Patent ID: 11859815
Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
Field: Environmental technology (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC F  E | IPC E  F

Claim 16:
17. A method of flaring, comprising:
disposing a flare system comprising a flare at a well site comprising a wellhead and a wellbore, the wellbore formed in a subterranean formation for production of crude oil or natural gas, or both, from the subterranean formation, wherein the flare comprises a flare stack and a flare tip, the flare tip comprising a nozzle;
providing produced fluid comprising hydrocarbon from the wellhead to the flare stack and flowing the produced fluid through the flare stack to the flare tip;
providing air from an air compressor external to the flare through a discharge conduit to the flare tip;
combining the air and the produced fluid in the flare tip in an annulus around a housing of the nozzle to give a fluid comprising the air and the produced fluid;
flowing the fluid comprising the air and the produced fluid through multiple ports on the housing into the nozzle;
flowing the fluid in the nozzle through a nozzle discharge opening of the nozzle to discharge the fluid from the flare tip to external of the flare;
combusting the fluid as discharged via the flare tip; and
adjusting, via a control system, flow area of the nozzle discharge opening by moving a choking element comprising an elliptical choking ball from a first position on the nozzle discharge opening in which the elliptical choking ball completely blocks the nozzle discharge opening and a second position downstream of and external to the nozzle discharge opening in which the elliptical choking ball permits flow through the nozzle discharge opening.