Gasflare

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Agasflare,alternativelyknownasaflarestack,isagas
combustiondeviceusedinindustrialplantssuchaspetroleum
refineries,chemicalplants,naturalgasprocessingplantsaswellas
atoilorgasproductionsiteshavingoilwells,gaswells,offshore
oilandgasrigsandlandfills.
Inindustrialplants,flarestacksareprimarilyusedforburningoff
flammablegasreleasedbypressurereliefvalvesduringunplanned
overpressuringofplantequipment.[1][2][3][4][5]Duringplantor
partialplantstartupsandshutdowns,flarestacksarealsooften
usedfortheplannedcombustionofgasesoverrelativelyshort
periods.
Agreatdealofgasflaringatmanyoilandgasproductionsiteshas
nothingtodowithprotectionagainstthedangersofover
pressuringindustrialplantequipment.Whenpetroleumcrudeoilis
extractedandproducedfromonshoreoroffshoreoilwells,raw
naturalgasassociatedwiththeoilisproducedtothesurfaceas
well.Especiallyinareasoftheworldlackingpipelinesandother
gastransportationinfrastructure,vastamountsofsuchassociated
gasarecommonlyflaredaswasteorunusablegas.Theflaringof
associatedgasmayoccuratthetopofaverticalflarestack(asin
theadjacentphoto)oritmayoccurinagroundlevelflareinan
earthenpit.Preferably,associatedgasisreinjectedintothe
reservoir,whichsavesitforfutureusewhilemaintaininghigher
wellpressureandcrudeoilproducibility.[6]

Contents

FlarestackattheShellHaven
refineryinEngland.

NorthDakotaFlaringofGas

1Overallflaresysteminindustrialplants
2Impactsofwasteflaringassociatedgasfromoildrilling
sitesandotherfacilities
3Seealso
4References
5Externallinks
6Media

Overallflaresysteminindustrialplants
Whenindustrialplantequipmentitemsareoverpressured,thepressurereliefvalveisanessentialsafety
devicethatautomaticallyreleasegasesandsometimesliquids.Thosepressurereliefvalvesarerequiredby
industrialdesigncodesandstandardsaswellasbylaw.
Thereleasedgasesandliquidsareroutedthroughlargepipingsystemscalledflareheaderstoavertical
elevatedflare.Thereleasedgasesareburnedastheyexittheflarestacks.Thesizeandbrightnessofthe
resultingflamedependsupontheflammablematerial'sflowrateinjoulesperhour(orbtuperhour).[4]

Mostindustrialplantflareshaveavaporliquidseparator(alsoknownasaknockoutdrum)upstreamof
theflaretoremoveanylargeamountsofliquidthatmayaccompanytherelievedgases.
Steamisveryofteninjectedintotheflametoreducetheformationofblacksmoke.Whentoomuchsteam
isadded,aconditionknownas"oversteaming"canoccurresultinginreducedcombustionefficiencyand
higheremissions.Tokeeptheflaresystemfunctional,asmallamountofgasiscontinuouslyburned,likea
pilotlight,sothatthesystemisalwaysreadyforitsprimarypurposeasanoverpressuresafetysystem.
Theadjacentflowdiagramdepictsthe
typicalcomponentsofanoverall
industrialflarestacksystem:[1][2][3]
Aknockoutdrumtoremoveany
oiland/orwaterfromthe
relievedgases.
Awatersealdrumtoprevent
anyflashbackoftheflamefrom
thetopoftheflarestack.
Analternativegasrecovery
systemforuseduringpartial
plantstartupsand/orshutdowns
aswellasothertimeswhen
required.Therecoveredgasis
routedintothefuelgassystem
oftheoverallindustrialplant.
Asteaminjectionsystemto
provideanexternalmomentum
forceusedforefficientmixing
ofairwiththerelievedgas,
Schematicflowdiagramofanoverallvertical,elevatedflarestack
whichpromotessmokeless
systeminanindustrialplant.
burning.
Apilotflame(withitsignition
system)thatburnsallthetimesothatitisavailabletoigniterelievedgaseswhenneeded.[7]
Theflarestack,includingaflashbackpreventionsectionattheupperpartofthestack.
ThereisalsoasafemethodtodiverttheflaregaswhichisinsertionofLiquidUsealwithLiquidHoldup
vessel.TheLiquidUsealisdesignedtotakepressureuptopermittedbackpressureofthesystem.This
helpstodiverttheflaregastorecoverysystem.Incaseofplantupset,pressurerisesandliquidintheU
sealwillmoveintoLiquidHoldupvessel.Onnormalization,theLiquidUsealwillstartdivertingthegas
again.[8]

