FLARE AND VENT TIPS

STRUCTURES
PILOT AND IGNITION SYSTEMS
ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT
GBA operates from three main
locations: London, Milan and
Houston to cover all world
markets.

GBA are represented in most

countries through a network of
established and professional
agents, duly selected to meet
the high expectations of GBA
and our Clients.

Please contact our offices to know which

agent is applicable to your location.

www.gba.com
 GBA Flare Systems is an
GBA FLARE SYSTEMS

internationally based
supplier of flare equipment
to the world’s Oil, Gas and
Petrochemical Industries,
upstream and downstream,
offshore and onshore.

GBA products include flare tips, ignition systems, support

structures and associated equipment for use at oil refineries,
chemical plants, oil and gas production facilities, power stations
and anywhere there is a need to dispose of large volumes of Derrick Supported Multi-flare System
Ethylene Project in the UAE
flammable gases quickly and safely.

GBA is staffed by committed personnel many of whom have

lengthy track records in the flare industry and are
acknowledged experts in this field.

With its own workshop GBA has 100% control of engineering

and production of its equipment, thus meeting clients
expectations for high quality and timely delivery.
CSF Flare Tip in operation on an FPSO
 Three 204m Derrick Supported Demountable Multi-flare System
Installed at FINA Antwerp, Belgium
CSF-7-14 Flare Tip
Being tested at maximum flow in Alaska

The Tallest
Order
To the right, the three 204m derrick supported
demountable multi-flare systems installed at FINA in
Antwerp remain the tallest flare structures in Europe and
three of the tallest demountable flare stacks in the world.
150m Demountable Riser Structure
Supporting 3 smokeless flare tips in Thailand

CSF-9-14-VS Variable Slot Sonic Flare

Operating smokelessly offshore Angola

Quality
Assurance
All companies within the GBA group have Quality
Management Systems certified to ISO 9001 which
clearly demonstrates GBA’s commitment to the
quality of its products and services.
ONSHORE AND OFFSHORE Flare Tip design
FLARE AND VENT TIPS for long life
GBA is aware that a long service life is essential in
order to comfortably span the extended periods
between shutdowns now commonly employed in the
industry.

CSF-6-8-HL-14 HP/LP Flare Tip

The use of windshields, careful selection of materials
and their thickness, weld design/location and using
FPSO offshore Nigeria
velocity seals in all flare tips, result in long flare tip life.

CSF High Pressure Sonic Flare Tips

The GBA CSF is a multi-nozzle sonic high pressure flare tip

designed to give superior performance where low thermal
radiation and smokeless combustion is required.

At the heart of the CSF is an advanced sonic nozzle which CSF-7-14 Flare Tip
Gas plant Alaska
ejects the gas through a narrow annulus thus maximising
gas/air contact and minimising mixing depth.

CSF-7-8 HP Flare Tip

For most applications the CSF flare tip is provided with
Offshore Qatar
multiple sonic nozzles in order to give the optimum
flare tip performance in terms of lowest emitted
radiation, shorter flame lengths & smokeless
combustion. However, for less demanding
applications a single nozzle version is available. Many
CSF flares are supplied in an HP / LP configuration
where an LP stream is discharged co-currently with
the HP stream, this offers advantages in terms of
reduced radiation & better smokeless performance
over separate flare tips.
ANNULAR GAS JET

ANNULAR GAS JET

GAS JET
AIR

IR
IND

IND

AIR
A

IND
ED

ED
UC

UC

ED

UC
UC

UC
ED

ED

UC

ED
IND

IND
AIR

AIR

IND

AIR

HP FLARE HP FLARE HP FLARE

GAS GAS GAS

Mixing Depth = Mixing Depth = Mixing Depth =

1/2 Diameter! ~50-150mm ~25-50mm
Single Nozzle HP Cone CSF Insert
Design Flare Nozzle Flare Nozzle
 CSF-VS Variable Slot
Flare Tips
Where low thermal radiation and smokeless combustion is
required under high turndown conditions, the GBA CSF-VS variable
slot sonic high pressure flare tip is the best solution.

With its unique ability to automatically vary the gas discharge slot
width in response to changes in the flare gas flow rate, the CSF-VS
flare tip adapts to a wide range of operating conditions providing
smokeless operation from purge to maximum relief.

MINIMUM
MINIMUM MAXIMUM
MAXIMUM
GAS FLOW
GAS FLOW GAS FLOW
GAS FLOW

CSF-9-14VS Variable Slot Flare Tip

Khursaniyah, KSA
The CSF-VS tip is proven in many applications to provide a safe,
flexible, effective solution to meet the modern operators requirement
for a smoke-free flame without requiring any external utilities.

