Cooled flare tip barrel
A flare tip assembly includes a barrel having a barrel wall with an inner surface and an outer surface, an interior cavity defined within the inner surface and extending axially through the barrel, and internal channels formed through the barrel wall. The internal channels have a first opening at a lower axial end of the barrel wall and a second opening at an opposite, upper axial end of the barrel wall, and the internal channels are enclosed between the inner surface and the outer surface of the barrel wall. The flare tip assembly further includes a pilot positioned proximate to the upper axial end of the barrel.
1 . A method of cooling a flare tip, comprising:
providing a flare tip on a flare stack,
wherein the flare tip comprises a wall and an internal channel extending along the wall from a lower axial end proximate the flare stack to an upper axial end;
providing a supply line along the flare stack,
wherein the supply line comprises an outlet positioned proximate the lower axial end of the flare tip;
supplying a cooling fluid through the supply line;
spraying the cooling fluid from the outlet into the internal channel at the lower axial end of the flare tip; and
using heat from a flame from the flare tip to evaporate the cooling fluid as the cooling fluid moves through the internal channel,
wherein evaporation of the cooling fluid cools the wall of the flare tip and comprises:
increasing a heat dissipation rate;
increasing a heat conduction rate in the flare tip through an application of a high thermal conductivity material on an outer surface of the flare tip, the high thermal conductivity material comprises a copper material;
minimizing heat absorption by applying a low emissivity material on an inner surface of the flare tip; and
increasing a thermal convection rate.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the flare tip comprises:
a first barrel; and
a second barrel held around the first barrel,
wherein the internal channel is formed by an annular region between the first barrel and the second barrel.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the flare tip comprises:
a barrel formed of the wall, the wall having the inner surface and the outer surface, wherein the internal channel is formed axially through the wall; and
heat dissipation fins disposed around the outer surface of the barrel.
4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising using heat dissipation fins disposed on the outer surface of the flare tip to increase an area of thermal convection.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein spraying the cooling fluid from the outlet into the internal channel further comprises spraying the cooling fluid at a velocity higher than 10 m/s to induce forced convection.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein supplying a cooling fluid comprises:
providing a gaseous cooling fluid in the supply line; and
compressing the gaseous cooling fluid into a liquid cooling fluid prior to spraying the cooling fluid from the outlet.