Furnace equipped with hybrid radiant heating systems for heating or treating a feedstock, and method for heating or treating such a feedstock using the furnace
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- EP · EP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TOTALENERGIES ONETECH
- Filing Date
- 2024-06-21
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-29
AI Technical Summary
The refining and petrochemical industry faces challenges with existing combustion ovens that generate significant CO2 and NOX emissions, have non-uniform heat distribution, and require large, complex designs, which are environmentally unsustainable and inefficient.
A hybrid radiant heating oven system that combines electric and combustion heating, eliminating the convection zone and using radiant heating systems with external combustion gas evacuation, allowing for modular design and reduced size, and enabling operation with renewable energy sources.
This solution achieves more uniform temperature distribution, reduces CO2 and NOX emissions, and allows for flexible energy use, minimizing costs and environmental impact while maintaining high heating temperatures.
Smart Images

Figure FR2024050821_26122024_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] TITLE: OVEN EQUIPPED WITH HYBRID RADIANT HEATING SYSTEMS FOR HEATING OR TREATING A LOAD AND METHOD FOR HEATING OR TREATING SUCH A LOAD USING THE OVEN
[0002] Field of invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a furnace, equipped with hybrid radiant heating systems, for heating and / or treating at least one feedstock selected from a hydrocarbon feedstock, an oxygenated feedstock, NH3, H2O, CO2 and H2. The invention also relates to a method for heating and / or treating such a feedstock using the furnace of the present invention. The furnace and the method according to the invention are more particularly useful in the field of refining hydrocarbon feedstocks, of petroleum or non-petroleum origin, and petrochemicals.
[0004] State of the art
[0005] The refining and petrochemical industry requires large amounts of heat to separate, convert, or process hydrocarbon, oxygenated, and / or gaseous feedstocks such as NH3, H2O, CO2, and / or H2. This heat can be provided by various types of equipment, including combustion furnaces.
[0006] Combustion furnaces generally have two main zones: a radiation zone and a convection zone located above the radiation zone. In this type of furnace, combustion takes place in the radiation zone in which flames transfer heat, primarily by radiation, to fluids circulating inside one or more process tube bundles. The combustion gases are conveyed to the convection zone where sensible energy from the hot gases resulting from combustion is recovered to generate steam, to superheat vapors, to preheat the fuel, to preheat the oxidizer, and / or to preheat the charge before it enters the radiation zone.
[0007] However, combustion furnaces generate significant amounts of CO2 and NO Xwhich are harmful to the environment and will soon no longer comply with environmental standards. In addition, the flames inside the furnace are difficult to control, resulting in a non-uniform distribution of the heat flux inside the furnace. In addition, the flames often come into contact asymmetrically with the process tubes inside which the charge circulates, leading to a local increase in the temperature of the tubes and the creation of hot spots, which is not desirable (reduced tube life and potential corrosion depending on the quality of the fuel used). By design, the heat distribution produced by the burners inside the furnaces is therefore inhomogeneous. In addition, since hot combustion gases tend to move upwards and cooler gases downwards, this results in different temperatures depending on the height of the furnace.Finally, we observe the formation of deposits (soot or other) on the surface of the process tubes, inherent to combustion, which gradually reduce the quality of the heat exchange.
[0008] The positioning of the burners relative to the tube bundles does not completely reduce this heating inhomogeneity. Typically, there are two main types of furnace: (i) cylindrical or non-cylindrical furnaces, with burners in the middle and the process tubes arranged in a circle, or not, along the outer walls, or (ii) cylindrical or non-cylindrical furnaces, whose process tubes are positioned in the center of the furnace with the burners laterally against the furnace wall. Since the flames move randomly and have a certain size relative to the process tubes, a considerable minimum distance must be maintained between the burners and the process tubes, which does not favor the homogeneity of heating.
[0009] This inhomogeneity could be reduced by using all-electric furnaces in which heat is supplied by electric radiant panels placed on the walls. However, the use of electric radiant panels requires a complete redesign of existing furnaces and requires a continuous power supply, which is not readily available with intermittent electricity sources. Finally, existing electrical systems may not be sufficient to provide the heat required for some processes.
[0010] There is thus a need for a furnace for heating and / or treating a feedstock such as a hydrocarbon, oxygenated, NH3, H2O, CO2 and / or H2 feedstock, emitting less CO2 and NO X, in particular whose design is similar to the design of existing furnaces or whose size can be reduced compared to existing furnaces, and which allows high heating temperatures to be achieved more uniformly.
[0011] Summary of the invention
[0012] To this end, the invention proposes a furnace intended to heat or treat at least one feedstock chosen from a hydrocarbon feedstock, an oxygenated feedstock, NH3, H2O, CO2 and H2, said furnace comprising an enclosure, at least one inlet for the feedstock, a bundle of process tubes arranged inside the enclosure and connected to the at least one inlet, and a plurality of radiant heating systems located inside the enclosure.
