GAS FLARE

STACK PROCESS
Shad B. Ibrahim
Mohammed A. Abdulkadir
Rabar M. Mahmood

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 CONTENT

 Introduction

 What is Flaring?

 Purpose of Flaring

 Flare Stack Classification: Height of the Flare

Method to Enhance Mixing

 Flare Stack Process (P&ID Drawing)

 Process Description: Knock out Drum

Liquid Seal
Gas Seal
Burner Tip
Pilot Burner
Steam Jets
Controls
 References
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INTRODUCTION

The flame at the top of an oil production site is an iconic image for the oil and
gas industry. Yet few people know why the flare is there and its purpose. The
flare is a last line of defense in the safe emergency release system in a
refinery or chemical plant.

It provides a means of safe disposal of the vapor streams from its facilities,
by burning them under controlled conditions such that adjacent equipment
or personnel are not exposed to hazards, and at the same time obeying the
environmental regulation (EPA) of pollution control and public relations
requirements.
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WHAT IS FLARING ?

 Flaring is a high-temperature oxidation process used to burn

combustible components (mostly hydrocarbons) of waste gases
from industrial operations.
 Natural gas, propane, ethylene, propylene, butadiene and butane
constitute over 95 percent of the waste gases flared.
 In combustion, gaseous hydrocarbons react with atmospheric oxygen to form carbon
dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O).

 Presented below, as an example, is the combustion reaction of propane.

C3H8 +5O2 → 3 CO2 +4H2O

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PURPOSE OF FLARING

Flares are used extensively to dispose:

1) Purged and wasted products from refineries.

2) Unrecoverable gases emerging with oil from oil wells.
3) Vented gases from blast furnaces.
4) Unused gases from coke ovens.
5) Gaseous wastes from chemical industries.

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 FLARE STACK CLASSIFICATION

Self Supported Stack

Elevated
Guy Wired Supported
Height of the
Stack
flare
Derrick Supported
Ground Stacks
Flares
Demountable Derrick
Steam-Assisted Supported Stacks
Method to
enhance
Air-Assisted
mixing at Open
flare
Non-Assisted
Enclosed
Pressure Assisted 6
 HEIGHT OF THE FLARE
Elevated Flare
1-Self supported stacks
 This is the simplest and most
economical design for applications
requiring short-stack heights.
 Their installation space required is
relatively less .
 Simple to erect reducing capital
costs.
 Under 50 meters overall height.
2-Guy wired supported stacks
 Sets of 3 wires are anchored 120º
apart at various elevations (1 to 6).
 It’s Investment is generally lower
than the other types.
 Their installation require large
amounts of land to accommodate
the wires.
 50 – 150 meters height range.
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 HEIGHT OF THE FLARE
Elevated Flare

3-Derrick supported stacks

4-Demountable derrick
 Can be the optimum solution for flare
 Multiple flares can be installed in a
systems installed inside plants.
single derrick structure.
 When higher elevation is required to
 Require three or four additional
limit ground radiation, thermal
foundations for the derrick legs.
expansion
 Allows one flare to be worked on or
 A single-diameter riser supported by a
replaced while the other flare(s) remain
bolted framework of supports which
in service.
offer greater support than guyed
 Flare tip can be lowered to grade level
stacks.
for maintenance, inspection, or repair
 Cost 50 to 100% more to build.
activities.
 Stack heights above 200 meters.

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 HEIGHT OF THE FLARE
Open Ground Flare
 Have a series of headers spaced across open ground with multiple burner tips to distribute the
flame.
 A radiation fence typically surrounding the area.
 Open ground flares are able to burn larger quantities at a time.
 Handling large gas flow rate with smokeless operations.
 Requires large clearances.
 It’s units contain a limited amount of space for the burners. This means that the units must be
kept at a distance for safety reasons.
 Bright light, noise and heat emissions require that the unit be used in a more secluded area.

Enclosed Ground Flare

 More common than an open ground flare.
 It’s burner heads are inside a shell that is internally insulated. This shell reduces noise,
luminosity, and heat radiation and provides wind protection.
 Equipped with a vertical combustion chamber and the height must be adequate for creating
enough draft to supply sufficient air for smokeless combustion and for dispersion of the
thermal plume.
 Suitable for managing low and medium gas flow rates.
 Reliable and high combustion efficiency can be attained under any atmospheric conditions. 9
 METHOD TO ENHANCE MIXING

Non Assisted
Steam Assisted

Air Assisted

Pressure Assisted
 Predominant flare  Can be used where  Flare tip without any  Use the actual
type found in steam is not auxiliary provision to pressure of the
refineries and available. enhance the mixing. waste gas to create
chemical plants.  Dispose of heavier  Limited to gas turbulence.
 For disposal of waste gases which streams that have a  Pressure-assisted
heavier waste gases have a greater low heat content and flares generally have
which have a tendency to smoke. C/H2 ratio, that burn the burner
greater tendency to  Combustion air is readily without arrangement at
smoke . provided by a fan in producing smoke. ground level.
 Used where high the bottom of the  Where smokeless  They have multiple
efficiency cylinder. combustion of heavy burner heads that
combustion of  The amount of hydrocarbons is not are staged to
heavy hydrocarbons combustion air can required. operate based on
is required. be varied by varying  Gases with lower the quantity of gas
 Steam causes the fan speed. combustion being released.
turbulence which temperatures.
improves mixing  Lower capital cost for
and combustion safe disposal of
efficiency. waste gases.
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FLARE STACK PROCESS (P&ID DRAWING)

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 PROCESS DESCRIPTION

Knock Out Drum

 Remove liquids that may be in the vent gas stream or that have condensed
out in the collection header and transfer lines.
 This drum must be sized for worst case conditions.
 Horizontal drum is more economical when large liquid storage and, high
vapor flow and lowest pressure drop is desired.
 Vertical knockout drums used if the liquid load is low or
limited space is available.
 They are usually quite large.

