Pilots and Ignitors
Pilots and Ignitors
NAO manufactures flare pilots and ignition systems for every flare type — enclosed, elevated, ground, and open-pit — engineered to light in seconds and stay lit in rain and wind speeds up to 250 MPH (400 km/hr).
NAO designs and manufactures flare pilots for every type of flare system, including enclosed, elevated, ground, and open-pit flares. Our original flare pilot grew out of NAO’s inspirating gas-burner technology, proven in the oil fields, refineries, and petrochemical plants of Texas before World War II — the foundation of a pilot design we have refined for more than 100 years.
That refinement never stopped. In the late 1970s, a few targeted improvements to the pilot windshield let us test and certify our pilots as rain- and windproof at wind speeds up to 250 MPH (400 km/hr) — so flames stay lit in the harshest weather.
Later, demanding work in steel plants (blast furnaces) and coke ovens, with their extremely dusty, dirty, sticky tar environments — drove new features that prevent “fallout” from fouling or plugging the pilot piping and venturi. These features proved so effective that NAO now builds them into every flare pilot we make.
Proven in the field: 10-second ignition at a major Mexican refinery
Performance is easiest to see in the field. At a major refinery in Mexico, the plant replaced a competitor’s old flare tip with a NAO high-performance smokeless flare tip fitted with dual ignition pilots. On the very first start of the ignition control panel, all three pilots lit and were confirmed by thermocouple green lights in about 10 seconds.
Operators could hardly believe the speed: the old “Brand X” flame-front ignitor had taken several hours of adjusting gas/air and three-way valves to light the same three pilots. With the plant still shut down for maintenance, one operator climbed the 225-ft derrick and visually confirmed every pilot was burning. The refinery has since made dual ignition a standard requirement in its flare specifications.
Standard flare pilot sizes
NAO flare pilots are available in standard sizes and lengths:
- 1¼″ diameter – Conservation Pilot
- 2″ diameter – Heavy Duty Pilot
- 3″ diameter – High Capacity or Extended-Length Pilot, with the venturi at distances up to 400 ft.
High Energy Ignitor
NAO was the first to introduce the Direct Pilot Ignition (HEI), the Dual Ignited Pilot Burners, to provide a Rainshield over the Pilot Air Inspirator, to provide Internal Well Thermocouples inside the pilot windshield, to provide Retractable Thermocouples down to grade, and to provide Retractable Pilots down to grade.
Flame Front Generator
Flame Front Generator (F.F.G.) Pilot Ignition is available and reliable as long as the installation is done correctly, and maintenance is done on a regular basis; three different types are available
Direct Ignited Pilots
NAO was the first to introduce the Direct Pilot Ignition (HEI). These Pilot Burners are as reliable as the Flame Front Type Pilot Burners, and have been utilized in extreme climates such as Alaska, Canada, Siberia, and several other locations.
Dual Ignited Pilot Burners
The ignitor/exciter assembly can be located near grade level for smaller Flare Systems. For larger/taller Flare Systems the High Intensity Ignitor cannot be located near grade level. To provide for ignition back-up, the pilot can be provided with a Dual Ignition System.
Air Eductor Pilot Burners
Air Eductor Pilots are utilized when the flare burner relief and/or purge at higher than the recommended value is inert. This might deprive the pilot flame from the necessary air/oxygen and cause pilot flame stability issues. To avoid the pilot flame stability issue, the pilot is equipped with an Air Eductor.
Additional Pilot Information
NAO’s Pilot Burners have no problem meeting or exceeding the requirements of API-521. Our pilots have been tested in the shop and in the field for over 100 years. Improvements have been made and will continue to be made, as required, to further maximize stability and reliability.