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Tony Barletta
Process Consulting Services, Inc., Houston, Texas
Equation # 1
Heat Flux = Quantity of heat
absorbed/Outside tube area
= Btu/hr-ft2
Mass velocity (flux rate) is the mass of oil
flowing through the heater tube cross-sectional area (Equation #2)
SHUTDOWNS
FILM TEMPERATURE
TUBE WALL
806F
760F
TMT = 824F
<= NO COKE
OUTLET
TUBES
OUTLET
TUBES
BULK PROCESS
FLUID
TUBE METAL
TEMPERATURE
(TMT)
RADIANT SECTION
AVERAGE FLUX
HIGHEST AVERAGE
TUBE FLUX
FLUID FILM
ELEVATION
TUBE WALL
1092F
TMT = 1100F
FILM
TEMPERATURE
<= COKE
806F
760F
COKE (INSULATOR)
COKE
Heater Coking
Process side and/or fired side problems
can cause high rates of coking. Average
radiant section heat flux, total firing rate,
and oil outlet temperature are often used
to characterize heater severity. While
these parameters are useful and can help,
they may not be accurate predictors of
coking rate.
Monitoring Coking Rate
The rate of coke formation cannot be
measured directly; however, it can be
inferred. A common method uses infrared
AVERAGE HEAT
FLUX PER TUBE
SHUTDOWNS
ance was rigorously modeled to determine
flux (Photo 2). High heat
heat flux rates and oil film temperatures
flux causes very high
on the individual tubes. The heater model
peak film temperatures.
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
used the plant data, including TMTs, to
Often, radiant section
#1
#3
#2
#4
calculate localized heat flux and oil film
average heat flux is used
REDUCED CRUDE
REDUCED CRUDE
temperature. The upper and lower passes
to infer heater operating
have average heat flux rates of 5,000 and
severity. However, the
13,000 Btu/hr-ft2, respectively. The maxioverall radiant section
mum average flux rate for one of the
average heat flux does not
heater tubes on the lower passes is over
reflect localized condiPASS
PASS
16,000 Btu/hr-ft2. The maximum peak
tions. Localized average
#1
#3
heat flux on the lower tubes is over
heat flux may be only
HEATER
HEATER
28,000 btu/hr-ft2. This is extremely high
20% higher than the averPASS
PASS
for a dry vacuum heater. Heater flow pass
age,
or
it
may
be
50-70%
OUTLET
OUTLET
balancing raises mass flux and helps
higher. Heater designs
reduce oil film temperature. The lower
affect localized heat flux
passes had mass flux rates of over 500
and the rate of coking.
PASS
PASS
#4
#2
lb/sec-ft2, which helps reduce film temTube layout, burner locaperature. The calculated maximum peak
tions, and burner perfilm temperatures in the upper and lower
formance control localCOKING
passes are 810F and 875F, respectively.
ized heat flux. In this
The heater performance was affected by
example, the average
burner design and tube layout, which
radiant section flux rate
resulted in large heat flux imbalances
was 9,000 Btu/hr-ft2,
Figure 3 Heater Tube Layout: Four Passes
between the passes. These imbalances
which is moderate for a
impacted the rate of coke formation and
dry vacuum heater operProcess-Side Problem:
the heater run-length, even though the
ating at 775F transfer line temperature.
Dry Box Heater
average heat flux was acceptable at 9,000
Coking rates depend on localized heat
A dry heater had run-lengths of 18
Btu/hr-ft2. Radiant section average heat
flux.
months. The end-fired box heater was
flux is not a good indicator of coking potenEach pass of a properly designed heater
designed with 4 tube passes; two up-flow
will absorb the same
passes located in the bottom and two
amount of heat. Theredown-flow passes in the top (Figure 3).
fore, each pass will
Coke was forming in the lower tube heater
have equal flow rates
passes, which caused hot spots. When
and equal outlet temTMTs reached 1250F, the heater was
peratures.
Figure 4
steam/air decoked. All four 10 outlet
shows the relative oil
tubes exited from the center of the radiant
flow rates and the outsection. The heater design caused very
let temperatures. The
high heat flux between the floor to middle
upper two passes outelevation of the radiant section. Burner
let temperatures are
location, type of burner, number of burn769F and the lower
ers, tube layout with respect to burners,
two passes are approxiand flame length all affected localized
mately 800F. The upheat flux.
per two heater passes
With end-fired heaters, the burners will be
have low oil flow and
located below the bottom pass outlet
low outlet temperatubes; therefore, the flue gas temperature
tures. The lower two
is higher in the bottom of the radiant secpasses have high flow
tion, which causes very high heat flux on
and high outlet temperthe lower passes. The highest heat flux
ature. The two upper
occurs where the burners flames from
down-flow passes have
either end wall meet. End-fired heaters
skin temperatures behave extremely high heat flux at this locatween 808F to 950F,
tion. Often, floor fired heaters with ultra
which indicates low
low NOx burners will have the highest
heat flux. The lower
flux half way up the radiant section due to
two up-flow passes
burner flame length. Vacuum heater outhave measured skin
let tube diameter is often 10 inch; theretemperatures ranging
fore, tubes exiting the middle will be at
from 850 to 1250F.
least 10 inches closer to the flames than
High heat flux caused
the smaller inlet tubes. Flue gas temperalocalized high peak film
ture is hottest near or in the burner flame.
temperatures and cokTherefore, whether end or floor fired, it is
ing in the lower two
poor design practice to have the outlet
heater passes.
tube exit in the middle due to high heat
The heater performPhoto 2 Outlet Tubes Exit Middle of Heater
STEAM
STEAM
SHUTDOWNS
PASS #1
PASS #2
PASS #3
ATMOSPHERIC
COLUMN
PASS #4
769
#1
1.0
PASS # 1
VACUUM
UNIT
FIRED
HEATER
1.48
PASS # 2
800
#2
#3
768
#4
801
1.07
PASS # 3
- TEMPERATURE, F
1.41
PASS # 4
TRANSFER
LINE
#1
#3
#2
#4
SHUTDOWNS
SHUTDOWNS
tened by down-flowing flue gas in the center of the burner circle. This pushed the
burner flame outward toward the tubes.
Combustion was occurring in front of and
behind the heater tubes. Proper air/fuel
mixing was not taking place; therefore,
combustion was delayed. Delayed combustion created the donut shaped fireball around and in front of the tubes.
Radiant section heat-flux variations
always occur due to burner heat release
profiles. However, large heat flux variability cannot be tolerated at high average
heat flux. Abnormal combustion caused
the lower half of the heater to be extremely hot, while the upper half was very cold.
TMTs varied from 800F in the top of the
heater to as high as 1300F in the bottom
of the heater. Correcting the flue gas flow
patterns was the key to fixing this problem.
Poor flue gas flow patterns were caused
by several factors. The heater was
designed with a large diameter burner circle. This permitted the cold flue gas to
down-flow in the center of the burner circle. This pushed the flames out toward
the tubes and caused flame impingement.
Several other design errors contributed to
the problem. The radiant section tubes
were bowed towards the refractory preventing a flow lane for cold flue gas to
down-flow behind and around the tubes.
The heater floor had a solid Reed Wall
between the tubes and the burner circle.
#3
#2
#2
#3
#4
#1
OLD BURNER
CIRCLE
SMALL
BURNER
CIRCLE
#4
#1
#8
#5
NEW CHECKERED
REED WALL LOCATION
#5
#8
#7
#6
#6
[1]-(713)-665-7046
[1]-(713)-665-7246
info@revamps.com
www.revamps.com
#7