 Zone 1: Inlet distribution zone.

Zone 2: Fine separation zone.
Zone 3: Liquid collection and drain zone.
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 PROCESS DESCRIPTION

Liquid Seal
 Process vent streams are passed through a liquid seal before going to the flare
stack.
 Can be downstream of the knockout drum or incorporated into the same vessel.
 Preventing air infiltration in the flare stack and header system.
 Stop flame propagation and prevent possible flame flashback.
 Quenching possible flame with a barrier of water.
 Acts as a large check valve so that gas cannot travel upstream for any reason.
 Dis-entrain liquid droplets.
 Maintains a positive pressure on the upstream system.
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 PROCESS DESCRIPTION
Gas Seals
Molecular Seal
 Installed just below the flare tip flange.
 Force the gas travelling up the stack to make a 180° turn down then it must turn
again to go up to the flare tip.
 Light gases collected at the top of the seal creating a barrier to any oxygen.
 Considerably larger and more expensive than velocity seals.
 Also collects liquids which can freeze in cold environments.

Velocity Seal
 A cone or chevron, located inside the flare tip just above the flare tip flange.
 Breaks the flow of air into the system by disrupting the flow passage of the air to
the wall and creates a velocity differential barrier in the purge gas.
 Doesn’t collect liquids or require draining, making it suitable for cold weather
environments.
 They are less expensive than a molecular seal.
 Reduces the operating purge gas requirements. 14
PROCESS DESCRIPTION

Burner Tip

 Give environmentally acceptable combustion of the vent gas.

 Keep an optimum burn and control over all flow rates.
 The tip does not come into contact with the flame making the tips
reliable and long lasting.
 The maximum and minimum capacity of a flare to burn a flared gas
with a stable flame is a function of tip design.
 With modern flame holder designs, a stable flame can be achieved
over gas exit velocity.

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PROCESS DESCRIPTION

Pilot Burners
 Flame and pilot gas supply should be stable and continuous
(also required by EPA regulations).
 Positioned around the outer perimeter of the flare tip .
 The number and duty of the pilot burners should be
determined by the size of the flare and its application.
 Maintenance or replacement is not possible while the flare is in
operation.
 Features three main components (mixer, orifice and burner
nozzle).
 Reliable operation of the pilot burner is governed by achieving
the right air fuel ratio.
 Withstand extreme weather conditions (along with direct
flame from the flare tip).
 Ignited by an ignition source system.
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 PROCESS DESCRIPTION

Steam Jets

 High velocity steam injection nozzles.

 Positioned 1-15 around the outer perimeter of the flare tip.
 Increase gas turbulence in the flame boundary zones, drawing in more combustion
air and improving combustion efficiency.
 Reducing the temperature in the core of the flame and suppress thermal cracking.
 To optimize steam usage infrared sensors are available that sense flare flame
characteristics and adjust the steam flow rate automatically to maintain smokeless
operation.
 Automatic control, based on flare gas flow and flame radiation, gives a faster
response to the need for steam and a better adjustment of the quantity required.
 Disadvantages of steam usage are the increased noise and cost.

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 PROCESS DESCRIPTION
Controls
Flame Front Generator
 Mixes plant or air with pilot
ignition gas at grade and fills a
line running up to the pilot
burner.
 At grade an electrically generated
spark ignites the mixture and the
resulting fireball travels up to the
pilot and ignites the gas.
 Disadvantage is that moisture or
solids can block the fireball from
making it up to the pilot.
 Gas/air mixture could get too lean
or too rich and the spark doesn’t
ignite.
 Advantage is that all items need
maintenance are at grade and
can be serviced while the flare is
in operation.
Electronic Spark Ignition
 Becoming the preferred system.
 Two basic forms of these
systems; high energy (HE) and
high tension (HT).
 The most common and primary
method of pilot ignition for newer
systems.
 HEI systems use an electric probe
inserted near the pilot burner to
create a spark and ignite the pilot
fuel gas/air mixture.
 A capacitor is used to discharge
the spark across a low tension
spark plug in a short time and
with a high current.
 Full automatic systems.
Ballistic Pellet Ignition
 Originally developed for offshore
use.
 Instead of a fireball, it comprises a
launching cabinet containing the
ignition pellets.
 The fuse is released and the pellet
explodes producing a shower of
sparks over the flare tip thereby
lighting the gas.
 Found in production facilities but
not very often in process plants.
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 REFERENCES

 A L Ling, July 2007. FLARE SELECTION AND SIZING (ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINE), Johor Bahru:
KLM Technology Group.

 Leslie B. Evans, William M. Vatavuk, Diana K. Stone, Susan K. Lynch, Richard F. Pandullo, September
2000. VOC Destruction Controls, North Carolina, Durham: Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards,
U.S Environmental Protection Agency.

 Ludwig, Ernest E., 1999. APPLIED PROCESS DESIGN FOR CHEMICAL AND PETROCHEMICAL PLANTS,
Volume 1, Third Edition, United States of America: Gulf Publishing Company.

 Charles E. Baukal, JR., 2014. The John Zink Hamworthy Combustion Handbook, Second Edition: Volume
3 – Applications, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, USA: Taylor & Fransic Group LLC.

 Nicholas P. Cheremisinoff, Apr 1, 2013. INDUSTRIAL GAS FLARING PRACTICES, New Jersey USA: John
Wiley & Sons Cooperation.
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THANK YOU
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