Steffes’s Variable Orifice Flare: Built for Flow Rates That Won’t Stay Still
When it comes to choosing flare equipment, turndown ratio is critical. Fall below the minimum, and you’re risking more than just smoking. Exceed the maximum, and you’re looking at potential compliance violations.
At Steffes, this is the exact problem our patented Variable Orifice Flare was engineered to solve.
The opening of the Variable Orifice Flare adjusts as pressure rises and falls, so the flare combusts properly across a wider range of rates than a fixed-tip design can handle. Here’s why that range matters so much and what’s at risk when it’s operating incorrectly. ⬇️
What We’re Measuring
Flow limits refer to the rate of gas moving through the flare, which is typically measured in million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) or thousand standard cubic feet per day (MSCFD). Turndown ratio is the spread between a flare’s minimum and maximum rated flow, or how wide a window of flow rates it can handle while still combusting the way it’s supposed to.
Why It Matters to Operators
Two common reasons are:
Performance over the life of the well. Production isn’t static. Flow rates during initial production taper off as the well matures, and the flare needs to combust waste gas efficiently at both ends of that curve.- Permitting. Before equipment ever reaches location, operators have to specify expected flow ranges for regulatory permitting. If a flare’s rated range doesn’t line up with the permitted range, that alone can knock it out of consideration before performance is even part of the conversation.
Performance over the life of the well. Production isn’t static. Flow rates during initial production taper off as the well matures, and the flare needs to combust waste gas efficiently at both ends of that curve.What Happens Below the Minimum
Drop below a flare’s recommended minimum flow, and you may see smoking and lightability issues, which can be compounded by environmental factors. Air-assist flares face an added risk of over-airing. With too much air relative to a low gas flow, molecules can pass through without ever combusting.
What Happens Above the Maximum
Push flow too high, and the risks stack up:
- Air-assist flares run into regulatory velocity limits. Exceed them, and the site is out of compliance.
- Pressure-assist flares don’t carry that same regulatory cap, but high enough velocity brings a risk of flame lift-off.
- Either design can build excess back pressure on the system, enough to pop thief hatches on tanks or force a site shut-in.
The conditions that cause the most trouble tend to show up together. For example, high winds paired with low flow can push a flame around or blow it out entirely.
How Our Flare Design Widens the Operating Window
A fixed-tip flare isn’t sized for a variety of flow conditions. But our Variable Orifice Flare scales itself to match the volume moving through it, so your combustion stays clean whether it’s day one or year five.Configurability adds even more benefits. With a quad-tip flare, for example, tips can be removed as a site’s production declines, matching flare capacity to actual flow throughout the life of the site instead of over- or under-sizing it from the start. For sites where combustion requires additional support, Steffes offers a gas assist ring as an accessory to ensure consistent reliability.
Start the Conversation with Steffes
Whether you’re planning for a new site or addressing legacy well productivity, our experienced engineering and sales teams are ready to help you find the flare that will fit the life of your well, not just the first day. Learn more today: https://steffesoil.com/variable-orifice-flares/#par3