Flare Header and Relief Piping Analysis (Flare Radiation)
Ensure Overpressure Protection
Equity Engineering can evaluate flare header systems and recommend changes to the equipment, piping, relief devices, and relief header system to ensure overpressure protection.
Our engineers have assisted clients in maintaining their relief valve evaluations and flare header models. Clients contract us to evaluate process equipment overpressure protection, relief device sizing, and flare header hydraulics. Based on thorough review, our engineers can recommend changes to the equipment, piping, relief devices, and relief header system as warranted to ensure proper overpressure protection.
As part of a Flare Header and Relief Piping Analysis, we:
- Utilize the client’s heat and material balances, process flow diagrams, piping and instrumentation diagrams, operating data, equipment and control valve datasheets, purchasing, and maintenance records, and client field-verified data to evaluate the relief devices involved in the study
- Evaluate each overpressure scenario and the respective relief device for acceptability. Based on the results of these evaluations, we recommend corrective actions for ensuring proper overpressure protection of process equipment
- Utilize simulation tools to model the hydraulics of the relief scenarios in the flare header to determine backpressures at the respective relief devices; identify relief devices and piping segments with excessive backpressure; and recommend corrective actions for reducing the backpressure to acceptable levels
- Perform structural assessment of flare header or relief piping for compliance with ASME codes
- Determine whether flare radiation levels are acceptable on the ground or at nearby platforms
Dr. Walter provides quality assurance/quality control oversight for a major refinery relief system documentation project. He reviews relief systems for adequacy, checks for deficiencies and verifies that protection from overpressure follows RAGAGEP. Part of that effort involves assisting in the development of design philosophies to promote consistency in the calculations. He has been responsible for pressure relief device system studies in chemical plant, refinery and pipeline transportation operations.
