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During the operation of process fired heaters, the potential exists for sudden interruption of process flow. This can be caused by a pump trip or accidental closing of a valve [...]

Byline: Ahamad, S. Vallavanatt, R. Recent environmental regulations mandate that refinery and petrochemical industries reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. Emissions legislations are constantly under review, and they differ from country [...]

The article talks about optimizing transient plant operations with the use of a castable-free fired heater. Topics discussed include waste heat recovery units being installed in gas turbine exhausts to recover residual heat from flue gases in a liquefied natural gas plant, and hot oil being the most common heat transfer fluid in heat transfer systems.

The article discusses the techniques and challenges associated with revamping of fired heater which are used in industries to improve capacity and efficiency. It describes the concept of a revamp of multiple fired heaters which share a common air-preheating (APH) system. It also states the constituents of a typical fired heater APH system which includes an induced draft fan, a forced draft fan and ducting and dampers.

The article reports that new burner technologies are being developed to meet more stringent emissions requirements for the petrochemical industry. A conventional burner is less affected by poor flue gas flow pattern in the firebox. The fuel/air mixture is diluted by recirculated flue gas that result in lower burning rates. Lower burning rates increase the flame length.

The article focuses on identification and control of excess air from process heaters. The author stated that heater efficiency can be increased by reducing excess air along with better maintenance, design and operations. Excess air is referred to excess oxygen which is not used during combustion process.