Experimental Investigation of Combustion Efficiency in 4–14 in. Pipe Flares

This study reports the results of an experimental campaign conducted in early 2025 to evaluate the Combustion Efficiency (CE) and Destruction Efficiency (DE) of low-pressure (LP) pipe flares, which are widely used in low-pressure gas networks at oil and gas facilities. More than 100 measurements were performed under a wide range of operating conditions, including the presence or absence of a pilot flame and a windshield. The tests were conducted in a large combustion chamber in which the flares were exposed to controlled crosswind, with detailed monitoring of inlet parameters (flow rates, temperature, etc.) and downstream species concentrations (CO2, CO, and CH4). The experiments investigated three flare diameters─4, 8, and 14 in.─chosen to be representative of industrial-scale pipe flares (typically ranging from 10 in. to 60 in.), in contrast to previous studies performed on sub-3 in. flares, which exhibit distinct combustion behaviors. This data set is distinguished by both its industrial relevance and the quality of its measurement. Consistent with previous studies, the results confirm the Buoyancy Factor (BF) as the key parameter for characterizing flare performance and correlating CE/DE. The full data set is available on request.