COITEITS

1

1.1 1.2 1.3

2

2.1 2.1.1 2.1.2 2.1.3 2.1.4 2.2 2.2.1 2.2.2 2.2.3 2.2.4 2.3 2.4 2.4.1 2.4.2 3

3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5

-4

4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5

jOHNBROWH

PROCESS ENGJNEERIN& fLARE SYSTEMS

M-61-303/1 Apr 1993 Page 1 of 10

DAVY

PROCESS

TECHNOLOGY

fLARE SYSTEMS

Types of Flare Elevated Flare, Ground Flares Burn Pits

Flare Auxiliaries Smokeless Burning

Ste .. Assisted Flares Gas Assisted Flares Water Assisted Flares Air Blower Flares Prevention of flashback Liquid Suls

Flame Arresters Proprl.tary S .. ls

Cant Inuous &as Purge Ignition Syst ...

Flare Knock-out Drums Design Features

Sizing Procedures

Flare 5yst_

Flare Location

Flare Stack Diameter Flare Height

Flare Lines

Materials of Construction Flare Sizing - Ref API RP 521 Flare Stack Diameter

Flame Length

Flare Stack Height

Flame Distortion Caused by Wind Concentration of Toxic Gas at Grade

TYPES Of FUR£

FlamRable, toxlc'and corrosive vapour Is disposed of by burning at I flare.

Selection of the type of flare and any special features that lilY be required Is Influenced by several factors, Inc ludlng avallabtl Ity of spac.; composlt lon, quant I ty and pressure of the flared gas; env I ronnenta 1 regulations; ecol1Clllcs; public relations: (llllinoslty, noise level) etc.

Generally one of the following systens Is selected:

1.1 E1eNted Flara

Elevated flares con.lst of a fllre stack. the burner tip and auxiliary equl~t such as a seal. pilot burners, Ignition syst_. st ... jets for smokeless flaring. etc. The flare stack lilY be self supporting or may require I supporting structure (derrick flares) or guy wire to support It. depending .. Inly on total height. diameter and ecol1Clllcs of the different types.

The elevated flare generally does not require a large unobstructed area and 1liiy be Installed relatively close to the process equipment. thus resulting In shorter runs of flare header and utilities piping.

The major disadvantages are Initial cost. difficult maintenance and flame visibility.

1 .2 Ground Fl ....

Ground flares consist basically of a sultabl. burner located near ground level and surrounded by • sultab 1. refractory shield. Auxiliary equipment Including a seal. pilot burner. Ignition systal. etc Is provided In a Similar way to elevated flares.

Ground flares are sometimes economically attractive a lternat ives for elevated flares but are probab ly most frequent ly used when It is necessary to reduce the visual impact of the flare.

Sane special considerations must apply to ground flares:

a If a ground flare is extinguished during wlndl •• s condit Ions. hazardous concentrat Ion. of v.pour. may result quickly.

b A flame fatlure a1am must always be proVided.

c An automatic re-Ignltlon syst_ should be considered.

d

Dangerous concentrations of toxic gases (H,5. HeN. etc) should not be burnt at ground level flares.

Sulphur ccnpounds should not be burnt at ground level flares due to poor dispersal of the resulting sulphur dioxide.

Ground level flares must be located away frOlll operating areas and populated areas and preferably down-wind from them, based on the prevailing wind direction.

e

f

1.3 Burn Pita

Burn pits consist essentl.11y of a shallow excavation from 1 to 2 m deep and fl"Cll 10 to 12 1ft square with a burner WI 11 of refractory brick along one side. the remaining sides may be bricked If required. The burners are mounted In the wa 11 and are directed It a small angl. toward the bottom of the pit.

A seal. ptlot. Igniter and other auxiliary equl~t siMilar to that provided at flares .. y be Included to proVide safety. reliability and smok.1.ss cOlllbustion.

Bum pits are seldal used except In ramte locations such as 011 and gas field plants Ind In gas liquids plants where It lillY be necessary to dispose of large quantities of gas and/or 1tquefled gas In .. rgencles. and when the products of combustion do not create an unacceptable nuisance or hazard.

