DEBUGGING PROBLEMS WITH

FLAME FRONT GENERATION

The following list covers those typical problems with Flame Front
generation which are largely responsible for many problems and
unsatisfactory reports of Flame Front generator usage.

Water in the line:

The passage of the ignition flame through the flame front line is a
progressive combustion process which consumes the mixture in the
line as the flame travels along the pipe. Excessive moisture in the
pipe can quench the flame by making the local mixture non-
flammable. This is particularly the case if there are pockets in the
line which allow standing pools of water.
In many locations, particularly in warm sunny climates, a high
daytime relative humidity allows moist air to enter a dormant or un-
used flame front line where it cools slightly and drops some of its
water content into the line. This can cause significant liquid build up
even over the short period.
Some water can also remain in the line as a product of combustion
after repeated ignition attempts.
If this problem is suspected, blow through the flame front line with
dry air to remove all traces of moisture and correct any pocketing
as soon as possible. In some cases, prolonged blowing with dry air
for 8 - 12 hours may be necessary to adequately dry a wet flame
front line. In cases of a persistent problem, a permanent flow of air
or air/gas may be needed to maintain a dry internal atmosphere.

Incorrect Mixture:
The pressure requirements for Gas and Air sometimes change due
to variations in gas composition or even due to changes in ambient
temperature and pressure. If problems are experienced using gas
and air pressures which have been previously successful, return to
the original set up procedure of the instructions and find a new
mixture.
Impatience of the Operator:
The flame travel through the flame front line and the time taken to
fill, purge and refill the line during ignition attempts are all time
consuming. Trying to start a flame front too frequently will only lead
to extinguishing of previous attempts before the flame front has
had time to complete its run to the pilot.

Instrument Response Time:

For pilots with thermocouples, be sure to wait for an adequate
instrument response before attempting re-ignition as this can
sometimes destabilize an established flame which is heating the
thermocouple.

Blocked Flame Front Lines:

Un-drained flame front lines or old scaled piping can cause
restrictions in the piping and prevent the satisfactory passage of
flame. This is usually detected when some pilots ignite well but the
blocked line always stops the flame front.

Blocked Pilot Gas Jet:

Line scale, tar or sulfur deposits can sometimes plug pilot jets and
prevent gas flow. Even successful flame front passage will not be
able to ignite this pilot. This may be suspected when pilots seem to
fail or clear sporadically after de-pressuring the fuel gas header. If
caused by tars, the blockage can sometimes be successfully
removed by steaming the line with medium pressure steam for
several hours. Failing this, the jet must be cleaned out physically by
dismantling at the pilot and physically cleaning the parts. Blow out
the lines before re-assembling the pilot jet. If choosing to install a
strainer ahead of the gas jet, ensure that there is adequate excess
flow area in the strainer and that the mesh size is smaller than the
gas jet.

Unsuitable Flame Front Piping:

Flame front generation works best when the flame front lines are of
constant diameter and free from constrictions or enlargements,
which permit turbulent eddies to establish in the pipe. Lines of one
inch (1") diameter with long radius elbows are most commonly
successful. Heavy fittings with reduced ports or Tees can be
troublesome. Pipe expansions into drain pots or to different line
sizes, almost always, will prevent passage of a flame or will make
pressure settings extremely sensitive and critical. Where drains are
fitted try to minimize the drain leg and use the stem of a tee, using
the clear run for the flame front line.

Flame in the Line:

If a flame front line design is unsatisfactory in some way, it is
possible that a flame may establish in the line and burn
permanently at one point as long as gas is flowing. The line will
become hot and eventually the external paint will begin to char and
blacken. Turn off the gas and allow air only to flow until the line
cools down. When retrying ignition do not use the same gas and air
pressures as before but increase all settings to provide a greater
flow and try to prevent a recurrence of the problem.

Cold Climate:
During severe winter conditions, an ultra-cold flame front line can
quench the flame by cooling the flammable mixture as it flows to
the tip. This may create narrower flammable limits within the line
than those which exist at the ignition panel. Thus a flame may
ignite at the panel but be quenched as it progresses further along
the pipe. Flammable characteristics may also change in the line if
cooling causes dew-point fall out of heavy components.
To resolve this problem,
- increase all settings to provide a greater flow rate and try to
minimize heat transfer;
- if possible, change fuel gas to a composition with minimal dew-
point concerns;
- in the extreme case, heat tracing and insulation of lines may be
needed.
FLARE OPERATIONS

PILOT OR FLARE LIGHTING

FLAME FRONT GENERATOR

The following instructions for Flame Front generation are

somewhat generic and prepared without regard to the specific
details introduced by the equipment supplier. They are intended as
a practical guide and not as an official publication. Automatic
systems, particularly, will be somewhat specific to the
manufacturer, but all will follow essentially the same principles and
will probably need to be set up and commissioned in a manual
mode.

A location known as an ignition panel is usually used to ignite the

pilots, either manually or automatically.

Initial Preparation

1. The flare must be free of an explosive gas/oxygen mixture

(see purging) and will be either
o in a standby condition with the possibility of
flammable relief or
o in a dormant condition with no process gas
connections.

2. For multiple flares in close proximity and in common

structures, purging procedures of all flares must be
coordinated prior to ignition of pilots. It is not practical to
separate commissioning or lighting of the flares.

3. Ensure that all electrical hookups have been made to the

panel.

4. Check that all pipelines to the panel are in accordance with

the supplier's drawing and that suitable pressure reducing
 valves and strainers are installed in the upstream piping.