Cold Vent Tips

CSV-7-10 Vent Tip
Underground gas storage project, Germany

CO2 Snuffing System

GBA can also supply sonic and sub-sonic vent Offshore Nigeria
tips and carbon dioxide snuffing systems.

These are based on the proven equivalent

flare tips and provide significant advantages
in terms of excellent dispersion characteristics
and low radiation in the event of ignition.

If the event of accidental ignition GBA can

provide snuffing systems using CO2 injection
to rapidly and safely extinguish the flame.

CAF Air Assisted

Flare Tips
The GBA CAF range of flare tips is designed to provide
for smokeless combustion of low-pressure heavy
CAF-36-30 Air Assisted Flare Tip
Olefins plant

waste gases where no process steam is available.

This tip achieves clean combustion through the

injection of primary air into the base of the flame with
the help of an electrically driven fan located at grade.
 GCT-AJ 66/50C and GCT-42C Steam Assisted Flare Tips
Clustered flare stack project, Thailand
3-OFF GCT Series Flares
Al-Jubail, KSA

GCT Steam Assisted

Flare Tips
With its robust and flexible design the GBA GCT
Smokeless Flare Tip being
GCT-AJ-84/66C Advanced

flare tip provides a good all-round solution for most

installed Qatar LNG

low pressure smokeless flare applications, and it is

routinely used in refineries and chemical plants
where steam is readily available.

Smokeless combustion is achieved through an

upper steam manifold feeding a set of injection
nozzles located around the circumference of the tip.
Steam is injected at high pressure directly into the
flame. This is supplemented by a centre steam
nozzle located within the tip body.

GCT-AJ High Capacity Low Noise

Steam Assisted Flare Tips
The GCT-AJ flare tip offers maximum smokeless
Ultra Low Noise GAJ-36 Tip
with special winterisation features Sweden

capacities with minimum noise impact. The

GCT-AJ achieves this by using an advanced
annular jet (AJ) inducer to inspirate large
quantities of air into the root of the flame
envelope via the multiple internal steam/air
tubes. The AJ inducer not only entrains air very
efficiently but also generates less noise than
conventional steam jets. The noise signature is
further reduced by using a composite noise
shield to absorb and reflect the sound upwards
and away from grade.
 PF Pipe Flare Tips
The GBA PF flare tip provides a flexible method of

Offshore Qatar
low pressure, high volume waste gas disposal and
utilises a well proven technology that ensures a safe

PF-12
and efficient means of combusting relief flow rates
from maximum emergency conditions to turndown.

Flame stability is guaranteed under all wind

conditions through the use of a series of flame
retention lugs around the periphery of the tip and
through the auxiliary stabilising effect of the purpose
designed pilots. To further enhance its operating life
the PF flare tip is provided with external wind
deflectors, which eliminate the low pressure zone
created on the downwind side of the flare and
consequently minimise flame impingement.

Special Flare Applications

GBA have extensive experience covering a wide spectrum of
special flare applications. The below list is a summary of
some of the special flare solutions GBA can offer:

• Gas Assisted (GA) flare tips for smokeless combustion

• Gas Assisted (GA) flare tips for low calorific value gases
• Acid Gas Flare Tips (using exotic alloys)
GLNG-80 in operation
LNG project, Yemen • Water Assisted flare tips for both smokeless combustion
and radiation reduction
• Ammonia Flares
• Staged Flare Systems
• Syngas / High Hydrogen Flares
• Cryogenic Flares (LNG Plants)
• Liquid Flares (Condensate and LNG/cryogenic)
• Burn Pit Flares
• 2-Phase Flares
Smokeless Liquid Condensate Burner
Onshore oil and gas terminal

• Crude Oil / Mud Burners

GLNG-80 LNG Liquid Burner
LNG project, Yemen
 GBA STRUCTURES - ONSHORE

GBA Flare
Structures
Although GBA made its name by designing and building some of the
world's tallest flare structures, GBA has also built examples of every
conceivable type of flare structure: free-standing derricks, guyed
derricks, guyed risers (single and twin), self-support, offshore fully
welded structures and multi-riser demountable structures. CSF HP & CAF LP Flare Tips on an 80m Guyed Derrick
Sakhalin Island

32m Self Supported Structure

Morecambe Bay, UK

130m Derrick Structure single lift

Hammerfest LNG project, Norway
Elevated Flares
GBA specialises in demountable flares where individual risers and tips can
be dismounted for maintenance without affecting the operation of the
remaining flares. Demountable flares are not only used for duty/stand-by
configurations but also where it is required to group flares together to
minimise the real-estate requirements of multiple separate stacks. GBA has
grouped up to 8 risers together in a single structure and supplied up to
200m height.

