Flare tip replacement

Replacing flare tips onshore and offshore without the use of cranes is a speciality of FG International Holland BV.

Different types of flare stacks can be distinguished:

1. The free standing guy wired flare stack with only one major pipe going up. The height of these flare stacks varies between 60 and 240 metres.
2. The derrick type flare structures, where a steel construction supports one or more flare pipes.
3. The free standing flare stack that does the job without being suspended or supported by any additional structure.

All structures have in common that they make use of a flare tip. This tip is located at the end of the pipe and takes care of igniting the combustible gases. Normally a significant amount of steam is injected in the flame to reduce soot and the building of large flames together with cooling the flame base. This means that a lot of steam has to be transported to the top of the flare. Flare structures need to be inspected and maintained on a regular basis according to the time in between the turn-around or stop intervals of the plant.

Inspection and maintenance can only be done when the flare is turned off completely. This means that it needs a total shut down of all facilities connected to this flare. However in very exceptional circumstances it might be possible to carry out inspection and maintenance works while the flare is in stand-by mode. A distance from the flare tip of at least 10 metres has to be respected and a hydro shield for safety and protection has to be present. If the flare would then come into operation the hydro shield must immediately be activated so that the engineers working in the flare will be able to descend it the fastest way. As every flare will be considered by FG as an individual project with an individual approach, only a general work description will be given here. Depending on the construction that needs to be serviced, for every job a custom made detailed work description will apply.