Flare Efficiency: The Influence of Flare Head Design and Gas Composition

摘要

The paper is an overview of flare research conducted by EPA and the Energy and Environmental Research Corporation (EER) in 1984. Initial work by EER for EPA focussed on developing a basic understanding of the flaring process, reviewing data on flare combustion efficiency, and designing a facility for evaluating flare emissions. A Flare Test Facility was constructed, and tests were conducted. The tests provided data showing a minimum heating value required to achieve flame stability at a given velocity. The results also showed that unstable flames tend to produce low combustion efficiencies. Other studies have also explored the use of flares as control devices for VOCs. VOC combustion of 90% (or greater) have been reported for pilot scale flares within specific ranges of gas heating value and gas exit velocity. The research reported in the paper was designed to determine: (1) the effect of flare head design on flame stability and combustion efficiency, and (2) the destruction efficiency of specific compounds in relation to flare operating parameters.