If in doubt about the structure design for any application GBA can advise
the optimum selection.
Demountable Derrick Structure during dismounting
Cartagena,Spain

Al-Jubail, KSA
160m 8 Riser Demountable Flare
105m Fixed Derrick Supported Structure

15t/h Enclosed Ground Flare

Ethylene project, UAE

Mugardos, Spain
EGF Enclosed Ground Flares
The GBA EGF Enclosed Ground Flare provides
concealed, low noise, smokeless flaring of waste
streams generally without the need for additional
utilities such as steam or power. It achieves this by
using the GFIN matrix burner in combination with
advanced air management techniques & using burner
staging as appropriate. Thermal radiation emission is
negligible enabling the EGF to be located close to or
even within the plant it serves.
15t/h Enclosed Ground Flare
Mugardos, Spain

109m Guyed Flare Stack

Mongstad, Norway
Looking down onto GFIN EGF
Ground Flare Burner Matrix
Mugardos, Spain
ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT
Water Seals and Knock-Out Drums
Water Seals
The Water Seal provides a positive means of flashback prevention in addition to causing the upstream
system header to operate at a slight positive pressure at all times. This is especially of use when an

Vertical Knock-out Drum

Refinery, Singapore
elevated flare is used in combination with another flare or with a flare gas recovery system. The GBA
Water Seal design incorporates advanced features to ensure smooth gas flow without pulsation.
These features have been successfully retrofitted to existing equipment to solve pulsation problems.
Knock-out Drums
Knock-Out Drums are designed to effectively remove hydrocarbon liquids from the main relief gas to
prevent the possibility of carryover and "flaming rain" from the flare tip.

Purge Minimisation
Water Seal Drums
Petrochemical plant, Saudi Arabia

To prevent air ingress into the riser two types of seals can be
provided: a Molecular Seal bolted below the flare tip or an Air Lock
Seal (Velocity type) within the flare tip.
Molecular Seal
The Molecular Seal works by relying on the density difference
between the purge gas and air. In this way only a very low
continuous purge flow is necessary to maintain conditions within
the seal. The Molecular Seal maintains safe conditions in the
upstream riser for several hours in the event of a loss of purge gas.
Air Lock Seal
The Air Lock Seal (ALS) is a conical device located as an integral
Flare Steam Control part of the flare tip. When a flare tip operates with very low flare
gas flows, air will tend to enter the tip due to both wind action
The automatic control of steam flow to a and by decantation and will slowly diffuse down the inside walls
smokeless flare can be achieved by the use of of the tip. The Air Lock Seal design locally increases the velocity of
a remote infrared sensor, which detects flame purge gas through the seal, thereby moving any air back out of
quality changes and provides the process the tip. GBA install Air Lock Seals in all flare tips to minimise purge
variable signal for steam control allowing only gas consumption and maximise flare tip operating life.
the correct amount of steam necessary for the
required smokeless capacity.

Alternatively ultrasonic flare gas mass flow

meters can be employed to control the steam
flow using algorithms incorporating the flare
MS-48 and MS-20 Molecular Seals
Refinery, Thailand

gas molecular weight.

Aircraft Warning Lights

Steam Control Skid
Petrochemical plant UAE

GBA supplies state of the art LED based

Aircraft Warning Lights that offer the
prospect of never needing
replacement/attention. These units are
available in Medium and Low Intensity
format. When conventional lights are
used, GBA has developed a unique LED Medium Intensity Obstacle Light (MIOL)
demounting system specifically
designed for flare stack applications
and which enables replacement from
grade, without shutting down the flare.
 Flame Front Generator Ignition System (FFG) with fuel gas control
PILOTS AND
IGNITION SYSTEMS

Onshore gas terminal project, Turkmenistan

Pilot Gas / Purge Gas Skid
Petrochemical plant, UAE

GBA Pilots and

Ignition Systems
GBA flare pilots and ignition systems are designed to resist extreme The key to the success of
the CHT pilot is that the
weather conditions whilst minimising fuel gas consumption. GBA
ignitor rod is continuously
pilots are designed to meet the latest requirements specified in ISO gas cooled.
25457 (API 537).
Specifically, GBA have developed the LCHW pilot that has the lowest
possible fuel consumption (1 Nm3/hr each) and is stable at
Pilot
windspeeds in excess of 150 mph (250 km/h). We also offer the Nozzle
GBA CHT-SS pilot, a continuously sparking unit that uses a side
stream of flare gas as its fuel.
Spark Plug
These advanced pilots use the CHT High Energy solid state ignition
system to provide a reliable source of ignition.
GBA also supplies the well tried and tested Flame Front Generator
(FFG) in both forced draft (uses compressed air) and natural draft
(inspirates its own air) versions.
Pilot Sensing
GBA offers pilot sensing using the following techniques: Ignitor Rod
• Thermocouples
• Ionisation Rod
• Remote Infra-red

High
Temperature
Cable
CHT Pilot Nozzle
Testing at our works

Gas/Air
Mixture
Inspirator
Assembly

Pilot Gas Induced Air

GBA WORKSHOP

Fabrication

Flare Tips in GBA’s dedicated stainless steel shop

The majority of GBA's equipment is
fabricated at our own manufacturing plant
located in the north of Italy (Parma).

The GBA workshop, covering 15,500m2, is

almost completely dedicated to the
production of flare systems and has a
segregated stainless steel shop for the
fabrication of flare tips and stainless steel
components.

The factory has sufficient area to enable

the trial assembly and fit-up of very large
flare derrick structures and riser pipes.

Depending on workload & other factors

GBA also employs other qualified &
reputable fabricators around the world.

Trial Assembly of Derrick Structure

Our fabrication
shop
GBA Construzioni is wholly owned by the GBA group
of companies and operates a Quality Management
System to ISO 9001. It holds approvals to PED, DIN
18800 and other major standards.

Flare Risers ready for shipping out

GBA’s client list is extensive
and includes most of the
world’s oil majors and also
the world’s leading
engineering contracting
companies.

Here is a list of some of our clients:

OPERATORS MAERSK OIL SARAS CW SINGAPORE PARSONS

ADCO MOBIL OIL SDAG DAELIM INTERNATIONAL
ADNOC MOTOR OIL SHELL DAEWOO PDIL
AGIP HELLAS SYRIAN GAS ENPPI PETRO-MARINE
ANADARKO NESTE OIL COMPANY FARAB INC.
PETROLEUM NIGERIA LNG SINGLE BUOY FLUOR DANIEL SADRA
ARAMCO NIOC MOORINGS FOSTER WHEELER SAIPEM
BOROUGE NORSK HYDRO SONATRACH GS E&C SAMSUNG
BRITISH ONGC STATOIL HOWE-BAKER SKEC
PETROLEUM PDVSA TAMOIL HYUNDAI SNAMPROGETTI
CHEVRON PEMEX TEXACO IHC GUSTO STONE &
CONOCO PHILLIPS PETROBEL TOTAL IOEC WEBSTER
DOW CHEMICAL PETRONAS TRACTEBEL GAS JACOBS TECNICAS
EKB (ETZEL) PETROVIETNAM TUPRAS JGC REUNIDAS
ENI PHILLIPS EPCS CORPORATION TECHNIP
EXXON PETROLEUM ABB KEYSTONE TECNIMONT
FINA POLIMERI AIR LIQUIDE ENGINEERS THRONSON ENG.
GASCO EUROPA AKER KVAERNER LINDE TRI-OCEAN
GDF SUEZ QATAR GAS AMEC M W KELLOGG WORLEY
HELLENIC QATAR ATLAS MACDONALD PARSONS
PETROLEUM PETROLEUM ENGINEERING ENG. W S NELSON
IBN ZAHR RAFFINERIA DI AXSIA HOWMAR MODEC
IPLOM LIVORNO BECHTEL MUSTANG ENG.
KNPC RASGAS CHAGALESH OCEAN ENERGY
KOC REPSOL YPF CHIYODA OIEC
LUKOIL SADAF CTCI PARAGON ENG.
www.gba.com

LONDON
GBA FLARE SYSTEMS
Burnham House
93 High Street
Burnham SL1 7JZ
England
Tel +44 (0) 1628 610100
Fax +44 (0) 1628 610170
Email [email protected]

MILAN
GBA SRL
Via Ramazzotti, 24
20900 MONZA (MB)
ITALY
Tel +39 039 492718
Fax +39 039 2494257
Email [email protected]

HOUSTON
GBA-CORONA INC.
10333 Harwin
77 Sugar CreekSuite 110
Center Blvd
Houston,
Suite 180 Texas
77036 USA Texas 77478
Sugar Land,

Tel +1 (713) 773-9933

Fax +1 (713) 773-9940
Email [email protected]