2 FLARf AUXILIARIES

Du. mainly to splc. and safety consideration elevated flares Ire usually s.lected •• nd speclilly designed auxl ltary equl~t has been developed for us. with them, sona of this auxiliary equipment would also be required with ground level flares and burn-pits.

JOHN BROWN

"-51-303/1 Apr 1993 Page 2 of 10

PROCESS ENGINEERING FLARE SYSTEMS

PROCESS

TECHNOLOGY

2.1

s.akelen Burning

The tendency for hydrocarbons to produce smoke when burnt at a flare depends partly on their molecular structure, degree of saturation and molecular weight. The higher the mo lecu lar weight and the lower the degree of saturation of the hydrocarbons, the greater 1 s the tendency to produce smoke.

2.1.1 St .. Assisted Flares

Stem Is used most cannon ly to reduce smoke product ion at flares. Tan gives the follOWing equation to estimate ste .. requirements for smokeless burning:

W.tII .w.,c [0.68 - 1~.8]

Where VltII• Kg/h of steam

Whc • Kg/h of hydrocarbon

M • molecular weight of hydrocarbon

The above equat ton shou ld be regarded on ly as an lndlcat Ion of the amount of stem required as It takes no account of additional air drawn Into the flame by the steam, the arrangement of the steam jets or the pressure of the stem.

Under plant emergency conditions the environmental regu lat Ions governing smoke emissions may usua lly be waived. Thus a flare may usually be specified to operate without producing smoke under norma 1 operat ing conditions, but when emergency procedures require rapid dunping of hydrocarbons the flare may be allowed to produce smoke.

The ste. is either injected from a ring surrounding the flare or from a centre injection nozzle or through both.

Specialist propriety deSigns are also available from vendors which are more efficient and use less steam.

For all ste ... assisted flares vendors should be consulted once the flare loads have been established.

2.1.2 Gas As.,.ted Flares

If a large 4IIIOUrIt of cheap low IIOlecular weight fuel gas Is ava I lab le, then this can be used topl"OIIIOte smokeless flaring. The gas Is Introduced via a ring at the flare tip and Is designed to Induce air into the flame.

2.1.3 Water Assisted Flares

Water sprays can be used Instead of ste .. to induce air into the flame. Such sprays should be used only in wanll climat .. beeaun of the danger of freezing.

Water spray sys~ also have low tum-dcMt ratios and requl ... a high p ..... u ... of water if the flare is elevated.

2.1.4 Air 8lo.er Flares

If It .. 11 not aV8ilable, the best 8ltemative is air. Air assisted flare. offer high tumdcMts but are

expensive since they involve dual flare stacks arranged either In parallel or co-axially.

2.2 ""-tlon of Flastmedt

Air can be drawn Into a flare system for a number of reasons and create an explosive mixture within the system. Therefore facillties mu.t be provided to prevent propagation of a flame Into the flare stack and to prevent entry of air into the system.

The arrangement whereby a flame arrestor Is provided near the flare tip and a liquid seal is provided at the base of the stack has been genera lly superseded by the use of proprietary seals, known IS molecular seals or fluidic seals. which are located near the flare tip.

These proprietary seals have obtained universal recognition and may form part of a vendor's flare package. Both types require a continuoul flow of purge gas; the required rate of flow will be specified by the vendor depending on the conditions imposed on the flare system. This type of seal should be first choice unless other considerations apply.

2.2.1 liquid Seals

If a liquid seal is used. water Is usually used as the seal liquid. The static water head maintained in the sea 1 provides a back pressure on the system, If there 1s a continuous flow, which prevents accidental entrance of air.

