Skip navigation


CO Gas Flare Pilot Flame Monitor

Flammable and hazardous CO gasses are produced at the blast furnace or cupola, and are distributed throughout the plant to augment natural gas as a fuel for a wide range of uses from ladle preheat stations to co-generation plants to steam generation to space heating.  A flare is incorporated into the distribution network to incinerate any surplus gasses before they are released to the atmosphere during low-usage periods or some distribution line failure.  When these process gasses are released, they are ignited by a pilot flame atop the flare as a safety requirement.  The Williamson CO Flame Monitor is used to confirm that the pilot is continuously lit, to control the size of the pilot flame, and to confirm that the vented process gasses have been properly ignited. 

 

Benefits

  • Senses smaller pilot flame allowing for significant conservation of CO gas.
  • Continuous monitor of pilot flame.
  • Confirmation of emission and ignition of flammable gasses.
  • Eliminates false alarms associated with traditional flame detectors.
  • Eliminates cost and inconvenience of frequent thermocouple changes.
  • Mounted at grade level for easy access.

 

CO flames are difficult to detect because they emit radiated energy only at specific infrared wavelengths.  Traditional UV-based flame detectors and IR-based pilot monitors are not designed to recognize a CO flame, rendering these devices highly ineffective.   As a result, CO pilot flames are typically excessively large to permit these traditional flame detection devices to sense them.  Even with an excessively large pilot flame, these devices frequently generate false alarms, indicating that the pilot flame has gone out when it has not.  Plants with automatic igniters report excessive igniter maintenance and failure as a result of frequent and unnecessary firing. 

 

Technical Features

  • Wavelength:  The Williamson CO Flame Monitor is specially filtered to sense CO gas emissions.
  • Alignment:  Providing a large target area, the Williamson CO Flame Monitor easily aligns to a small, wandering pilot flame from a distance.
  • Environment: The sensor tolerates snow, rain and fog while surviving the acidic environment associated with an exterior application in the blast furnace area.

 

The Williamson CO Flame Monitor is specifically designed to measure CO Flame intensity.  This device has been used successfully to conserve CO gas – thereby allowing this surplus gas to be used elsewhere in the plant, and reducing the need for and consumption of natural gas.  At least one user has reported a savings of over five hundred thousand dollars per stack per year in recovered energy savings.