Impactsofwasteflaringassociatedgasfromoildrillingsitesand
otherfacilities
Flaringisacontributortotheworldwideanthropogenicemissionsofcarbondioxide.Improperlyoperated
flaresmayemitmethaneandothervolatileorganiccompoundsaswellassulfurdioxideandothersulfur
compounds,whichareknowntoexacerbateasthmaandotherrespiratoryproblems.Otheremissionsfrom
improperlyoperatedflaresmayinclude,aromatichydrocarbons(benzene,toluene,xylenes)and
benzapyrene,whichareknowntobecarcinogenic.
Flaringcanaffectwildlifebyattractingbirdsandinsectstotheflame.Approximately7,500migrating
songbirdswereattractedtoandkilledbytheflareattheliquefiednaturalgasterminalinSaintJohn,New
Brunswick,CanadaonSeptember13,2013.[9]Similarincidentshaveoccurredatflaresonoffshoreoiland
gasinstallations.[10]Mothsareknowntobeattractedtolights.AbrochurepublishedbytheSecretariatof

theConventiononBiologicalDiversitydescribingtheGlobalTaxonomy
Initiativedescribesasituationwhere"ataxonomistworkinginatropical
forestnoticedthatagasflareatanoilrefinerywasattractingand
killinghundredsofthese[hawkorsphinx]moths.Overthecourseofthe
monthsandyearsthattherefinerywasrunningavastnumberofmoths
musthavebeenkilled,suggestingthatplantscouldnotbepollinated
overalargeareaofforest".[11]
Asoftheendof2011,150109cubicmeters(5.31012cubicfeet)of
associatedgasareflaredannually.Thatisequivalenttoabout25per
centoftheannualnaturalgasconsumptionintheUnitedStatesorabout
30percentoftheannualgasconsumptionintheEuropeanUnion.[12]If
itweretoreachmarket,thisquantityofgas(atanominalvalueof$5.62
per1000cubicfeet)wouldbeworth$29.8billionUSD.[13]

Flaringofassociatedgasfrom
anoilwellsiteinNigeria.

Alsoasoftheendof2011,10countriesaccountedfor72percentofthe
flaring,andtwentyfor86percent.Thetoptenleadingcontributorsto
worldgasflaringattheendof2011,were(indecliningorder):Russia
(27%),Nigeria(11%),Iran(8%),Iraq(7%),USA(5%),Algeria(4%),
Kazakhstan(3%),Angola(3%),SaudiArabia(3%)andVenezuela
(3%).[14]
Thatamountofflaringandburningofassociatedgasfromoildrilling
sitesisasignificantsourceofcarbondioxide(CO2)emissions.Coupled
withfossilfuelcombustionandcementproduction,flaring'scarbon
dioxideemissionsin2010havetripled(1300110GtCO2)compared
Flaringgasesfromanoil
tothelastrecording(years17501970,42035GtCOhadbeen
platformintheNorthSea.
[15]
6
emitted.) 240010 tonsofcarbondioxideareemittedannuallyin
thiswayanditamountstoabout1.2percentoftheworldwideemissions
ofcarbondioxide.Thatmayseemtobeinsignificant,butinperspectiveitismorethanhalfofthe
CertifiedEmissionsReductions(atypeofcarboncredits)thathavebeenissuedundertherulesand
mechanismsoftheKyotoProtocolasofJune2011.[12][16]
Satellitedatashowthatfrom2005to2010,globalgasflaringdecreasedbyabout20%.Themost
significantreductionsintermsofvolumeweremadeinRussia(down40%)andNigeria(down
29%).[12][17]

Seealso
Blowdownstack
EnvironmentalissuesintheNigerDelta
Fluegasstack
Reliefvalve

References
1. EPA/452/B02001(http://www.epa.gov/ttncatc1/dir1/cs32ch1.pdf),Section3.0:VOCControls,Section3.2:
VOCDestructionControls,Chapter1:Flares.(AU.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgencyreport,dated
September2000.)
2. A.KayodeCoker(2007).Ludwig'sAppliedProcessDesignforChemicalAndPetrochemicalPlants,Volume1
(4theded.).GulfProfessionalPublishing.pp.732737.ISBN075067766X.
3. SamMannan(Editor)(2005).Lee'sLossPreventionintheProcessIndustries:HazardIdentification,

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

16.
17.