Although the liquid seal provides a barrier to reversed flow from the base of the flare stack, the stack itself is still subject to entry of air, so a continuous purge of gas up the flare stack Is required.

liquid seals have some other operational drawbacks:

a Water can be sucked Into the system wilen hot gases

discharged Into the collecting system subsequently cool. This probl_ can be oven:OIII8 by Installing a pressure control system UPltreaM of the 1tquld sea 1. When a low pressure is sensed 1 n the system, gas il amitted fraw a higher pre •• ure source to restore the system pressu ....

b When hot gases are flared at high rates the gases leaving the flare stack w111 sttll be hot despite any heat loss In the flare header or liquid seal. When the res idua 1 gases coo 1 after flaring ceases, the resulting contraction may draw air back Into the flare. This situation will neceslltat. the controlled flow of purge gal to the stack.

Seal druns may be provided as separate v .... l. or constructed integrally with the flare stack. The basis of destgn for s .. l druns Is gtven in API RP 521 with sketches of typical syst_.

Pipe seals consist of a loop or trap built tnto the base of the flare stack or the flare In let line connection. They are cheaper than seal dnna but have addttional disadvantages and maybe lell reHable in provtding I seal at all times. The basiS of design of pipe seals is given In API RP 521.

JOHN BROWN

DAVY

PROCESS

TECHNOLOGY

PROCESS ENGINEERING FLARE SYSTEMS

"-51-303/1 Apr 1993 Page 3 of 10

TYPES OF FLARE SEAL

f

'LUIDIC SEAL

MOLECULAR SEAL

Dloa HAL

FIGURE 1

~-61-303

2.2.2 Flame Arresters

Flame arresters are subject to plugging and should be used only when the flared vapours are not corrosive and are dry and do not carry entrained liquids which might cong .. 1.

They do not prevent air being drawn into the stack when cooling follows a hot discharge and typical flame arrestors are not capab le of stopping a flame front in mixtures of air with hydrogen, acetylene. ethylene oxide and carbon disulphlde.

2.2.3 Proprietary Seals

Proprietary designed seal syst ... are avanable which will greatly reduce the quantity of purge gas required as against a simple pipe flare with no seal arrang ... nt. Three types of sea 1 that may be met In practice areas follows (see Fig 1).

a The .. 1ecular ... 1 is a labyrinth baffle arrangellent designed to re-entraln any oxygen which leaks back through the flare tip. It Is an efficient design but expensive and heavy.

b The fluidic ... 1 consists of a sertes of contcal orifice plate., arranged ba •• down. and with each baffle orifice dl_ter larger than the one mounted below. This Is also an efficient design but Is If ghter and cheaper than the mo lecu lar sea 1

and requires less purge gas. .

t

c The dlode ... l Is a simpler version of the fluidic seal which consist of just one eentee l orifice plate. It requires more purge gas thus the other seals but It Is lighter and cheaper.

2.2.4 Continuous Gas Purge

The amount of purge gas required for use with proprietary seals will be advisea by the respective vendors.

The required purge rate will normally be in the order of 0.05 - 0.08 ~s based on the fl .... tip dl_ter.

When a proprietary s .. l Is not used, or when the purge must be est tmated In order to allocate gas for various usages, the following equation can be used:

v • 0.39 " -0.4 d1•46 x 10-2

where M • purge gas molecular weight d • stack diameter Inches

V • Purge gas rate ft/s

If high ta.per.ture gases .re to be flared. a higher purge gas flow rate Is needed to keep the S)'lt_ purged as the gases coolon cessation of fl.rl",. To avotd .. sting purge gas it is deslrabl. to have • purge vol~ control based on the flare syst_ tl!lllplrature. Proprietary syst_ are ava flab 1. to supplement the fixed purge gas flow rate when the flare systl!lll t~rature Is above norlllll and to shut off the supp18llllttal flow slowly as the tlllllJ8rature returns to norma 1.

JOHN BROWN

"-51-303/1 Apr 1993 Page 4 of 10

PROCESS ENGINEERING fLARE SYSTEMS

PROCESS

TECHNOLOGY

The purge gas rate shou ld be chosen conservat Ive ly so that It Is adequate for any type of seal that may be chosen.

2.3 Ignttton Systall

To ensure Ignition of flare gases, continuously burning pilots, having a remote means of Ignition are rec.olill8llded for all flare.

