2019 Spring Meeting and 15th Global Congress on Process Safety

(157e) New Direct Flame Monitoring Technology to Help Operators Comply with Increasingly Stringent Flaring Regulations

Author

Known shortcomings of current flare monitoring methods plus new EPA standards drove the need to develop a new direct flare combustion efficiency (CE) measurement and monitoring method – a technology that directly, autonomously, and continuously monitors flare performance in real time. This patented method, known as VISR, or Video Imaging Spectro-Radiometry, utilizes a multi-spectral infrared (IR) imager to simultaneously measure the relative concentrations of remaining fuel and combustion products, carbon dioxide (CO2), and unburned hydrocarbons (HC) in the post-combustion gases at the pixel level. Directly monitoring flare CE eliminates inaccuracies associated with the current practice of monitoring indirect parameters (heating value, velocity, etc.). The VISR method has been rigorously tested for its accuracy (including 10 days of blind tests sponsored by PERF, an industry consortium). The accuracy was determined by a reference method that extracted flare post-combustion gases from the flare plume, analyzed the composition, and determined CE. The CE values determined by the VISR method and the reference method (extractive method) are within 1%. Because VISR devices can operate autonomously, no aiming or manual data reduction is required. Remote measurement removes the need for contact with corrosive process streams, making VISR devices less costly to maintain and operate over time. VISR can be used on any type of flare. This paper will discuss the VISR technology and how it can be used to generate continuous, real-time data on CE and smoke, allowing operators to optimize flare performance in real time.