Flare gas recovery has become standard practice across refineries and petrochemical plants to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact. By capturing flare gases that would otherwise be burned and emitted, recovery systems allow facilities to reinject valuable hydrocarbons back into processing units or generate power. Let’s examine how these systems work and the benefits they provide.
Recovering Hydrocarbons Rather Than Burning Them
Flare stacks serve an important safety purpose by providing a controlled means to burn off excess hydrocarbon gases from refining and petrochemical processes. However, simply flaring these gases represents a loss of usable fuel. Recovery systems aim to minimize this loss by collecting gases via knockout drums, compressors, and pipeline infrastructure before they reach the flare tip. The recovered gases can then be reinjected and used as fuel for heaters, furnaces, boilers, and gas turbines located throughout the facility. For example, a common configuration involves sending rich gases to an amine treating unit to remove acid gases before compression and reuse.
Generating Power from Recovered Gases
Some Flare Gas Recovery Systems go a step further by utilizing gas turbines or internal combustion engines to convert the potential energy in recovered gases into rotational energy and electricity. This on-site power generation offsets demand from the local grid. Depending on the composition and quantity of recovered gases, a facility could produce 1-10 megawatts of renewable power – enough to meet a significant percentage of its own needs. Any excess electricity may even qualify for renewable energy credits if fed back to the grid. Generating power from what would have been wasted flare emissions doubly improves efficiency.
Improving Environmental and Regulatory Compliance
By definition, flare gases represent uncombusted hydrocarbons directly emitted to the atmosphere when flares are active. Recovery systems help facilities meet more stringent emission limits by minimizing these greenhouse gas and volatile organic compound releases. Some jurisdictions now mandate specific flare gas recovery targets. For example, regulations in states like Texas require limiting flare emissions to no more than 5,000 standard cubic feet per hour. Installation of recovery infrastructure allows operators to stay well below such thresholds while burners are active. Proactively recovering gases also puts facilities in a stronger position if environmental audits examine flare minimization efforts.
Optimizing the Economics of Refining and Petrochemical Operations
At current natural gas and energy prices, many Flare Gas Recovery Systems projects achieve positive returns on investment within 2-3 years according to industry studies. By recovering valuable fuel for reuse rather than loss, these systems directly lower operating costs via displacement of purchased fuels and power. They also create a new revenue stream from surplus electricity sales. Looking holistically, recovery optimizes the asset efficiency of refineries and petrochemical plants by fully leveraging all hydrocarbon resources available on-site. Some estimates indicate recovery could increase overall facility profits by 1-2% annually. As environmental and fuel costs continue rising, the economic case for maximizing flare gas value will grow increasingly compelling.
Design Considerations for Successful Flare Gas Systems
While the core functions and benefits of flare gas recovery systems remain consistent, each individual project requires tailored engineering to match facility-specific operating conditions. Key areas of focus include:
– Sizing compression and pipeline infrastructure to reliably handle peak flow rates encountered during upsets and turnarounds when flaring activity increases substantially.
– Specifying gas clean-up and scrubbing units that can treat the full range of hydrocarbon and contaminant compositions recovered from multiple flare headers across the site.
– Conducting flow measurements and simulations to fully characterize gas quality and quantity available for different process unit scenarios.
– Integrating recovered gas pipeline tie-ins, control valves and metering equipment with existing fuel distribution networks seamlessly and safely.
– Ensuring turbine, engine or reinjection equipment can tolerate fluctuations in gas heating value and be shutdown automatically if recovered quality degrades.
– Providing adequate redundancy and bypass capability to maintain critical flare protection even during recovery system maintenance periods.
With careful planning and engineering to address installation particulars, flare gas recovery systems delivers savings while strengthening operational and environmental stewardship at industrial plants. As such, it has become widely adopted as a best practice for maximizing efficiency in oil and petrochemical production worldwide.
*Note:
1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
About Author – Money Singh
Money Singh is a seasoned content writer with over four years of experience in the market research sector. Her expertise spans various industries, including food and beverages, biotechnology, chemicals and materials, defense and aerospace, consumer goods, etc. LinkedIn Profile