Generally the Ignition system comprises a continuous pilot burner or burners, an on-off pilot and an igniter.

The usual Igniter Is of the flame front propagation type which uses an electric spark to Ignite a flammable mixture so that the flame front travels to the on-off pilot which Is used to Ignite the contlnuou.ly burning pllot(s). Igniter controls may be located at a convenient point, we 11 away fran the flare.

The essential requirements for a flame front Igniter are a source of electricity, a reliable source of fuel gal of fairly constant compolltlon and pressure and air or oxygen. Vendors are able to offer various designs of equipnent to meet various circumstances; electricity may be supplied from batteries or piezoelectric sources, fuel gas and compressed air can be supplied fran cyl1nders or air may be induced into the system. Standard panels are supplied when mains electriCity and piped fuel gas and compressed air systems are available.

Flame failure alarms and low pressure alarms should be provided at the pilot burners and In the fuel gas lines respectively, to warn against the development of a hazardous situation. Automatic re-Ignltlon of pilot burners can be proVided and should be considered.

A back-up supply provided with automatic cut-in on low pressure occurring In the normal supply may also be considered.

2 . 4 Flare 1Cnoct-out On.s

A knock-out dr .. Is frequently necessary to disengage entrained Hquld droplets fl"Clll vapour relieved to a fla.... The knoclt-out dnn IIIIIY be a vert lea 1 or a horlzonta 1 drill or In ~ ca ..... y be Incorporated Into the base of the flare staclt. The choice depends largely on capital cost but when large liquid surge va lume 11 required or when vapour flow 1s high a horizontal dnll I. more economic.

2.4.1 De.lgn Features

Deslrabl. design features for a flare knoctc-out dr .. are listed In API RP 521 and Include:

a Anti-SWirl or ant I-vortex baffles on liquid outlets.

b Use of tnternallyextended liquid outlet nozzles so that sedlllllnt wi 11 sett Ie out In the dr..ns and not at low points tn the liquid lines.

c Antifreeze, • I phon-type drains for .. nual drainage where an external freezing probl_ exists.

d Provls Ion for a water leg or boot and water removal if two-phase liquid separation Is expected.

e Hand-ho les on the bottom to perm I t thorough cleaning. These nozzles should have Us" or 2" valves In the cover flange to permit complete draining of the drum prior to opening.

f Allowance for blinding, venting, purging and/or steaming and preparing the vessel for entry If it Is large enough for manway5 to be provided.

9 Provision for heating the vessel contents where cold weather. auto-refrigeration or viscous or congealing liquids may introduce problems.

h A minimum design pressure of 50 psig is suggested and the vessel should be designed according to a code though not necessarily code stamped.

Consideration should be given to shoctc loadings, resulting from sudden temperature changes, slugs of liquid. or gas expansion, tn the design of vessel nozzles, attachments, supports and Internals.

Try-cocks for liquid level detection may be deslrabl. In addition to, or Instead of level gauges.

k Provision should be made for continuous or intermittent removal of accumulated liquids. It may be deSirable to control a water/hydrocarbon interface level by automatic drainage of water to the oily water drain. The principal liqUid level shou ld be contro lled by leve 1 switches which start and stop PIIIIP-out PIIIIPS at set levels In the drum, with liquid disposal to a SUitable. location.

I t may be necessary that one of the pumps at the knock-out drum is diesel or stealll driven, with auto-start facilities, If a total power failure would result In large volumes of liquid accumulating In the knock-out drum.

Instrumentation components should be the most rugged and simp 1. ava t lab le and shou Id be externally mounted and valved for ea.e of maintenance as the knoctc-out dr18 .111 be located remote frail IIIOIt equl.,._,.t and .111 not receive frequent attention.

2.4.2 Sizing Procedures

API RP 521 contain. a method for the sizing of flare Knock-out Drums. The following 11 basically the same procedure but with additional check. to minimise the drum size.

Sizing Basis

The drum shall be sized for the removal of liquid slugs and droplets greater than 150 micron. dlamater, for the continuous flaring load.