AssessmentandControl,Volume1(3rdeded.).ElsevierButterworthHeinemann.pp.12/6712/71.ISBN978
0750678575.
MiltonR.Beychok(2005).FundamentalsofStackGasDispersion(Fourtheded.).selfpublished.ISBN0
964458802.(SeeChapter11,FlareStackPlumeRise).
"AProposedComprehensiveModelforElevatedFlareFlamesandPlumes"
(http://www.oocities.org/flareman_xs/Thermal/shore_buo_flame_model_r3_.pdf),DavidShore,Flaregas
Corporation,AIChE40thLossPreventionSymposium,April2006.
Leffler,William(2008).PetroleumRefininginNontechnicalLanguage.Tulsa,OK:PennWell.p.9.
ProductOverviewIgnitionSystems(http://www.durag.com/userfiles/file/bro_smitsvonk_products_en.pdf),
Smitsvonk,November2001.Eexcellentsourceofinformationaboutflarestackpilotflamesandtheirignition
systems.
KPEngineers&Contractors(http://www.kpec.in)
7,500songbirdskilledatCanaportgasplantinSaintJohn(http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newbrunswick/7
500songbirdskilledatcanaportgasplantinsaintjohn1.1857615)(onlineCBCNews,September17,2013).
SeabirdsatRiskaroundOffshoreOilPlatformsintheNorthwestAtlantic
(http://play.psych.mun.ca/~mont/pubs/seabirds.pdf),MarinePollutionBulletin,Vol.42,No.12,pp.1,285
1,290,2001.
TheGlobalTaxonomyInitiativeTheResponsetoaProblem(http://www.cbd.int/doc/publications/gti
brochureen.pdf)(scrolldowntothesectionentitled"Pollinatingmoths")
GlobalGasFlaringReductionPartnership(GGFR),WorldBank
(http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTGGFR/Resources/GGFR_NewBrochure%28Oct2011%29.pdf),October
2011Brochure.
AnnualEnergyReview,Table6.7NaturalGasWellhead,Citygate,andImportsPrices,19492011
(DollarsperThousandCubicFeet),UnitedStatesEnergyInformationAdministration
(http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/annual/showtext.cfm?t=ptb0607),September2012.
EstimatedFlaredVolumesfromSatelliteData,20072011(http://go.worldbank.org/D03ET1BVD0).Fromthe
websiteoftheWorldBank.
IPCC."IPCC2014:SummaryforPolicyMakers.In:ClimateChange2014,MitigationofClimateChange."
(http://report.mitigation2014.org/spm/ipcc_wg3_ar5_summaryforpolicymakers_approved.pdf)(PDF).
CambridgeUniversityPress,Cambridge,UnitedKingdomandNewYork,NY,USA.RetrievedDecember11,
2014.
GlobalGasFlaringReduction
(http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:21032487~menuPK:34480~pagePK:6
4257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html).FromthewebsiteoftheWorldBank.
EstimationofGasFlaringVolumesUsingNASAMODISFireDetectionProducts
(http://ngdc.noaa.gov/eog/interest/flare_docs/NGDC_annual_report_20110209.pdf)(alternative
(http://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/10149814/ngdcannualreport20110209)).ChristopherElvidgeet
al,NOAA'sNationalGeophysicalDataCenter(NGDC)annualreport,February8,2011.

Externallinks
FlareSystemsSafety,SelectionandSizing
(http://www.klmtechgroup.com/PDF/EGD2/ENGINEERING_DESIGN_GUIDELINES_flare_syste
ms_sizing_and_selection_rev_web.pdf)
FlareGasRecoveryAnoptiontostopflaregasbeingburnedtoatmosphere.
(http://www.flaregasrecovery.co.uk/flare_gas_recovery.php)
FlareStacksizingcalculator(http://www.enggcyclopedia.com/calculators/equipmentsizing/flare
stacksizingcalculator/)
Modellingindustrialflaresenvironmentalimpacts(http://www.enviroware.com/modelling
industrialflaresimpacts/)
FlareStackmarking(aircraftwarninglights)(http://www.clampco.it/explosionproof
lights/explosionprooflightingforflarestacks.html)
FlareGasElectricityGenerator(http://www.enercore.com/associatedpetroleumgas/)

Media
Externalimages

Retrievedfrom
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Gas_flare&oldid=666177165"

WorldBankvideoaboutreducingflaring
(http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTGGFR/Resources/578068
1268078858005/GMTV_GGFR_FINAL.wmv)

Categories: Fuels Oilrefining

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Airpollutioncontrolsystems
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