Engineers develop a more efficient burner to cut methane emissions.

Researchers from Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and the University of Michigan (U-M) have developed an advanced methane flare burner that eliminates 98% of methane vented during oil production. Designed by U-M engineers and tested at SwRI, the burner leverages additive manufacturing and machine learning to enhance efficiency. Their findings appear in the study “An Experimental Study of the Effects of Waste-Gas Composition and Crosswind on Non-assisted Flares Using a Novel Indoor Testing Approach,” published in Industrial & Chemical Engineering Research.

During oil production, flare stacks typically burn off excess methane. However, strong crosswinds often reduce the effectiveness of conventional open-flame burners, allowing over 40% of methane to escape into the atmosphere. Over a 100-year period, methane has 28 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide—and over a 20-year period, it is 84 times more potent. While flaring reduces overall emissions, ineffective burning diminishes its environmental benefits.

To address this issue, SwRI and U-M engineers applied machine learning, computational fluid dynamics, and additive manufacturing to develop a burner with superior combustion stability and high methane destruction efficiency, even under challenging field conditions.

“We tested the burner at SwRI’s indoor facility, where we controlled crosswinds and measured efficiency under various conditions,” explained SwRI Principal Engineer Alex Schluneker, a co-author of the study.

Innovative Burner Design Enhances Efficiency in Crosswind Conditions

Their tests revealed that even minimal crosswinds significantly lowered the performance of most burners. However, the new burner’s internal fins played a crucial role in maintaining efficiency. “The U-M team designed it to significantly improve performance,” Schluneker added.

The burner features a complex nozzle base that splits methane flow in three directions, while an impeller directs the gas toward the flame. This design ensures proper oxygen-methane mixing and extends combustion time before crosswinds can interfere, which is essential for its efficiency.

“A precise oxygen-to-methane ratio is critical for combustion,” said SwRI Senior Research Engineer Justin Long. “The burner must capture and incorporate enough surrounding air to mix with the methane without over-diluting it. U-M researchers conducted extensive computational fluid dynamics modeling to achieve an optimal air-methane balance, even in high-crosswind conditions.”

Looking ahead, SwRI and U-M teams continue to refine burner designs, aiming to develop an even more efficient and cost-effective prototype by 2025.

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