×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Why smokeless flare is mandatory?

Why smokeless flare is mandatory?

Why smokeless flare is mandatory?

(OP)
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?

RE: Why smokeless flare is mandatory?

Black smoke is indicator of incomplete combustion. So potentially unburned HC. But definitely high CO and particulates. That is my understanding anyway.

RE: Why smokeless flare is mandatory?

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

RE: Why smokeless flare is mandatory?

(OP)
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.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources