Innovative enclosed flare technology to treat petroleum vapors
- O`Brien & Gere Engineers, Inc., Syracuse, NY (United States)
Flaring is the high-temperature oxidation of organic compounds, and flares have been used extensively in the past as safety devices to prevent explosions in process stacks or vessels. These flares typically had a destruction efficiency of 75%, and they generated a visible flame and smoke. Improvements in design techniques and prompting from the Clean Air Act (CAA) Amendments of 1990 have fostered improvements to flare technology. These advances, correlatively, have promoted new uses for flares. Today, flares can be engineered to provide the smokeless destruction of 95% of the volatile organic compounds (VOC) in a process emission exhaust stream. The CAA Amendments require that flares and other thermal oxidation systems be tested to verify their destruction efficiency on VOC. The application of the enclosed flare that the authors directed was a component of the quality control and quality assurance testing of the booster pumps of jet engines. The cell in which the pumps are tested simulates the flight of jet aircraft. The pump is placed in a sealed cell, and the cell is filled with heated jet fuel. During the test, the cell`s pressure is lowered to about 3 psia. After the test, the cell is opened, and its pressure reaches atmospheric conditions. This range of conditions required that the designers of the flare given extraordinary attention to its specifications and implementation. The result is an enclosed flare approximately 35 feet high and 11 feet in diameter that meets permit requirements for the removal of VOC from the test cell. Lessons learned in the design, implementation, and operation of this large flare can be instructive to others about the efficient application of this innovative technology. 2 figs., 2 tabs.
- OSTI ID:
- 621361
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-960273-; TRN: 98:002183-0021
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA) specialty conference on emerging solutions to VOC and air toxics control, Clearwater Beach, FL (United States), 28 Feb - 1 Mar 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1996; Related Information: Is Part Of Emerging solutions to VOC and air toxics control; PB: 457 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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