[0013] According to the invention, each radiant heating system is a hybrid radiant heating system, namely capable of producing heat from electricity and by combustion.
[0014] For this purpose, according to the invention, the furnace comprises at least one oxidant supply, at least one fuel supply and at least one electricity supply, and each radiant heating system is a hybrid radiant heating system comprising at least: an outer casing defining a chamber, at least one burner located inside the chamber, at least one oxidant supply and at least one fuel supply supplying the at least one burner and connected to the corresponding supplies of the furnace, at least one combustion gas outlet opening outside the enclosure, at least one electrical heating element, at least one electricity supply electrically connected to the at least one electrical heating element and to the at least one electricity supply of the furnace.
[0015] Thus, the oven according to the invention does not have a convection zone as such, the combustion gases from the radiant heating systems being discharged directly outside the oven enclosure. Indeed, unlike burners, radiant heating systems are equipped with a combustion gas discharge which does not communicate with the internal volume of the enclosure, the external casing of each radiant heating system completely isolating the at least one burner from the internal volume of the enclosure. In other words, the oven according to the invention is not equipped with burners whose combustion gases are released inside the oven enclosure. The structure of the oven according to the invention is simple to produce and its manufacture does not require significant modifications to existing ovens using burners.It is sufficient to provide an appropriate power supply and to connect the oxidant and fuel supply to the radiant heating systems. This makes it possible to transform furnaces comprising a radiation zone and a convection zone into furnaces containing only a radiation zone. Alternatively, it is possible to design furnaces according to the invention with reduced dimensions compared to existing conventional furnaces due to the elimination of the convection zone.
[0016] The presence of both at least one electric heating element and at least one burner in each hybrid radiant heating system allows for alternating the energy source to produce heat and thus respond to the availability of renewable energy while minimizing emissions at the lowest cost. In electric heating mode, it is preferable for the electricity to be of renewable origin. The majority of renewable electricity is solar or wind electricity. These are produced intermittently. This phenomenon will lead to price fluctuations that can be limited by changing the heating mode.
[0017] Finally, a more homogeneous temperature can be obtained inside the enclosure due to the heat input by radiation not using flames in direct contact with the process tubes inside which the load circulates.
[0018] Advantageously, the at least one electric heating element may be chosen from (i) an electric heating element fixed to the outer casing (in particular on an internal or external face thereof), (ii) an electric heating element integrated into the outer casing, (iii) an electric heating element integrated into an internal device located inside the outer casing, (iv) an electric heating element fixed to an internal device located inside the outer casing. In particular, the internal device may be a support specially designed to support the at least one electric heating element, or form the at least one electric heating element, or be an already existing internal device, such as for example a mixing device.
[0019] Thus, the heat provided by the at least one electric heating element when supplied with electricity is produced in the same area as the heat provided by combustion, so that the surface of the radiant heating system (surface of the outer casing) can be maintained at substantially the same temperature regardless of the origin of the heat produced.
[0020] The at least one electric heating element may be attached to the internal device and / or to the external casing by supports keeping it at a distance from the internal device, respectively from the external casing. In particular, when the at least one heating element is attached to the external casing, it may be attached to an internal or external face thereof.
[0021] Advantageously, the at least one electrical heating element may be a resistive heating element by Joule effect, namely an element capable of producing heat by Joule effect. It can thus be produced in a very simple manner, in particular by choosing an appropriate electrically conductive material.
[0022] Advantageously, at least a portion of the radiant heating systems may be attached to at least one internal wall of the enclosure selected from a bottom wall, a top wall, and a side wall. This may facilitate the connection of the power supplies of the radiant heating systems to those of the enclosure, and the mounting of the radiant heating systems.
[0023] Advantageously, the furnace according to the invention may comprise at least one module, each module comprising at least one support and at least two radiant heating systems fixed to the support, the support being equipped with fuel, oxidant and electricity supplies connected on the one hand to corresponding supplies of the furnace and on the other hand to the corresponding supplies of said radiant heating systems. The number of radiant heating systems per module may be chosen according to the dimensions of the furnace. Preferably, each module may be fixed via the support to an internal wall of the furnace, for example chosen from a bottom wall, a top wall and a side wall. The at least one module may be fixed to an internal wall of the furnace or rest on the bottom wall. This may facilitate the assembly and installation of the radiant heating systems inside the furnace.The creation of modules also makes it possible to reduce the number of electrical connections as well as the number of oxidant and fuel supply lines between the furnace and the radiant heating systems, and / or to reduce the number of flue gas evacuation lines produced by the radiant heating systems, which can facilitate maintenance and also the recovery of heat from combustion fumes.