5. Check that pilot fuel gas, ignition fuel gas and ignition air are
available upstream of isolating valves or line blanks.

6. All lines must be clean and scale free. It may be necessary to

break piping unions to remove foreign matter.

7. Operate all drain cocks and remove all condensate from

piping upstream and downstream of the panel. Close all
drain cocks after this exercise.

8. Open the isolating block valve for the pilot fuel gas supply
and set the pressure regulator according to the Pilot Burner
manufacturer's instructions. If you do not know the correct
pressure, check it.
Most suppliers use pressures in the range of 5 - 15 psig with
individual pilot gas flows providing a pilot flame in the range
of 50,000 Btu/h - 250,000 Btu/h.

Contrary to the belief of many operators, as a general

rule, use of a higher pressure than the recommended
design is unlikely to solve persistent difficulties with
successful ignition. (see debugging).

9. Allow sufficient time for the fuel gas to reach the pilot after
displacing the air or purge gas from the pipe line. The
length of time needed will depend on the length and
diameter of the fuel gas line to the top of the flare, as well as
the number and style of pilot being supplied.
As a conservative estimate, estimate 1 second gas travel
time per square inch of pipe internal area for every 1 ft
length of pipe.
[1500 ft of 1" pipe could take up to 20 minutes][1000 ft of 3"
pipe could take up to 2 hours]
Manual Operation of a Flame Front Generator

1. Check that the flame front piping is dry, that all the drain
valves have been closed.

2. Open the isolating block valves on the ignition fuel gas and
air supplies.

3. If appropriate, turn any control panel selector switches to

Manual mode.

4. Determine which pilot is to be ignited. Open all the manual

flame front diverter valves leading to the designated pilot
and close the diverter valves for any un-selected pilot(s). In
some designs, all pilots are ignited concurrently using a
single common flame-front line to the flare tip, which splits
into a distribution manifold at the tip. In some automatic
systems, opening valves manually may involve partial
activation of the controls. Become familiar with your own
equipment.

5. Carefully note which is the gas train relative to the air train
on the panel.
Set the ignition fuel gas and air pressure regulating valves to
give the manufacturer's recommended setting. If this is not
known use approximately 5 - 10 psig for each, for the initial
trials.

6. Remember that the final settings of pressure for each supply

will depend on the composition of the fuel gas at the time of
pilot commissioning. Where the fuel gas composition is not
clearly defined, determining the correct relative fuel gas and
air settings will be by trial and error method and could be
time consuming. (see item 9 below)

7. Allow sufficient time for the gas and air mixture to fill the
flame front pipe all the way to the pilot. Approximately 10
seconds per 100 feet of pipe run should be adequate for a 1"
 pipe.

8. Press the manual ignition pushbutton momentarily. This will

activate the ignition unit (or ignition transformer), creating a
spark at the ignition point in the flame front line.

9. Watch for ignition by observing the sight port (if provided)

and/or by noting a marked vibration of the pressure gauges.
Ignition may also be accompanied by an audible sound
ranging from a click to a loud bang. If the detonation is
extremely loud, the mixture is air rich and requires that the
gas pressure regulator be adjusted so as to increase the gas
pressure. If there is no detonation at all, the mixture is
probably gas rich and requires that the gas regulator be
adjusted so as to reduce the gas pressure. Adjust gas
pressure by 1/3 psig increments until proper ignition occurs.
For Natural draft units, try the gas at a constant pressure
setting and make adjustments to the venturi air intake.

To save time, I always set the gas at a constant rate,

say 5 psig, and gradually wind up the air flow slowly
whilst holding down the ignition button. As soon as
the mixture runs into the flammable range it starts
igniting. The pipe rattles and the gauges begin to
jump. Don't keep doing this once you've found the
approximate range because the pipe starts to get hot
and that's the fastest way to cause more problems .
Make all final adjustments more cautiously taking
note of the guidelines above.

10. The flame propagates at the appropriate flame speed

(reaction speed) through the mixture and gets to the top
after some time. Be patient waiting for evidence of pilot
ignition. It can sometimes take as long as one to two
minutes to establish a pilot flame. Pilot flames are
sometimes hard to see during daylight.
 On just one or two occasions you will not notice the
delay and the flame will seem to get to the top of the
flare as quickly as you pressure start button. Those
occasions will also be accompanied by a really loud
"BANG". That's because the mixture is much too
close to stoichiometric and you run to a detonation
which travels at sonic velocity. This often occurs at
the beginning of the ignition attempts when the
mixture is still purging air from the flame front line.
Wait a few minutes, reduce the air flow and try again.

11. Remember that, after the flame passage along the line, all
that hot flue gas has to be purged out before you get back to
the useable mixture so patience is the order of the day.

12. If there is a "Flame-In" indicator light, it should illuminate if

the pilot flame is established. Otherwise, the "Flame-Out"
light will stay illuminated indicating unsuccessful lighting of
the pilot in which case repeat previous steps (5) through (9).

If you need to visually highlight a pilot flame, turn off

the air flow to the flame front generator. This allows
the flame front tube to fill with raw gas and gives a
larger and more visible flame at the pilot. Bear in
mind however that, if you do this whilst you are in
the middle of an ignition procedure, the flame front
line needs to be refilled with air/gas mixture before
you can resume.

13. Note or mark permanently on the panel the established gas

pressure at which ignition occurs for future use.

14. Select another pilot and return to step 4.