The drua size Is then checked for the maximum emergency flare load using larger allowable gas velocities and also checked for possible gas reentrainment In the dr...

JOHN BROWN

DAVY

PROCESS

TECHNOLOGY

PROCESS ENGINEERING FLARE SYSTEMS

M-51-303/1 Apr 1993 Page 5 of 10

PROPERTIES OF A CIRCLE CALCULATION OF" PARTIAL AREAS

FRACTION or OLWETER (x/D)

0.05

0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4 0.-45

F'RACnON OF' AREA (area segment/clrc.e)

o

FIGURE 2

M-It-80S

O.S

If gas re-entralned Is the llraltlng case then the possibility of providing the drum with a boot snould be considered.

The drllft liquid hold up shou ld be a min llIUII of 10 minutes but In cases of high liquid flows this will greatly Increase the drllll size. In these cases continuous purap out should be considered.

2 Drum Sizing - Continuous load

For a 150 micron particle the liquid drop out velocity Is given by:

where Vd • dropout velocity mlJ PL • liquid density kg/~ ~ ··vapour denSity kg/~ C • drag coefficient

__/

The drag coefficient II obtained by calculating C(Re,2 where Re Is the Reynolds N~r and using Fig 3 which Is a plot of C agaln.t CeRe)

where '" Is the vllcDslty in centipoise.

.s

2 4.39 x 10 PyCPL-Py)

C (Re) • """"!" _

i

3

Dr .... Sizing - Emergency load

For the Emergency load the allowable velocity Is taken as 3 x Yd and the drag coefficient I. a •• umId to be constant at 0.4 .Ince the Reyno ld. liullber will be high in this case.

[PL Pyl~

Yd • 0.069 --;:;-

and allowable velocity V •• 3 x Yd

4 Liquid Re-&ntralnment

For the _rgency release case the po •• ibility of reentrainnent of liquids a I ready in the drua mult be considered. Re-entralnnent fs • function of the gal ve loclty and ga. den. Ity.

"-51-303/1 Apr 1993 Page 6 of 10

PROCESS ENGINEERING FLARE SYSTEMS

JOHN BROWN

DAVY

PROCESS

TECHNOLOGY

DETERMINATION OF DRAG COEFFICIENT

DRAG COErrlCIENT C

1000 10000

C(Re)2

FIGURE 3

10

100

The max allowable horizontal velocity VH In mi. I. given from the relation.

5 Sizing

For a horizontal drum, for liquid to be removed it must fa 11 to the liquid surface. The IllaxillUll distance it must fall Is the fraction of the diameter occupied by gas.

Hence if f. Is the fraction of cross section area occupied by the gal,

11 02 Vapour Space Vollne • -- L f. 4

where

L • dnn length

o • drum diameter

11 02 L f.

Vapour residence time • ---- 4 Q

Where Q • Volu.etric vapour flowrate

If fh • fraction of diameter occupied by vapour space then, if V is the vertical camponent of vapour velocity;

1 00000 1 000000 1000000

M-et-I08

4 Q fh V ---![ 0 L fa

If liquid height is then asslned (19 \0) then from attached Fig 2. knowing fh• fa can be estimated.

Hence by choosing a suitable ratio of L to 0 the drum size can be fixed.

6 Flare KO Drums with Boots

If a boot is to be provided, it should be sized on the basis of 3 minutes hold up time based on the Flare KO Orum Pump capacity.

3 FlARE SYSTEMS

3.1 Flare Lacattan

No firm rules apply for locating flares. Consideration should be given to lIIinilllise the effects of the amount of heat l1berated and radlat Ion produced, the potential for sparks and burning liquid drop lets to be re leased, the noise generated and the release of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.

