PB 03-591-03 PDF

Full title and description

PB 03-591-03 (ПБ 03-591-03) — Правила безопасной эксплуатации факельных систем. A sectoral safety rule establishing requirements for the design, arrangement and safe operation of industrial flare (fakelnye) systems used to collect and burn hydrocarbon gases and vapours at chemical, petrochemical and oil‑refining facilities.

Abstract

This document sets out mandatory requirements and recommended practices intended to ensure industrial safety and prevent accidents, fires and occupational injuries during operation of flare systems. It covers types of discharges, requirements for relief valve discharges, collectors, pipelines and pumps, flare installation design and siting, gas and vapour collection, instrumentation and automation, commissioning and operation, plus calculation methods for heat radiation, minimum distances and flare‑stack height in supporting appendices.

General information

• Status: Cancelled / withdrawn (document no longer in force).
• Publication date: Approved and introduced 10 June 2003; end of validity recorded 29 December 2012.
• Publisher: Gosgortekhnadzor (State Mining and Industrial Supervision authority of the Russian Federation) — developer and approver recorded in original publication.
• ICS / categories: Sectoral industrial safety rules for oil, gas and petrochemical installations; flaring systems and relief/venting equipment.
• Edition / version: Original issue 2003 (PB 03-591-03). Document later cancelled; consult national/federal industrial‑safety rules for current regulatory requirements.
• Number of pages: Publication variants noted (commonly distributed as ~40 pages in electronic copies; pagination can vary by publisher/edition).

Scope

Applies to design, arrangement and safe operation of flare systems (fakelnye sistemy) at hazardous industrial facilities — primarily chemical, petrochemical and oil‑refining plants. The rules aim to ensure safe routing and disposal (combustion) of hydrocarbon releases from process equipment, relief devices and purge systems, to define requirements for flare headers, stacks, burners, drainage/condensate handling, instrumentation and automation, and to set criteria for siting, heat‑flux calculations and operational procedures.

Key topics and requirements

• Classification of release types and requirements for different discharge modes (steady, transient, emergency).
• Design and routing of relief lines, collectors and flare headers; requirements for drainage, separators and hydro‑locks.
• Requirements for installation, siting and construction of flare stacks and tips, including measures to reduce radiation and flame impingement.
• Instrumentation, control and automation requirements for monitoring flare operation and detecting releases.
• Operational procedures: start‑up, shutdown, commissioning, routine operation and emergency actions for flare systems.
• Appendices with principal piping and flare schematics, calculation methods for concentrations and heat‑flux, and equipment‑arrangement guidance.

Typical use and users

Used by engineers and designers of process safety systems, plant safety and operations personnel, maintenance teams, technical supervisors and regulators in oil & gas, petrochemical and refining sectors for the design review, operation and safety assessment of flare systems. Also consulted by safety auditors and organisations tasked with implementing or verifying compliance with sectoral industrial‑safety rules.

Related standards

Replaces/updates earlier sectoral guidance such as PB 09‑12‑92 (earlier rules for flare systems) and sits within a family of national industrial‑safety and equipment‑design rules. The document was later cancelled; users should consult subsequent federal norms and current regulatory texts that succeeded these PB rules for up‑to‑date mandatory requirements.

Keywords

flares; flare systems; fakelnye sistemy; flaring; relief valve discharge; blowdown; flare stack; heat flux calculation; industrial safety; petrochemical; oil refining; Gosgortekhnadzor.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: PB 03-591-03 is a sectoral Russian set of rules titled "Правила безопасной эксплуатации факельных систем" that specified safety, design and operational requirements for industrial flare systems.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers types of discharges, requirements for relief and flare piping, collectors and pumps, flare installation and siting, collection of hydrocarbon gases and vapours, instrumentation and automation, commissioning and operational procedures, and calculation methods (heat flux, distances, stack height) provided in appendices.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Designers, process safety engineers, operations and maintenance personnel, plant safety managers and regulatory inspectors in the oil, gas and petrochemical industries.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: PB 03-591-03 was introduced in 2003 and is recorded as cancelled (no longer in force) with validity ending in December 2012. Users should reference the current federal industrial‑safety regulations and successor documents for binding requirements.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is one of a group of PB (ПБ) sectoral safety rules covering various equipment and processes; it replaced earlier PB guidance for flare systems (e.g., PB 09‑12‑92) and was itself later withdrawn as regulatory frameworks were harmonised or replaced.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Flare systems, flaring, relief discharge, flare stack, blowdown, heat‑flux calculation, industrial safety, petrochemical, oil refining, fakelnye sistemy.