Reducing heat transfer surface area requirements of direct fired heaters without decreasing run length

Abstract

This invention relates to the design of direct fired heaters which consist of vertically oriented refractory lined enclosures containing tubular heat transfer elements, the elements partially surrounding a cluster of burners. The burners fire gaseous fuel and generate high temperature combustion products which allow for the transfer of heat , by radiation and convection, from the combustion products to the heat transfer elements and the continuous flow of process fluid contained therein. The transferred heat raises the temperature of the fluid from the design temperature at the inlet to the design temperature at the outlet, at a heat transfer rate commensurate with the temperature differential existing at any given location. The surface area requirements of the heat transfer elements and that of the enclosure surrounding the heat transfer elements is significantly reduced by limiting top to bottom recirculation of burner generated combustion products, thereby increasing overall temperature differentials and heat transfer rates between combustion products and process fluid. Gains in heating surface reduction are not accompanied by losses in heater run length because low process fluid temperatures and high inside heat transfer coefficients are provided, which minimize process fluid film temperature in areas where high heat transfer rates prevail.

Description

BACKGROUND

[0001] Direct fired heaters find wide application, particularly in oil refineries, where they are used for the purpose of preheating petroleum or petroleum derived feed-stocks for further processing to produce such products as fuel gas, gasoline, diesel fuel, heavy fuel oil and coke. The feed-stocks are of variable composition and boiling range and require that they be preheated to varying temperatures for further processing. Some of the applications considered would be as follows:

[0002] Delayed Coking Heater Service, which is one focus of the subject invention, and which involves preheating of high boiling point feed-stocks to high temperature and transferring the heater effluent to a coke drum where it is held for a period of time during which the effluent is converted to a product slate consisting of fuel gas, low boiling point liquids, high boiling point liquids and coke.

[0003] Direct fired heaters in this service operate at the most stringent conditions of any in oil ref...

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