3.2

Flare Stack Dt~

The flare stack dfameter is calculated on the basis of the velOCity at the flare Up where atlmaphere pressure Is assu.d. The pressure d~ In the stack should be checked when desfgning for high velocitfe ••

JOHNBROWH

DAVY

PROCESS

TECHNOLOGY

PROCESS ENGINEERING FLARE SYSTEMS

"-51-303/1 Apr 1993 Page 7 of 10

FLAME LENGTH VERSUS HEAT RELEASE

1.000[+08

1.000[+09 HEAT RELEASE

1.000[+10

1.000£+11

watts

FIGURE 4

The factors to be considered Ire:

a The ratio of the vol ... s of anticipated normal flow to maxi ... conceivable flow; ie turn-down ratio.

b The probable timing, frequency and duration of maxinun flow.

In order to achieve a stable fl_ for continuous burning at the no,..l flow, with smokeless operation, the gas velocity at thl flare tip should not exceed 0.2 Mach.

A 1IIIIxl .... velocity of about 0.5 Mach .. y be al101t1ed for conditions of lIIOi __ rgency discharge for

short, infrequent periods, without smokeless operation,

Too low a tip velocity can result in heat and corrosion damage. The burning of gases becomes quite slow and the fl_ fs greatly influenced by the wind. A low pressure area is created on the down-wind side of the stack which _y cause the burning gases to be drawn In along the stack for SOllll 3.a. or more. The upper 3 to 5 '" of flare stack may be fabricated from alloy st .. l of 181 Cr/8S Ni, or higher, to alleviate this prahl_ and a fl ... Hck preventer of proprietary design ... y be specified.

3.3 Flare Height

The ",ini_ allowable height for an elevated flare 1IIay be determined by any of the following requirements:

II National or local regulation.

b Maxi_ radiation levels perMitted In area near the flare.

c The height of equipment within a~glven radius of, say, 400m so as to avoid smoke and fume nuisance. d Permissible levels of continuous 502 emiSSion.

e Concentrat ion of toxic gases at ground leve I In the event of flame failure.

The maxl_ thermal radiatfon levels suggested In API RP 521

IS.77kw/",2 (SOOO8tu/h ft2) is the 1IIiIXi.u. level pennitted on structures and in areas where

operators are not likely to be periol"llling duties and where shelter from radiant heat Is available, eg behind equipment.

9.461<w/';' (30008tu/h ft2) Is the maxi_ level permitted at design flare release at any location to which people have access,eg at grade below the flare or on a service platform·of a nearby tOllNlr. Exposure must be limited to a few seconds, sufficient for escape only.

6.31kw/.2 (ZOOO Btu/h ft2) Is the maximua lev.l pennitted In area. where _\"genCy action. l •• tin, up to 1 minute may be required by personnel without shielding but with appropriate clothing .

•. 73kw/,.2 (1500 Btu/h ft2) Is the lMXi_ level

pennltted in areas where emergency action. lasting several minutes 1liiY be required by personnel without shielding but with appropriate clothing.

a

b

c

d

"-51-303/1 Apr 1993 Page 8 of 10

PROCESS ENGINEERING FLARE SYSTEMS

JOHN BROWN

DAVY

PROCESS

TECHNOLOGY

APPROXIMATE FLAME DISTORTION

RATIO Y/L OR X/L

1.2 --,----r--,.... ..... -····~·-····-·-r·-- .. - .... r____r_··'-..._-'·_r___,

I I I I I I I I I

:: .

0.6

o

o+---4---4---4---4---+---+---+---+---+---+---~~

1.1 1.2

0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 O.~ 0.15 0.7 0.8 0.9 RATIO wtNDSPEED/STACK VELOCITY

fiGURE 5

e

1.58kw/m2 (500 Btu/h ft2) Is the IIIIIxl_ level perm I t ted at any locat Ion where personne 1 are continuously exposed.

On towers or other elevated structures where rapid escape Is not possible. ladders must be provided on the side away from the flare, so the structure can proVide sane shielding when the pemfsslble design level Is greater than 6.31kw/m2 (2000 Btu/h ft2).

OPT practice Is to classify the grade level area around the flare which may be subjected to radlat Ion greater than 4.73 kW/.2 (1500 Btu/h ft2) as "the grade level aterillsatton area." This area ahould be fenced off If the radiation at any point within It exceeds 6.31 kW/~2 (2000 Btu/h ft2).

