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Common Flues

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op9

Industrial
Aug 18, 1999
111
I have a situation with an existing asphalt plant rotary drier fired with a burner on LPG at 28GJ/Hr (26.5 x 10^6 BTU/hr). This was commissioned by me over 10 yrs ago. To this is to be added another rotary drier to dry RAP (Recycled Asphalt Payment) which is the old pulverized asphalt from old roads. This dried recycled product is supplemented into the new product. The RAP drier burner operates on diesel. Burner 23.3GJ/hr (22 x 10^6 BTU/hr).
The present LPG fired system exhausts via a large baghouse and uses an exhaust (ID) fan. Both of these have been upgraded to cater for the new RAP drier addition.
Hence the plan is to common both drier exhaust flues and concurrently they will flow through the baghouse and use the common ID fan.

The issue is that our Australian gas installation codes prohibit the coupling of the exhaust from "another" fuel into the gas fired burner exhaust flue. However we are able to seek an exemption from this clause with appropriate provisions. Personally I can see a problem arising with straight FD burners where there could be a possibility at certain relative firing rates for the exhaust of one feeding back or affecting the other. The "other" fuel emissions may not be regulated as is the gas burner. In my case we are always under a state of negative pressure ensuring the products of combustion always are drawn by the exhaust fan through the baghouse and out the chimney. I am also going to add a pressure switch at the connection point of the two flues to ensure there is always adequate suction at that point. If not the burners will be shut down.

At this stage our Gas authorities are reviewing my application. However certain people within the Authority have admitted that they don't understand the reasoning of the Clause prohibiting it without explanation. I can understand the concerns as stated above if purely a FD situation, but consider that if I ensure there is always adequate draft whilst both burners are in operation there should not be any problem.

Would appreciate any comments. See attachment of the combined system.

Rod Nissen.
Combustion & Engineering Diagnostics

 
 https://files.engineering.com/getfile.aspx?folder=d49def01-1428-4d8b-b387-2fe5e1e33dc0&file=Combined_Appliance_Purge1.pdf
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I have seen a white paper about common flues for diesel engines. The problems arise when one engine is not running. Condensation destroyed the offline engine if I remember correctly. I will try to find the white paper.
 
Hi TBE,
Thanks for the response. Would be interested in reading the white paper. However in our case the two systems are dampered off when not in operation. So when the gas fired burner starts the connecting dampers to the RAP system have to be closed and interlocked for the prepurge and will stay like that if only the gas fired system is in operation. The gas fired burner MUST be up and running before the RAP system can be started, purged and fired, after which both are in operation together, which is the issue with our Gas Authorities.

Rod Nissen.
Combustion & Engineering Diagnostics

 
How much redundancy do you have on the main flame detectors for each of these 2 rotary drier units ?
What happens if there is an accidental, undetected flame out on the main flame burner, especially for the existing LPG fired unit. Uncombusted LPG vapor flows out into the common flue, contacts hot flue gas from the diesel burner fired unit, detonates in the common flue.
Can the converse also happen if main flame goes out at the diesel fired unit while the LPG burner is in operation?
Think a 2oo3 voting combustibles gas detector in the common flue to trip out both driers would help to prevent detonation in the common flue. This assembly of detectors may be difficult to operate in actual operation (getting a clean fast loop sample of flue gas at the pretreatment unit) given the highly fouling nature of the exit flue gas from these 2 driers, and this alone may be sufficient reason to have a dedicated flue for each drier. Unless you know of some inline combustible gas detector that wouldnt be affected by this foul flue gas.
 
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