Continue to Site

Eng-Tips is the largest engineering community on the Internet

Intelligent Work Forums for Engineering Professionals

  • Congratulations IDS on being selected by the Eng-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!

Why smokeless flare is mandatory?

Status
Not open for further replies.

srijey

Mechanical
Jul 24, 2002
46
Why in some jurisdictions (Alberta) 95% of emergency relief capacity is to be smokeless when it's more than 450 Btu/ cu ft? Is there any evidence that the emission level becomes unacceptable if above Ringelmann smoke chart #1? I mean other than nuisance or colour in atmosphere, any harmful effect due to this smoke after Ringelmann #1? What makes the regulatory body decide that 'smokeless' capacity requirement for a hydrocarbon flare stack?
 
Replies continue below

Recommended for you

Black smoke is indicator of incomplete combustion. So potentially unburned HC. But definitely high CO and particulates. That is my understanding anyway.
 
I dont see the point when it comes to emergency relief. After all, thats not supposed to happen very frequently. But if the same stack ALSO does operational flaring then i can under stand it - also why it has to be the design capacity.

Best regards

Morten
 
This is an operating flare stack connected to relief valve outlets. My question is beyond Ringelmann #1 how the smoke is considered harmful to humans? I'm not sure of the increase in CO content. Fuel characteristics and amount of oxygen distribution in combustion zone determine the smoke (carbon particles) content. If the primary air is less than 20 to 30% of stoichiometric air (depending on the HC), larger hydrocarbon molecules crack and form carbon - I'm not sure whether this is called incomplete combustion -chemical engineering is not my forte. Perhaps our Alberta provincial ERCB may have written some more on this- I'm not aware of.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Part and Inventory Search

Sponsor