Flare Stack Monitoring Minimizes Environmental Impact

CLEVELAND - May 3, 2022 - PRLog -- EPA Flare Regulations Ensure Safe Flare Stack Operations

CAS DataLoggers recently provided the flare stack monitoring solution to a processor of industrial railcars which disposes of the reclaimed chemicals and hydrocarbon liquids using a flare stack. A flare stack is the last line of defense for ensuring that toxic hydrocarbons are neutralized before they are released into the air. Flare stacks use a high-temperature flame to destroy the unusable waste from an industrial process, or gases released due to over-pressurization or process start-up. The EPA is devoting significant enforcement resources to correcting regulatory noncompliance at flare stacks. The key to minimizing environmental impact and maximizing public safety is ensuring that flare stacks are operating within the prescribed operational and regulatory parameters.

Installation

The customer had installed a CalorVal BTU Analyzer, by Control Instrument Corporation. This device continuously measures the energy in the flare and maintains the proper minimum combustion energy in BTUs.  While the CalorVal is designed to maintain the flare temperature, it does not record that BTU level to serve as a record for the customer during an EPA audit. Without proper documentation of the flare's proper operation, the customer was subject to EPA fines that were expensive.

CAS Dataloggers provided a dataTaker DT82I to record the 4-20 mA output signal from the CalorVal to provide permanent documentation for the EPA audit. The 4-20mA signal was scaled to BTUs and stored continuously with a time and data stamp every 5 minutes. Data can be retrieved by simply plugging a USB memory stick into the front panel USB port of the DT82I. This gave the customer a simple method to bring the data from the logger onto a PC where it could be saved to the corporate network storage disks for reporting and as a historical archive.

Usage

Other flare stack monitoring installations may use temperature sensors, such as thermocouples connected directly to the dataTaker, to record actual combustion temperatures in the flare. Also, Modbus connections (either Modbus/RTU or Modbus/TCP) from PLC-driven combustion control systems to the logger could easily provide additional process information. The dataTaker DT82I has an internal logic, alarm, and calculations capabilities which allow it to trigger data logging only when the combustion is active and can also engage timers to record actual combustion time together with the temperature as well as other parameters such as wind speed/direction, outside air temperature and humidity with the appropriate sensors.

For more information on flare stack monitoring, how CAS can help you avoid EPA fines or citations, or to find the ideal solution to your application-specific needs, contact an Application Specialist at 800-956-4437 or visit us at https://www.dataloggerinc.com.