TCI Incinerators

OilPro offers TCI’s line of Incinerators. These units are a radical take-off from conventional incineration techniques. The end result is the same: Total Combustion of solution gases and/or H₂S in gas treating facilities. The method is new because the incinerator uses innovative technology which makes it more rugged, lower maintenance, lower in weight and more user-friendly than any incinerator made yet. The unit uses no refractory liner yet exceeds government emissions standards without air or electrical assistance. Needless to say, the design is patented. Stock units have incineration capacities ranging from 10,000 to 500,000 SCF/d with larger units available on a custom order basis.

TCI’s incinerators can economically replace flares and help dispose of solution gases and BTEX emissions with:

• no visible flame
• no refractory liner
• no air or electrical assist
• exceeding government SO₂ emissions standards
• no restrictive turn-down ratio’s

• Flare replacement
• Solution Gas
• Dehydrator BTEX emission disposal
• Tank vapor disposal
• Blow downs
• Well testing
• Plant flares

• No visible flame during normal operation
• Normal capacity of 10 MCF to 500 MSCF/d
• SO₂ emissions well below government standards
• High Efficiency (99%+ combustion efficiency)
• High temperature incineration (900-1100º C)
• Low cost of ownership, economically priced
• Requires no electricity or air assist.
• Simple operation
• Low profile
• Change burners on the fly
• No refractory liner
• Mounts to piling like a flare stack
• Optimum flexibility (multi burner system)
• Quiet operation (noise attenuation available)
• Low weight (1 ton truck/picker hauls & installs any TCI incinerator)
• Handles high pressure upsets (with visible flame for period of upset)
• Many case histories, references available

TCI 2000 is the division specifically dedicated to Well Testing Technology.

At the request of some of our clients we developed a mobile unit that will handle the higher volumes seen in well testing. 

Flow rates

The unit will handle rates of 1 to 4 Million Standard Cubic Feet per day with no visible flame and combustion efficiency in excess of 99%. A larger capacity unit is currently under development.

Handling

The unit is very light in weight and easy to haul and set up. This is because it uses a new and patented stack technology that does not require a refractory lining while still generating the high temperatures needed to achieve complete combustion. 

Hauling

The hauling is done behind a one ton truck, so transport costs are also very low.

Set up
Set up typically involves a crew of 2 men and a tool truck. Cranes have so far not been required, and the unit is erected using its own hydraulic rams or winch arrangement, so set up charges are comparatively low. 

• Canadian Natural Resources
• Apache Canada
• Encal Energy Ltd.
• Crestar Energy Inc.
• Atco Midstream
• Gulf Canada Resources Limited
• Fletcher Challenge Petroleum
• Renaissance Energy Ltd.
• Genesis Exploration Ltd.
• PanCanadian Resources
• Northrock Resources Ltd.
• Encal Energy Ltd.

Operating the TCI Incinerator

The Total Combustion "TCI" unit is an enclosed flare system that is designed to combust waste gases at high temperature so as to achieve over 99% combustion efficiency. The system will burn solution gas, tank vapors, BTEX emissions from glycol dehydrators and other waste gases. The system operating temperature should be 900 degrees Celcius or higher and the flame should be contained within the stack. This is very easy to operate with built-in bypass features for service work or trouble shooting, without the need to shut in production.

The combustion process starts with the delivery of gas from one or more flare lines into the TCI unit header system, which distributes the gas to two or more burners. The number of burners are ignited by a standard piezo igniter unless specific site parameters require flame failure and \or automatic shut-down systems. The igniter can also act as a continuous live pilot if there is a constant fuel flow. The fuel for the igniter can be slip-stream gas at least 1-5 psig or come from a propane bottle that is refilled as required. The burners operate comfortably between 5 and 25 psi and when sized properly, should contain the flame within the stack, so that there is no visible flame from the outside. If there is a low pressure flare line (inches of water), the gas on the low pressure line may be mixed, in the burn chamber, with the higher pressure line I order to create the proper mixing and combustion conditions. At the inlet to the incinerator there are enough valves pressure gauges to operate the unit under varying conditions.

Our incinerator is made up of:

• lower body
• burner assemblies
• stack
• temperature thermocouple
• pressures gauge
• an array of ball valves
• inlet header
• optional ACL 3500 ignition system and flame failure relight
• Kimray AOD regulator or equivalent
• Optional wind skirting.
• There may also be an extra upper burner ring if required.

The system is designed to combust the gas vapors with 99% plus combustion efficiency. Gas enters the unit through the header system and is mixed with fuel gas inside the venturi burner system.

The number of valves (2 inch typically) opened is dependent on the volume of the gas. If there is an upset condition and the pressure increases, the ports on the regulator will open and a portion of the gas flow will bypass the main burner system. Once the upset condition ends the regulator will close and the system will go back to normal operation. 

Safe Operation

The system has two safety features. The optional ACL 3500 ignition system detects if there is no pilot and will spark for relight. The stack may be equipped with an optional temperature thermocouple which detects no or low stack temperature and goes to alarm and/or operator notification.

Start-up

1. Purge all inlet waste gas lines through the TCI header main valve and flame arrestor.
2. Start the ignition system and ensure that there is pilot flame.
3. Open the other ball valves as required to get the system working at a reasonable pressure given your normal operating flows.

Shut down

1. Close off inlet lines from waste gas flow source.
2. Shut off pilot fuel at ACL ignition system.
3. Turn off ACL ignition system.