piping sess viewpoint the second metho ie based ‘on rigorous Ht How ith est tuanferealulatona to give an ‘expected metal temperate for the flare sub-beadr dusing the swore case scenario. Tis ee essary to be careful with this approach ~ the fkid ow and Fat teanafr in dhe fae system. can be modelled with rigout bt the proces engine should question whether the model, fF the process ves, ding, the fre, is equally rigorous. “The calelated fire case piping Iota temperature le ured Of the stress engineer to ensure the Integy ofthe lace ayaten and ‘9 sttble mechanial design fesnpertae ia back cleat. Allshort-term overstrese alle: fnces in the relevant pining ‘sign code should be taken {nto acount fo the freee or units where the ee relief temperature ie assessed Sf 350°C, subsheader dnign fempensture inthe range 2srC 9 300°C may not be ‘unexpected, “The ofbplot fare system design temperature Is found by similar considerations and ethos to those applying 1 the subshesders. Generally, the ‘design temperature Is lower than for the onplot piping ner there is more opportunity for host Toss nthe spetream Piping, ti not normally consid cere thatthe PRU tailpipe oF dave headers wil experience fire engilinent. On-piot fare sub-headers will noamally be Stan elevation above the 7.6m (2st) scrmally considered for five reli calufations! and PRY laikpipes shoal. be fonted shove” thee respective head frm. Direct radiation i there~ fore not normally taken Into sccount when determining pi ing design temperatures Where there are particular eoncers if may be adviabe to provide fireproof insulation although ‘hie Sr ural on lace piping, ttttyamtcnens‘The provision of any insulation, of coum, affect the et les Caleulatons diacuseed above ‘condusion eis important to know the jective, when sling Haze system dosgn concttions. For Tange hydmncacbon proces ing plant one key objective is to mnintsin te ite ofthe ‘are sytem during fe rele. ‘he consequences of the fie say cause pects cr shadow fm other process units and the fare system is a key ate 1ty under these condos. A flare system flere may result ina large velease of fanm ble mattal at an tncspocted location The author aware of an incident where a huge Seoball wan etned by 8 peo ‘es unit venting into a dam- ‘aged flare sytem. Although in this cate the damage wae not conse hy thermal sxpansion st emphasised the importance of maintaining lve system inte rity, particularly during upset conditions “The ase of relieving temper: tures, and enor flare design Temperatures, of higher than sronind 380°C ae unikly to be ‘warrnied for typical refinery hydrocarbon streams For ther steals, the behaviour ofthe material at elevated tepere Rive nceds tbe reviewed. Design temperntute | of downstream subvheaders and beads i based on the max Imam expected metal tem perature. This ip often set by ‘experience since the exact Iehaviour of the eloving raterial when heated by fie fn the sctal contingency #8 fet kaown until it happens, In the absence of extensive, sel ‘van experience the lange si Uation effort required should be tempered by: good judge sent. The data generated dir ing the Bre cass stady should ‘be documented and feviewed with the engineer respansi= ble for the fare piping stress sali. satan Sande 52, ese wleing nd npc tr Sb ton on 2 shred 4, Torpernae cre for Hct dar Fe. Cama ageing nt Enginar th al Dad Pc, oning pooss ngretng and pres poteton ses He Iai Bacher’ cage In chia grey, fom th Une of ath sei ye pees ‘abso north 20s ered st amar Wat een reste tom the ellwing ‘ategoes (Conbustion Stems and Einesring Enon Fsducton