A method for controlling a chemical recovery boiler. The method includes measuring concentrations of sodium carbonate, sodium sulfide, and sodium sulfate from green liquor of the chemical recovery boiler, determining a target temperature for smelt, imaging at least an area of a char bed of the chemical recovery boiler, the area being close to a smelt spout, to obtain an image of the area, determining a measured temperature of the char bed using the image of the area. The method further includes determining that the measured temperature of the char bed is less than the target temperature for smelt, and controlling the chemical recovery boiler such that the temperature of the char bed increases. A chemical recovery boiler for the same.

Flare gas is recovered by varying a number of ejector legs that depends on a flare gas flowrate. The ejector legs include ejectors piped in parallel, each ejector has a flare gas inlet and a motive fluid inlet. Flare gas and motive fluid is provided to ejectors by selectively opening or closing valves. The number of ejector legs online is varied to accommodate the amount of flare gas. The controller is also programmed to direct signals to actuators attached to the valves to open or close the valves, or to change the capacity of the ejector legs so they can handle changing flowrates of the flare gas. Included is a flare gas storage system with vessels made with flexible material, when flare gas is evacuated from the vessels, pressure in the vessels is maintained by compressing the vessels with an external force.

Flare gas is recovered by varying a number of ejector legs that depends on a flare gas flowrate. The ejector legs include ejectors piped in parallel, each ejector has a flare gas inlet and a motive fluid inlet. Flare gas and motive fluid is provided to ejectors by selectively opening or closing valves. The number of ejector legs online is varied to accommodate the amount of flare gas. The controller is also programmed to direct signals to actuators attached to the valves to open or close the valves, or to change the capacity of the ejector legs so they can handle changing flowrates of the flare gas. Included is a flare gas storage system with vessels made with flexible material, when flare gas is evacuated from the vessels, pressure in the vessels is maintained by compressing the vessels with an external force.

Systems and methods include a computer-implemented method for providing flare header information. Instantaneous flaring flowrate data is received from flaring sources of a flare network of a processing facility. The instantaneous flaring flowrate data is analyzed in conjunction with physical properties of relief sources obtained from a heat and material balance of the processing facility. A heating value and a molecular weight are determined for each relief source and flare header using a processing model associated with a relief source type, size, and identifications. The relief sources are connected using a data signal received and processed using the processing model. Reports are generated showing average daily heating values and molecular weights for each flare header. A real-time display is provided for monitoring instantaneous heating values and molecular weights for each flare header on a real-time basis.

Systems and methods include a computer-implemented method for real-time flare network monitoring. Real-time flaring volume data is received from relief devices connected to a flare network. The real-time flaring volume data is analyzed in conjunction with heat and material balance information of the relief devices. A comprehensive molar balance is performed based on the analyzing, the balancing including losses/feed percentages for each component of the flare network including the relief devices throughout the flare network. Flaring data for the components is aggregated for each flare header. Real-time flare network monitoring information, including instantaneous component-wise flaring for each flare header in the flare network is provided for display to a user in a user interface.

Systems and methods include a computer-implemented method for real-time flare network monitoring. Real-time flaring volume data is received from relief devices connected to a flare network. The real-time flaring volume data is analyzed in conjunction with heat and material balance information of the relief devices. A comprehensive molar balance is performed based on the analyzing, the balancing including losses/feed percentages for each component of the flare network including the relief devices throughout the flare network. Flaring data for the components is aggregated for each flare header. Real-time flare network monitoring information, including instantaneous component-wise flaring for each flare header in the flare network is provided for display to a user in a user interface.

Systems and methods include a computer-implemented method for monitoring emissions in real time. Flaring emissions are determined in real time for a flare stack based on: 1) a flaring volume in conjunction with heat and material balances of systems that discharge to a flare system, and 2) a composition of each relief source that discharges to the flare system. A molar balance around the flare stack is performed in real time using the flaring emissions to determine the emissions.

Systems and methods include a computer-implemented method for monitoring emissions in real time. Flaring emissions are determined in real time for a flare stack based on: 1) a flaring volume in conjunction with heat and material balances of systems that discharge to a flare system, and 2) a composition of each relief source that discharges to the flare system. A molar balance around the flare stack is performed in real time using the flaring emissions to determine the emissions.

The present invention presents a method of assessing the quality of the burning of the gases in the flare and adjusting the vapor flow rate in a continuous way and with flexibility to integrate with different instrumentation topologies of the flare control system. The state of the flare flame is identified from an image set of the flame, classifying it into one of four: flame with excess vapor, optimized flame, flame with soot or images with insufficient information to classify them as one of the previous states of the flare flame. In addition, it is further able to quantify the height of the flame. The invention comprises the following components: flare, camera, image stream manager, edge computer, data historian, alert manager, information visualization panels, distributed digital control system, DDCS, and cloud storage and computing.

A system for flare combustion control includes a sound speed measurement device for measuring sound speed in a flare vent gas, and a flare combustion controller including a memory and a processor. The processor is configured to receive the measured sound speed and determine, based on the measured sound speed, a molecular weight of the flare vent gas. The processor is further configured to determine, based on the determined molecular weight, a net heating value of the flare vent gas, and adjust the net heating value of the flare vent gas by regulating an amount of a supplemental fuel gas in the flare vent gas.