Abstract
Abstract
The products of the gaseous form hydrocarbon process and large quantities of condensate or waste gases that can be evolved from oil and natural gas fields or oil refineries, must be discharged to the atmosphere after being burnt using flares. The flaring of these waste gases is the most expedient way of obviating possible dangers from clouds of toxic vapours or pockets of explosive gases. The problem of flares being blown off by cross-wind is producing a high level of environmental pollution. Therefore, there is a need to reduce the environmental pollution (including ‘flaming rain’, a phenomenon of a shower downwind of oil droplets after the flare is blown off). The proposed solution is to stabilize the flare by using a swirl technology. A prototype flare burner was designed and tested using a mixture of natural gas (methane) and diesel fuel to simulate the condensate, and a number of nozzles were also tested to improve the atomization process of fuel. The use of swirl tends to have a mixing between air and fuel, and then produces a high level of turbulence that leads to a good flame stabilization. The results show an improvement in the combustion efficiency and low level of pollution as a result of a well-stirred region within the flame.
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