Utilities · Petrochemicals
Flare & Utilities
The flare and the plant services that keep everything running: steam, cooling water, power, nitrogen and instrument air.
What it does
The flare burns gas safely during start ups, upsets and relief events, and must be sized for emergency blowdowns. Steam can be injected at the flare tip to reduce visible smoke. Dilution steam for the furnaces is also part of the steam system.
Basics
| Flare use | Start up, upsets, relief |
| Smoke control | Steam at the flare tip |
| Utilities | Steam, cooling water, power, nitrogen, air |
Common failures
- A utility outage, such as loss of power or steam, that trips the plant to flare
Troubleshooting
- Symptom
- Visible smoke at the flare
- Likely cause
- Not enough assist steam for the gas load
- What to check
- Check flare steam control and gas flow