Commissioning and use of flares at Heavy Water Plant, Kota - experiences and analysis (Preprint No. SA-9)

Flares are essentially safety devices which are used in chemical industries and petroleum refineries to burn and dispose off, usually at high elevation, the gaseous effluents in order to make them environmentally acceptable. Flares are a prominent safety feature in the design off heavy water plants based on H2S-H2O exchange process. The plants hold large inventories of H2S gas (typical 200 tonnes of H2S for a 100 tonnes per year plant) and all conceivable normal and emergency releases of H2S and H2 gas are piped through closed headers to the flares. In a flare system ignition is available as continuous burning pilots. Combustible and explosive gases come out of process and now if oxygen is also available, full potential for flash back and explosion exists. The flare system commissioned at Heavy Water Plant, Kota is described. In this system, flash backs are prevented. (author). 7 refs., 4 figs