Fuel and Combustion (Sir Fassi)

2012

Furnace and Distillation

Furnace and oven both are heating devices. Furnace is for high heating purpose and oven is for low heating purpose. Furnace and oven and such type of heating all are batch process and in industries we want continuous process in which the feed is coming continuously, heated up and it is coming out continuously. Because of increase consumption and increase capacity, we require in continuous process. Suppose in a batch process we want to heat crude oil. It will happen that we will be getting the most volatile product first, and then second product, third product, so one and something we will get. If we want to take them out then we have to cool the whole system. By this so much time will be lost. We have to cool it because it will be at very high temperature. After that we will introduce the second batch. The second batch is if it at the lower temperature then the heat losses will introduce. We can overcome this time loss and heat loss by using system of continuously coming feed and continuously discharging product. The whole system will be change for continuous process. Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbon. Petroleum products: LPG (C3 & C4) Gasoline (C5 - C9) Naphtha Kerosene Diesel Gas oil Furnace oil With increasing no. of carbon: Molecular weight Viscosity Density Volatility Decreases {

The most volatile will be the first to come out. After we got LPG and Gasoline the production will cease and then the second product will start, where as if it is a continuous process. If we want to make it better we can increase the reflux ratio. (The product is in vapour form, we cool part of it in liquid form) So by increasing reflux ratio we can get better degree of separation. Prepared by: Syed Saad Ahmed | B.E Chemical Engineering

Fuel and Combustion (Sir Fassi)

2012

We dont want to get individual products, as LPG may contain some C 1, gasoline may contain C4, C5, C6 or anything. In addition to this C7 is not one compound it could be a branched chain. Straight chain, it could be alicyclic, aromatic, it could be saturated or unsaturated C7, there are so many possibility. We want to get closer compound or similar compound not to get single product. In petroleum, the purity means hydrocarbon except hydrocarbon considers to be as impurity.

Crude oil is firstly heated up to certain temperature ( such as 580 degree F) in the furnace and then it is introduce in the distillation column, and we will be getting our first product gasoline from the top, then the second product naphtha, then kerosene, then gas oil and so on. The advantage is that once the process have been heated then it can continue for one year, It means that there is saving of time and energy, the heat losses will be reduced. In industry year doesn't mean 365 days, it means 350 or 340 days and remaining days will be considered as shutdown period. In batch process we are getting initially gasoline, then the production of gasoline ceased and then we will start to get naphtha then its production is ceased and we will start to have kerosene. But here we will be getting all products continuously. This is the second advantage. Prepared by: Syed Saad Ahmed | B.E Chemical Engineering

Fuel and Combustion (Sir Fassi)

2012

Bath process is the process in which variation is high but in continuous process variation is less. Here all products have their own constant temperature.

Stack:
In stack hot gases goes up and these hot gases have lots of energy so we can make of this energy. Suppose there is a tube in the pipe of stack then hot gases are passing through this tube then heat will be transferred through convection. Now suppose crude oil is introduced in the tubes and it is travelling round and round and it comes out of the convection system and then it is distributed there, heat transfer is through radiation at that part. At the centre, there are rows of burners. The feed which is introduced is preheated in convection region then it comes down and after gaining required temperature it is rejected. It is made in such a way that the flow rate and other factor calculated, that by the time it comes out, attended the required temperature. It is possible by increasing the residence time. Generally at the bottom there are holes far the natural convection, we require air for burning purpose, air have to be introduced by these holes. This air must be in excess quantity because we require complete combustion. If there is incomplete combustion then CO will form. CO is itself a combustible gas which means that our energy will lose so efficiency will decrease. In addition to this, CO is highly toxic gas if it is converted into CO2 then its toxicity will decrease. There is another problem that is if the excess air is high then there will be the formation of (NO)x In air 79% is N2 when lightning occurs there is very high temperature so the O2 and N2 reacts to form (NO)x. In the furnace the temperature is very high then there can be the formation of (NO) x which is the acidic gas so the amount of O2 (air) must not be too low that it forms CO in stack gases nor it should be too high that it forms (NO)x we have to balance it. Previously the amount of excess air was 30% but now a day it is recommended that it should not more that 10%.

