Maintworld 3/2018

PArtner Article
Cost-Effective,
High Performance
Safe flare operation
and environmental protection
require reliable
and accurate flare pilot
monitoring.
Flare Monitoring
in the Petrochemical
Industry
Flaring systems are commonplace across
many industries, perhaps none more so
than in oil and gas, and are used to burn
gases before they enter the atmosphere.
Safe operation of a flaring system requires
the continuous monitoring of pilot flames
and flared gases to ensure that vented gases
are ignited.
Efficient flare stack operation requires
pilot monitoring to ensure there is a pilot
presence 100 percent of the time for safe
operation, environmental assurance and
governmental compliance. Pilot thermocouple
failures are common, so secondary
redundant monitoring methods are often
installed in new applications or as aftermarket
installations to enhance a failing
thermocouple issue.
Alternative flare monitoring technologies
are provided by infrared pyrometers
and imaging pilot monitoring systems.
These can range from basic solutions that
provide the pilot status, to more advanced
solutions that detect the different flame
sizes and can differentiate between pilot
flames, flare flames, and multiple flare tip.
For example, pyrometry could be used in
single flare tip applications to detect if the
pilot flame is on or off. Likewise, pyrometry
or thermal imaging can be used to provide
stage level indication in staged flare applications
or for monitoring gas-assist flaring
applications to maintain accurate flaring
levels. And when monitoring multiple flare
tips that are in close proximity, advanced
solutions can be used that integrate both
Pyrometer systems and Thermal Imaging
systems to differentiate between each
38 maintworld 3/2018
Alternative
flare monitoring
technologies are
provided by infrared
pyrometers and
imaging pilot
monitoring systems.
Quasar 2 instrument mounted on a
M-4 Heavy Duty Swivel mount
Stainless Steel enclosure protecting the
modular electronics inside the Quasar 2
LumaSense Technologies,
www.lumasenseinc.com
flare and pilot flame for more accurate flare
monitoring.
Site requirements also demand that flare
monitoring technologies be sensitive to
small flames to allow flaring detection from
further distances, and to be packaged into a
compatible housing for harsh environmental
conditions and hazardous areas.
A range of infrared technologies are
available in the market, including the new
pyrometer-based product that was recently
released by LumaSense Technologies– E2T
Quasar 2.
This development of specialized enclosures,
electronics, and optics specific to a
flare monitoring application has the highest
performance and capabilities available to
the flare market and allows for pilot monitoring
from greater distances than previously
possible. The scalability of the new
flare monitoring systems and their ability
to integrate multiple monitoring technologies
through software, allows for a flare
monitoring solution for all the market flare
monitoring needs.
LumaSense has made a large investment
into the development of customized flare
monitoring solutions. This includes the
upgrade of the current Quasar pyrometer
system with the release of the new Quasar 2
system. The Quasar 2 is a pyrometer-based
technology, adding higher-end capabilities
to monitor staged flares and gas-assist
flares.
Continuous Duty Monitoring
The E2T Quasar 2 series of monitoring and
detection instruments are designed for continuous
duty monitoring of pilot flames and
flared gases from flares. The base system
provides low-cost basic flare pilot monitoring
capabilities. The advanced model has