Pilot / Ignitor Design

If a flare cannot be ignited reliably and a stable flame maintained at all times to burn a waste gas or offgas, it is not have a flare, it is a vent pipe- where heavy unburned hydrocarbons and other combustible gases can descend to grade level and become ignited to produce a flashback, a fire, and possibly a catastrophic explosion.

The four most critical components of a flare system are:

• flare burner (flare tip)
• air penetration seal
• flare pilot burner(s)
• flare ignition system

This eight page color reprint of a principal paper for the 1996 International Symposium of the American Flame Research Committee (Report 96-11), combines detailed formulas for calculating pilot design parameters with effective illustrations.

In addition to explaining and illustrating state-of-the-art technology, this report also explains (and shows) the results of dangerous tradeoffs for short-term profits, and explains why reliable constant-burning pilots are needed to assure dependable ignition of waste gases or offgas streams.

NAO Inc., 1299 East Sedgley Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19134. Tel: 800-328-7637 or 215-743-5300. Fax: 215-743-3018.