Prediction of Plume Formation and Dispersion from Gas Flares

Results from three different applications are presented to illustrate how plumes from various types of flares have been analyzed with different levels of detail. The first application considers an enclosed flare plume. Results from a thermodynamic estimate of combustion temperature and species are used to calculate plume characteristics using buoyancy flux and Gaussian dispersion. The second application considers an air assisted flare and employees a steady state CFD analysis to investigate the impact flare tip geometry and a cross wind has on plume formation and dispersion. The third application considers a single tip ground flare and uses a transient LES based CFD analysis investigate the impact that a flare plume has on nearby equipment. Results from these applications provide examples of how flare plumes may be analyzed and the various types of information available from each approach.