Adjustable Flare Nozzle for Combustion Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual control of flare systems at oil and gas well sites is inadequate for rapidly changing conditions, leading to inefficient combustion and environmental impacts due to poor air supply and high water content, limiting flexibility and increasing the need for automatic control to achieve clean flaring.
Innovation Solution
A flare system with a remotely-adjustable nozzle and a control system that automatically adjusts the nozzle discharge opening, air supply, and ignition parameters based on real-time feedback from sensors to maintain optimal combustion conditions, ensuring complete combustion and reducing unburned hydrocarbons.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual control of flare systems is used, then device complexity is reduced, but flaring efficiency deteriorates due to inability to rapidly respond to changing conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a control system that continuously monitors flare performance parameters (such as flame characteristics, gas flow rate, and air supply) and automatically adjusts control valves to optimize combustion. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables rapid response to changing well conditions, significantly improving flaring efficiency compared to manual control while maintaining manageable system complexity through automated decision-making algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system is designed to autonomously regulate flare performance without continuous human intervention. Sensors detect real-time conditions and the controller automatically modulates air supply and fuel gas flow to maintain optimal stoichiometric ratios, enabling the system to self-adjust and self-optimize flaring operations dynamically, thereby resolving the contradiction between efficiency and complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If automatic control is implemented, then adaptability to varying conditions improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system incorporates multiple sensors that continuously monitor flare performance parameters including flame characteristics, gas flow rates, and air supply conditions. This feedback information is processed by a controller that automatically adjusts control valves to optimize combustion, enabling the system to adapt rapidly to varying well conditions while maintaining manageable complexity through automated control logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system dynamically adjusts operating parameters such as air supply rate and fuel gas flow in real-time based on monitored conditions. This dynamic adaptation capability allows the flare system to respond effectively to changing well production rates and composition variations, achieving high versatility without requiring overly complex mechanical structures.
3Manufacturing precision
If fixed nozzle discharge opening is used, then device complexity is reduced, but combustion completeness deteriorates due to inability to adjust air-hydrocarbon ratio
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically adjusts the nozzle discharge opening size by modifying the position of a choking ball or similar flow control element. This parameter change enables the system to optimize the air-hydrocarbon ratio for complete combustion under varying operating conditions. The ability to adjust the discharge opening area allows precise control over fuel gas flow rate, ensuring stoichiometric combustion and minimizing unburned hydrocarbons, thereby achieving high manufacturing precision in combustion completeness.
4Loss of substance
If production flaring is performed without control adjustment, then loss of hydrocarbon increases, but control system requirements are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The control system continuously monitors combustion performance and automatically adjusts the air supply and fuel gas flow rates to maintain optimal stoichiometric ratios. This feedback-controlled adjustment ensures complete combustion of hydrocarbons, minimizing unburned emissions. The automated control significantly reduces hydrocarbon losses compared to uncontrolled flaring, while the control system uses straightforward measurement and adjustment mechanisms to achieve this environmental benefit.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves improved flaring efficiency by maintaining a stoichiometric air-hydrocarbon ratio, reducing frequency of poor flaring, and quickly adapting to varying well conditions, thus enhancing environmental sustainability and operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The flare includes a hydraulic piston to adjust position of a choking ball to adjust flow area of the nozzle discharge opening
Implementation Method 2
flowing the produced fluid through a nozzle discharge opening of the flare tip nozzle to external to the flare tip
Implementation Method 3
combusting the hydrocarbon of the produced fluid as discharged from the flare tip
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for flaring with a flare including a flare stack and a flare tip at a well site having a wellhead and a wellbore for production of crude oil or natural gas, or both, providing produced fluid including hydrocarbon from the wellhead to the flare stack, discharging the produced fluid from the flare tip through a nozzle discharge opening, combusting the hydrocarbon of the produced fluid as discharged from the flare tip, and a control system adjusting flow area of the nozzle discharge opening.