Prepared by: Syed Saad Ahmed | B.E Chemical Engineering

Fuel and Combustion (Sir Fassi)

2012

Tube still heaters

These are generally used for continuous process, where heat is carried out by hot flue gases that part is known as convection section and where heat is carried out by radiation that is called radiation section. The problem is over heating or flame impingement. For heating purpose as far as possible uniformity should be there, there should not any overheating near the fire and at the tubes which are at boundary between convection and radiation section. In both possibilities they receive maximum amount of heat. The tubes which are at boundary of radiation and convection section, these tubes are generally used for production of super-heated steam. Suppose, the input temperature is 300 oF then it become 320 oF, then 330 oF and by the time it comes down it would be about 700-800 oF. So the temperature gradually increases, when it comes to boundary it receives maximum amount of heat, so when it receives maximum amount of heat at boundary then the tubes below the boundary should become useless. We also require superheated steam in the refinery so what is done that those tubes which are at boundary and are heated from both sections, these tubes are used for the production of superheated steam. (It is used for the conversion of normal steam to the superheated steam). If there is overheating then there will be cracking & formation of coke which is the bad conductor of heat. It deposits inside and outside the tube and not allow heat to pass through heat so there will be overheating. Suppose we want to maintain a temperature of 900 oF and if the tube is polished than maximum difference inside and outside is about 30 oF, so if we want to maintain 900 oF at inside then we should have to maintain 930 oF at outside. On the on the other hand if there is a thin layer of carbon then at least you would be requiring the difference of 100 oF. Then the fuel consumption will be higher and efficiency will decrease. That is why maximum care is taken that there is no carbon deposition, neither inside nor outside of the tube. Long time ago, pebble heaters were used. There were small & tiny pebbles or stones. Those stones were used to pass through the system so when there were cracking or carbon deposit on that stone/pebble, then those pebbles were separated & reheated and carbon burns and then it is reused but now this technique is not used.

Types of the tube still heaters:

Following are types of some still heaters:

Prepared by: Syed Saad Ahmed | B.E Chemical Engineering

Fuel and Combustion (Sir Fassi)

2012

Air preheating:
This is the example of air preheating. Air preheating means that if we preheat the air, efficiency will increase (of burning capacity). For this we need to have furnace in which there is no leakage. Air is introduced and it is preheated and after preheating, the hot air is introduced near the burner, so the burner used preheated air.

Extended surface:
These are some examples of extended surface. Extended surface means increased area. Hot air is rising up so if we have fins it means that we have maximum extraction of heat would be possible. * If there is extended surface over the tube than heating and cooling will be accelerate.

Partition wall:
Partition wall means that in a same furnace we can attain different degree of heating. If the capacity is not too high and we want to heat to different streams, to different temperature so we can do that instead of building two heaters, we can just build one still heater. Suppose for any endothermic reaction, where the temperature varies from 500 C - 450 C so during the course of reaction, temperature will decrease to 450 C and again if we want to have the reaction at 500 C it is only a matter of 50 C but we will require a furnace so we can have this type of duty in a single furnace through partition wall. Prepared by: Syed Saad Ahmed | B.E Chemical Engineering

Fuel and Combustion (Sir Fassi)

2012

Burners mounted on the wall:

Burners are mounted on the wall, these types are used for extremely high temperature, and we can carry out the heating at different level. In petrochemical, these types of heaters are also used.

Stack on the hearth:

Generally stack is on the top or sometimes stack may be at the hearth floor as well.

Curve type:
Curve type is cheaper because each block supports the other, no support is required externally. But in flat wall it is not possible.

Heating of the furnace:

We can carry out heating by means of liquid and also by means of gas in liquid (diesel oil, furnace oil, fuel oil etc...) or we can use gas also. Gas burners are less expensive as compared to oil furnace. In gas burners, the gas is distributed so the efficiency increases. By distribution each part of gas gets enough oxygen. In case of oil fire burners, we need this type of distribution which is called atomization. (E.g.:- Water spray). If oil is converted into the small droplet then the burning efficiency will increase. Here a mist is form which is simply droplets. This is carried out by means of steam. Steam is used for atomization purpose. Sometimes, it does happen that if the amount of steam is too high then the flame dies out. (Or stem is wet) it should be dry. Low pressure steam wet steam It condenses only the latent heat and some of the sensible heat. High pressure steam dry steam It does not condense till temperature comes down 100 , after that it converts into water. Prepared by: Syed Saad Ahmed | B.E Chemical Engineering

Fuel and Combustion (Sir Fassi)

2012

Use of heat exchangers:

These are not used as the single unit in the refinery. They are mostly connected with heat exchangers. Here the efficiency of the furnace depends upon efficiency of heat exchangers. After being the heat exchange it comes in the convection section. If we dont use the heat exchanger it means that the feed would be at normal temperature and in that case the efficiency of heat convection would be very high. Heat transfer in convection section depends upon T. T is high efficiency is high and vice versa. If we use heat exchanger, the inlet is at 300 oC so T is small and efficiency will be low. By using heat exchangers the overall efficiency of the furnace decreases.

The products of the distillation tower are at very high temperature so they cannot be stored at their outlet temperature. Losses will be very high and possibility will also be very high. So we need to cool them for this, we heat exchanger from the feed then it is introduced in the furnace. Hot gases are going up and at the same time the gases are coming down behind the tubes. Between the furnace wall and the tube relatively cool gases coming down. Backside would also be heated up by this.

Prepared by: Syed Saad Ahmed | B.E Chemical Engineering