Flare System Revalidation Update for a Refinery Process Unit Case Study

The Challenge

An independent refining, chemicals, biofuels and ingredients company executed a large capital project that included expansion and modification of one of their process units. The client required an update to existing flare analysis, which ioMosaic had previously completed, with the global scenario information from the capital project.

Our Approach

ioMosaic supported the relief system design and modification aspect of the large capital project by interfacing directly with the EPC. Our team performed a comprehensive PRFS design analysis using Process Safety Office^® SuperChems^® software. The scope included 44 relief valves discharging to the flare network. The evaluation encompassed:

• Re-evaluating individual relief valve sizing and overpressure scenarios based on updated Process Safety Information (PSI).
• Conducting flare network hydraulic analysis to evaluate backpressure impacts under global utility failure scenarios, such as total power failure and loss of cooling water.
• Identifying capacity-limiting valves, header piping restrictions, and relief system bottlenecks across the 44-valve network.

The Benefits

The analysis identified specific backpressure restrictions in the flare header that would have compromised overpressure protection during a major relief event. ioMosaic provided actionable design recommendations to eliminate the bottlenecks, enabling the facility to maintain safety compliance and ensure all 44 relief devices and PSI records were fully updated prior to startup.

Deliverables included SuperChems^® executable files for the revised Total Power Failure global scenario serving as the official, as-built, relief system design basis records. All documentation for the flare system with all relevant documentation, specification sheets, summary information, etc. was uploaded to an Process Safety Enterprise^® (ioXpress™) database readily accessible by the client. The flare summary report included flare header analysis and consequence modeling.

Learn More

Our mission is to help you protect your people, your plant, your stakeholder value and our planet. To learn more about how we can help you manage risk, call us at 1.844.ioMosaic.