A flare incident at an oilfield

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to provide graduate students, researchers, flare design and operational oil companies with an overview on the flare incidents.

Design/methodology/approach

The design and operation of flares have been the subject of research and concern to the academicians and to flare design and operational oil companies. The flare incidents have been collected from several sources such as the technical, general articles, internet web sites, and internal reports. The flare incident types and causes have been reviewed. This paper presents an overview on the flare incidents. The paper presents a flare incident at an oilfield. The paper summarizes the causes and the results of the incident.

Findings

A lesson was learned that a flashback scenario could occur at the high‐pressure flares unless the flare system was designed properly. A flare system should be designed according to the standard codes. American Petroleum Institute API 521 recommended guidelines on the design of the relief system. John Zinc Company and GKN also recommended guidelines for the installation and protection of flares.

Originality/value

This paper presents the flare incident types and causes. The paper also presents an overview on a flare incident at an oilfield. The paper summarizes the causes and the results of the incident. This information can be beneficial in order to prevent similar flare incidents.

Citation

Mohamed Shaluf, I. (2008), "A flare incident at an oilfield", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 6-15. https://doi.org/10.1108/09653560810855847