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US 12,655,972 B1Granted
Flare for mine gas combustion operations
OwnerEdward T. Boysinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flare is disclosed for mine gas combustion operations. The flare is nominally eight feet six inches in diameter and thirty-seven feet tall, and is constructed with two concentric steel shells (ie., an inner and an outer shell) that are insulated with ceramic fiber. The inner shell functions as the combustion chamber which operates nominally between 1600° F. (˜870° C.) and 2,000° F. (˜1,093° C.). Thermocouples also provide over-temperature protection if the combustion process exceeds 2,000° F. (˜1,093° C.). The outer shell uses ‘stack effect(s)’ to induce a natural draft of quench air that will mix with the combustion products to cool the final discharge of the flare (ie., the mixture of the quench air and combustion products) to a sub 1,000° F. (˜538° C.) discharge temperature.
Claims16
A flare system for waste gas combustion operations;
- said flare system comprising:
- a stack-like shell defining a combustion chamber and configured to confine a flare for combustion of waste gas and exhaust the combustion products out of the combustion chamber;
- a blower for blowing waste gas whereby collected from a ground bore hole or vent;
- said blower configured to blow waste gas to the shell through a main piping network and valve train;
- a programmable logic controller (PLC);
- wherein the programmable logic controller is configured and operated such that combustion in the combustion chamber is adapted to take place between a lower combustion-temperature limit and an upper combustion-temperature limit;
- wherein the main piping network and valve train includes a pneumatically-operated, safety, flare shutdown valve (FV-302);
- and
- further comprising a source of a pressurized inert gas connected to operate the pneumatically-operated flare shutdown valve (FV-302).
6 more elements
A flare system for waste gas combustion operations;
- said flare system comprising:
- a stack-like shell defining a combustion chamber and configured to confine a flare for combustion of waste gas and exhaust the combustion products out of the combustion chamber;
- a blower for blowing waste gas whereby collected from a ground bore hole or vent;
- said blower configured to blow waste gas to the shell through a main piping network and valve train;
- a programmable logic controller (PLC);
- wherein the programmable logic controller is configured and operated such that combustion in the combustion chamber is adapted to take place between a lower combustion-temperature limit and an upper combustion-temperature limit;
- and
- further comprising a pair of ‘lower explosive limit’ (“LEL”) sensors (LEL-301 and LEL-302) provided for sensing when a mixture of air and a combustible vapor(s) (fuel) exceed, reach or dip below a ‘lower explosive limit’ therefor;
- one LEL sensor being associated with the shell/combustion chamber proximate a low elevation whereby proximate a burner;
- the other LEL sensor being associated with the shell/combustion chamber proximate a high elevation whereby proximate exhaustion of combustion products;
- and
- an air damper (FCV-401 or FCV-402) in the side of the shell that is controlled by the programmable logic controller to modulate, according at least in part to LEL sensing, damper position.
9 more elements
A flare system for waste gas combustion operations;
- said flare system comprising:
- a stack-like shell defining a combustion chamber and configured to confine a flare for combustion of waste gas and exhaust the combustion products out of the combustion chamber;
- a blower for blowing waste gas whereby collected from a ground bore hole or vent;
- said blower configured to blow waste gas to the shell through a main piping network and valve train;
- wherein the main piping network and valve train includes a pneumatically-operated, safety, flare shutdown valve (FV-302);
- and
- further comprising a source of a pressurized inert gas connected to operate the pneumatically-operated flare shutdown valve (FV-302).
4 more elements
A flare system for waste gas combustion operations;
- said flare system comprising:
- a stack-like shell defining a combustion chamber and configured to confine a flare for combustion of waste gas and exhaust the combustion products out of the combustion chamber;
- a blower for blowing waste gas whereby collected from a ground bore hole or vent;
- said blower configured to blow waste gas to the shell through a main piping network and valve train;
- wherein the main piping network and valve train includes a detonation arrestor (DA-302);
- and
- further comprising a programmable logic controller (PLC) that is configured to control at least in part the detonation arrestor (DA-302);
- and
- further comprising any of:
- a thermocouple (TE-501, TE-502 and/or TE-503) associated with the combustion chamber to provide the programmable logic controller with temperature sensing of the combustion temperature including over-temperature sensing if combustion process temperature exceeds an upper combustion-temperature limit, and
- a thermocouple (TE-303) monitoring temperature on the flare side of the detonation arrestor (DA-302) to provide the programmable logic controller with temperature sensing of the main piping network and valve train on the flare side of the detonation arrestor (DA-302) including over-temperature sensing in excess of a selected temperature limit,
- wherein the programmable logic controller is further configured to shutdown the flare in part by the blower whereby according to if any of the temperature limits have been exceeded.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.