Combustion efficiency of industrial flares revisited the current status of this multivariate, multiphysics, multichemistry morass and what to do about it
presentationLast year, with its focus on "Industrial Flaring," TOTeM361 was the first in the IFRF TOTeM series to tap into an area which has been explored in AFRC Symposia for many years.2 Taking place 30 September - 1 October at the Sheraton Maui immediately following the AFRC 2010 Pacific Rim Combustion Symposium, TOTeM36 generated a great deal of interest.3 After a series of nine Distinguished Lectures and follow-up discussions, TOTeM36 delegates and distinguished lecturers engaged in a round table discussion during which it was unanimously suggested to have a flare session at AFRC meetings every year. Not only that, although industrial participation at TOTeM36 was significant, it was suggested that a meeting in the continental United States should help attract a stronger attendance from industrial members and, perhaps, regulators and non-governmental-organizations as well. My reaction? "We've been doing that for a decade or more so shut-up, wise-up, join-up, show-up and pay attention!" Or words to that effect. Somewhat unkind, I know. But that's just the way I am. In any event, that is exactly what we are up to beginning this morning at this edition of the AFRC Industrial Flares Colloquium held in conjunction with the AFRC Annual Meeting, Houston, Texas, September 18-21 2011. This paper together with its accompanying presentation is intended to be a sort of keynote "challenge" and erstwhile theme of a sequence of industrial flare sessions that will carry on through the length of the 2½-day meeting. Making reference to the archival mid-80s study and subsequent ones in which the flare emissions researcher's "Holy Grail," the magic universal all-encompassing correlating parameter for combustion efficiency was diligently sought but not found even unto this day, this keynote challenge will not, I hope, be so much an argumentative challenge as it is a factual failure theme that I hope others will want to take up, expand on, modify and take issue with
