The purpose of the Flare Efficiency (FlareE) project, in partnership with Equinor ASA and supported by the EUDP programme, was to develop and demonstrate a new measurement methodology, based on in-situ sampling directly in the flare plume using drones equipped with gas analysers (also known as ‘sniffer drones’), to measure and express the flare Destruction Removal Efficiency (DRE) of methane (CH₄) in an operational environment.
During the project, 97 individual flare measurements were conducted over three campaign legs. The technology and sampling method were demonstrated on elevated, single- and multi-tip open flares, as well as ground-level boxed flare designs. The method proved applicable for sampling CH₄ and CO₂ emissions from flaring and for determining the DRE.
The assessment of DRE from flaring using the drone-based method builds upon Explicit’s validated and accredited Drone Flux Measurement (DFM) method. This method is applied to measure the emission rates of CH₄ and CO₂ in flare emissions, which are key parameters in calculating the DRE. Unlike other state-of-the-art technologies, such as spectrophotometers, the determination of DRE using this method does not require the flame to be lit or a direct line of sight to it.
The results from the FlareE project also highlight the importance of capturing spatial variability by sampling the entire plume, a feature inherent to the DFM approach for quantifying CH₄ and CO₂ emission rates. The DFM approach also addresses temporal variability in the combustion process and plume propagation through averaging.
A Flare Characterisation Protocol (FCP) was developed as part of the FlareE project, which describes a path to use spot measurements as part of annual reporting.
The next step is to integrate and quantify additional gas analysers to determine and study the impact of other combustion products, such as CO. We also see the effects of wind and flare assist systems as interesting study subjects for future projects.