Flare stack height may be calculated by the method of API RP 521 (see SectIon 4 for a Sl.llllllry of the procedure)

The height ca lcu lated by the above .. thad shou ld be checked against allowable 502 emissions levels where relevant. eg when flare gas contains appreciable H2S.

3.4 Fl.r. Line.

Flare lines. like other relief syst ... should be s.lf-dralnlng and a Ilope of • least 1 In 500 (1" In .. Oft) II r8CQ._.Ided. taking Into account piping der l .. t lonl bet .... IUpportl.

Drainage potl ... y be required at low points in Hnes which cannot be Iloped continuously towards the knock-

out drun. The pots should be fitted with a sight glass and autCiiiltic punp- out facilities and frost protection. when necessary. Use of liquid traps or other devices with autCiiilt Ic mechanisms which operate In a similar way to steam traps should be avoided.

Expansion of flare lines should be accGilllOdated. if possible. by providing flexlbil1ty In the piping

layout. Alternatively, expansion loops may be

provided. Sliding expansion Joints should not be

used.

Separate lines should be provided for streams containing more than 10% vol H2S or other toxic material. (See M-51-301 "Disposal Syst ... " section 4.2) .

Sizing the flare headers must take account of the kinetic energy, In addition to friction preslure drop; the difference can be significant.

The tota 1 pressure drop I n the system must be compatible with the lowest set pressure of any relief va Ive served by the system. Be l1ews type or pilot operated re lief va lva may be cons ldered where low set pressures are necessary and conventional spring type valves would lead to uneconoMic designs.

The sizing of the syst ... should be based on ... xl ..... expected reHef due to a singl. contingency such al cooling water failure, power fallure. fire, cCIiIPressor fat1ure. etc. This _xl_ Ny be derated al a result of a dynamic study of a part teu lar syst.... In the event of a power failure It should be ........,.red that this may result In loss of cooling water. loss of cooling air fanl and lOll of Instrument air Simultaneously.

JOHNBROWH

DAVY

PROCESS

TECHNOLOGY

PROCESS ENGINEERING FLARE SYSTEMS

"-51-303/1 Apr 1993 Page 9 of 10

I

T jY Yl_j_

DIMENSIONAL REFERENCES FOR FLARE STACK

H

Xc

H'

o

R'

Refer to the Coq)any IIIInual for Il101"11 data i 11 regarding the sizing of Flare headera.

3 .5 Matertal. of Construct Ion

Carbon steel Is used allllOSt exclusively for re l tef headers and knock-out drlJllS. lines which may carry low boiling liquids which can cause very low temperatures due to auto refrigeration at atmospheric pressure are constructed of illS CrISS Ni alloy steel. Intermediate temperatures to -46'C (-50·n can be accOlllllOdated by using tmpact tested k 11 led carbon steels.

Relief headers offsite fro. procesa plants to flare stacks usually operated at very low gauge pressure. permitting us. of .tntmum thickne •• piping. Material as light as 10 gauge sp i ra 1 we ld pipe have been used in this service. The flare stack. knock-out dnn and header design .. y be determined by structural requlr!lllerlts rather than pressure, resulting in more than usual wall thickness.

The upper 10 to 15 feet of flare stacks should be fabricated f!'Oll 18/8 a 1 loy steel to resist cerres ten ,~. frOll cOllbuatlon productl. The upper portion of acid gal 11nel, near their entry to the flare tiP. should also be llllde of alloy steel.

Horizontal runs of acid gas lines are installed as schedule 40 carbon Iteel pipe; the ver/tcal run of the line should have at least 3111 (I") corrosion a l1owarM:a. Stain lesl .tee 1 1liiY be a1vantageou. in

R

FIGURE 6

M-51-303

prevent ing blockages, due to eerres ion products. especially if the acid gal Is wet.

