How do experts inspect equipment that is 600 feet in the air, continually burning hydrocarbon waste by-products at high temperatures, and acquire close-up views of all the components while the system remains in constant operation?

The cutting edge technology for doing refinery flare inspections is accomplished by none other than an unmanned aerial rotorcraft. Equipped with a high resolution camera, it takes incredibly clear and detailed images of the refinery flare while it remains in operation.

The rotorcraft and camera equipment is operated from the ground by the combustion equipment inspection crew. The imagery they produce with their high-flying drone provides a visual inspection that lives up to the technical requirements ...

There are two new US refineries in process of approval right now. One is in South Dakota and one is in Arizona. While many people like to speculate on the possible political reasons why it has been 30 years since an oil refinery has been built in the US, the fundamental fact is that it is more cost-efficient for a petroleum company to expand its existing refineries than to invest in the development of a new plant. There are obvious reasons why this is true, and there are ramifications that should be addressed concerning it.

Expanding an existing refinery allows the petroleum company to take full advantage of an existing infrastructure.  Adding additional equipment to an existing refinery process is half the task of fabricating ...

Recent advancements in petrochemical flare technology have produced a whole host of flare tip design types, allowing for complete application customization in combustion equipment. Whatever the circumstance, whether the flare is needed for a refinery, offshore drilling rig, and whether the application happens to be regarding oil or natural gas, there is a flare system perfect for the job at hand.

It is important to not only install the correct gas flare system, but it is important to maintain it through a company expert in gas flare system maintenance and flare tip rebuild procedures. Flares & Stacks, Inc. Is expert in all manner of gas flare system configurations.

A Variety of Flare Tip Configurations

Smokeless ...

Petrochemical flare systems are the systems that incinerate waste gasses to prevent those gasses from entering into our atmosphere. Designing and constructing a flare system that will do this job safely and efficiently is the task of  the Flares & Stacks, Inc. petrochemical engineers. Here are some of the critical factors that Flares & Stacks, Inc.  must take into account when designing a flare system, and the data they must collect prior to flare stack construction.

Flare systems design factors

It is important to first define exactly what waste gasses are expected to be burned. It is important to ascertain the amount, flow rate, temperature, and if it is anticipated that there may be variable compositions of ...

Where combustion equipment is concerned, unexpected emergency outages require an immediate response. The responding service needs to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It is also a big plus to be able to have access to flare rentals for free.

Whether the job is to wire guy cables on a brand new flare stack, or if the job is to recalibrate guy wire tension on an existing flare system, it is good to know the fundamentals of proper cabling and tension to ensure that the flare stack structure is sound. Remember that there are three areas of consideration: The stack support side, the ground support side, and the cable that runs between the two ends.

Running New Wire Guy Cables

To run new cables, first we must ascertain the support strength of the stack. This involves knowing the dead weight of the stack, the integrity of the base plate underneath the stack,  the location and integrity of the anchor bolts ( where they are oriented, their size, and their base plate ...

There are many different types of unmanned aerial vehicles, called UAV’s for short. In the petrochemical flare industry, a necessary tool for effective flare tip inspection is the UAV called the turbine powered rotor craft.

Rotorcraft Unmanned Aviation

The rotor craft, a remote-controlled helicopter , has a high resolution camera mounted on board. With the handling of a highly skilled UAV operator, flare inspection personnel are able to take extremely detailed and clear pictures of every angle of the flare tip while the flare is in operation. Moreover, the flare inspection team is doing this while they are safely distant from the high temperature environment of the flare, with feet on solid ground.

Aerial Inspection

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There are several retractable systems available for combustion flares and petrochemical operations with flare systems should take great advantage of them. Here is a list of the top three retractable systems:

Retractable Flare Pilot Systems

Retractable flare pilot systems and flare ignition systems are capable of being raised to operation and lowered to ground level for maintenance. Without a retractable system, cranes or ladders are needed to remove them, replace them, and to inspect any maintenance concerns.

Retractable FAA Lighting

A retractable flare FAA warning light system allows the FAA lighting of the flare stack to be lowered to the ground any time a light needs replaced.

Retractable Industrial Thermocouple ...

A gas flare systems flare tip has a pretty heavy job description. It must disperse heat effectively. It must generate flow at a velocity greater than the external wind velocities. If a gas flare system is fitted with a flare tip that is improper to the job there is a risk of burn back. This can cause serious complications to the flare system, like ignition and burnout problems, but at the very least it will result in quicker deterioration of the flare tip. Frequent tip rebuild work orders are a good indication that the tips ought not to be simply rebuilt, but also re-evaluated for right kind, right size, and right installation.

Flare Tip Rebuilds Requires Expertise of - and Access To - Replacement Components

Considering that a ...

There are many requirements and specifications that go into flare system design. The types of material used, execution of fabrication, and testing and preparation of a flare system are all highly meticulous features of flare fabrication. Care must be observed for the shipment of the flare stack, and all of its components, including igniters, flare tip, structure, and so forth. On-site assembly must be seamlessly and safely accomplished. As well, there must be forethought into the inclusion and proper installment of all necessary flash back prevention system components, seals, and electrical systems. For all these reasons and more, flare stack fabrication is a discipline involving the proficiencies of specializing experts.

Inclusions ...