Flare Gas Monitoring

Completion Date

2010

Services

Civil / Structural
Plant Design

Industry

Location

South East

C&I is to provide complete detailed design engineering for the project, including controls, project execution, cost management, scheduling, reporting, and procurement deliverables and processes. The refinery utilizes five (5) flares to serve as safety relief devices, as well as control devices, for the combustion of various streams from normal refinery operations. As regulatory control devices, these flares are subject to the NSPS and MACT regulations, which require flares to operate at or above 98% combustion efficiency. Over-steaming (high steam to hydrocarbon ratio) of a flare can reduce its combustion efficiency and cause it to operate at less than 98%.Currently, limited instrumentation is available on the flares to measure and control the steam to hydrocarbon ratio. The client is currently engaged with the EPA to develop an Agreed Order to ensure all refinery flare systems are not over-steamed, comply with the 98% combustion efficiency requirement, and maintain a minimum heating value at the flare tip of 200 Btu/scf. This Agreed Order will require the installation of instrumentation and controls on the flares to monitor and control the steam to hydrocarbon ratio and the flare tip heating value to ensure compliance with environmental regulations.