4 FURE SIZIIIG - REF API RP 521

The sizing of flares requires determination of the required stack height. The stack height will depend upon the available space for the sterile area. The calculation procedure Is as follows:

4,1 Flare Stack Dl...ter

This is stzed on a velocity basis with a delign velocity, For a maxl_ relief flow of 0.5 sontc velocity and a nOl"lllll velocity of 0.2 sonic veloctty for continuous flartng.

P • pressure instde flare tip. KPa abs d • Flare tip dtameter, m

T • Temperature inside flare ttp, II::

K • Ratto of specific heats

'" • Molecular weight of vapour

The fOnll.lla relating sonic veloctty to flare tip diameter is:

J-

W T

Sonic Velocity - C __ __

p ~ II: M

where C. con.tant (11.61 x 10-2 for .... tric trlfts) W· vapour flow rate, kg/s

JOHN BROWN

"-61-303/1 Apr 1993

Page 10 of 10

PROCESS ENGINEERING FLARE SYSTEMS

DAVY

PROCESS

TECHNOLOGY

This depends on the heat release, see Fig 4 - taken from API RP 521.

In the absence of other. Infonnat Ion ass .... the heat of combustion Is 5.0 x 104 kJ/kg (21500 Btu/lb) and thus calculate the total heat release at the design flare rate. The Flame length is then read from Fig 4.

4.3 Flare Stack Height

The height of the flare stack. depends upon the stertllsation radius. the allowable radiation level at the boundary of the sterilisation area and the fraction of the heat that Is actually radiated.

The formula relating the distance from the centre of the flame to the boundary of the steri1tsat Ion area Is:

D.J F Q 4 If Ie

where D.. Distance from the flame centre to the boundary of the sterilisation area, m.

F. Fraction of the heat radiated. Depends on the vapour being relieved If accurate Infonnatlon Is not available use 0.15 for Hydrogen,O.2 for Natural gas 0.3 for Propane • Butane gases 0.4 for higher molecular weight gases.

O· Heat released, KW.

1(. A 110wab 1. radlat Ion a2 boundary of sterilisation area, KW/m .

The flare stack height is determined using the sterillsat Ion radius, the locat Ion of the flame centre and the distance of the flame centre to the edge of the sterilisation area.

The equat Ions used to determine the staclt height are:

H' • H + 0.5Y

R' • R - O.SX 02 • R'Z + H'Z

where H'· Height of flame centre, m.

H • Height of flare stack, m.

Y • Flame length vertical vector, m.

R' • Distance from flame centre to the

boundary of the sterilisation area, m.

R • Sterilisation radius, m.

X '" Flame length horizontal vector, m.

D .. Distance from flame centre to the boundary of the sterilisation area, m.

See Fig 6 for general arrangement.

The mininun flare stack. height is required when the flame leaves the staclt vertically. This will occur with no wind distortion of the flame. When there is wind the flame centre wtll be shifted from directly above the flare stack which effects the height of the flare stack.

4.4 Fl_ Distortion Caused by "'nd

This Is estimated using the method and the graph presented In API 521.

The graph is a p lot of X/L and Y /L where lis the flame length (see Fig 5)

Knowing L the flame length Vectors X and Y can be calculated based on the design wind speed for the site. (Note: wind speeds of >20 mls should not be considered. )

4.5 Concentration of Toxic 6u at Grade

The concentration of toxic gases at grade Is determined by the height of the vlslb le flame from the flare stack and the atmospheric conditions.

The height of the visible flame Is known as the t heoret I ca I stack he I ght • The flame 1 ength can be determined by the method outlined In Section 4.2 above. using the heat release and Fig 1 or by one of the other methods given in Chapter XI of "Fundamenta 1s of Stack Gas Dispersion "M R Beychok".

Beychok's book shou ld be used to detenlline the dlsperslon of the Itack gal pl",," and the groundlevel concentration of pollutant. (Chapter VII glv •• worked examp les of the ca1cu lat lon methods) •

... ~ , T PRESTON

D .I ALFORD

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1993

1993

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Process Engineering Manual (code PS)