[0024] It may be provided that some of the radiant heating systems are arranged in one or more modules and that the rest of the radiant heating systems are fixed individually to at least one internal wall of the enclosure, as previously described.
[0025] Regardless of the implementation method, the radiant heating systems can be distributed evenly within the furnace enclosure, between the process tubes. They can therefore be arranged along the internal walls of the enclosure and / or at a distance from them. This further improves the temperature uniformity inside the enclosure and inside the process tubes. However, an uneven distribution can be considered.The relative configuration of radiant heating systems to process tubes can be as follows: positioning process tubes (arranged in rows or otherwise) in the center with side radiant heating systems, positioning radiant heating systems (arranged in rows or otherwise) in the center with side process tubes, alternating rows of process tubes and radiant heating systems, concentric circles with alternating circles of process tubes and radiant heating systems. The process tubes can be in the form of straight tubes, U-shaped tubes, W-shaped tubes, single tubes that transition into multi-leg tubes, or coil-shaped or spiral-shaped tubes.
[0026] Advantageously, at least one radiant heating system may be equipped with at least one recuperator or at least one regenerator capable of recovering at least part of the energy from the combustion gases that it produces, in order to extract as much sensible energy as possible from the combustion gases, typically to preheat the oxidant and / or the fuel entering the radiant heating system.
[0027] Optionally, the combustion gases leaving the various radiant heating systems can be collected and used to collectively preheat (central recuperator) the oxidant and / or the fuel or to generate steam or to superheat vapors.
[0028] Optionally, the combustion gases leaving the various radiant heating systems, equipped with at least one recuperator or at least one regenerator capable of recovering at least part of the energy from the combustion gases produced, can be collected and used to collectively preheat (central recuperator) the oxidant and / or the fuel or to generate steam or to superheat vapors.
[0029] Thus, advantageously, the furnace may comprise at least one collector recovering the combustion gases produced by at least part of the radiant heating systems, the at least one collector being connected to at least one heat exchanger. This makes it possible to recover the heat from the combustion gases according to one or more of the possibilities described below. Optionally, the radiant heating systems may be equipped with at least one recuperator or at least one regenerator capable of recovering at least part of the energy from the combustion gases produced and connected to the at least one collector.
[0030] The at least one heat exchanger may be connected to at least one oxidant and / or fuel supply of the furnace to transfer heat from the flue gases to the oxidant and / or fuel before it enters the radiant heating systems. This improves combustion by limiting the energy consumption used to heat the oxidant and / or fuel.
[0031] The at least one heat exchanger may be connected to the at least one inlet of the load to transfer heat from the flue gases to the load before it enters the enclosure. This reduces the amount of energy required to heat the load within the enclosure. The at least one heat exchanger may be connected to a steam generation or steam superheating device, which may then be used in a unit requiring steam or superheated steam.
[0032] The at least one heat exchanger can be connected to an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) machine, in order to supply it with hot fluid.
[0033] The at least one heat exchanger can be connected to a heat pump in order to supply it with hot fluid.
[0034] Generally speaking, at least one heat exchanger can thus be connected to any system or device to which heat is to be supplied.
[0035] Generally speaking, whatever the embodiment, the oven according to the invention may further comprise means for regulating the radiant heating systems capable of regulating the electricity supply, the oxidant supply and the fuel supply of the radiant heating systems, and / or at least one temperature sensor, in particular for regulating the quantity of heat produced by the radiant heating systems and thus the temperature of the load.
[0036] Advantageously, the oven according to the invention can thus comprise: means for regulating the radiant heating systems capable of regulating the electricity supply, the oxidant supply and the fuel supply of the radiant heating systems, at least one temperature sensor, a temperature control system connected to the at least one temperature sensor and to the means for regulating the radiant heating systems, the control system being configured to regulate the supplies of the radiant heating systems so as to provide the load with sufficient heat to reach a target temperature.
[0037] Regardless of the embodiment, the regulating means may be capable of regulating the power supplies of the radiant heating systems whether or not they are arranged in modules. The regulating means may thus be configured to regulate the power supply of radiant heating systems distributed in groups (arranged in modules or not) and / or to regulate one or more radiant heating systems separately.
[0038] This can make it possible to regulate the temperature of the load, in particular by limiting the heat inputs from combustion. Thus, the control system can be configured to minimize the fuel and oxidant supplies to the radiant heating systems. This temperature control can be achieved by monitoring the temperature of the load and / or the enclosure by means of the at least one temperature sensor.
[0039] Advantageously, the control system may be configured to separately control each radiant heating system and / or to separately control groups of radiant heating systems, in particular to operate them in electric mode, in combustion mode or both, preferably in electric mode or in combustion mode.
[0040] The invention also relates to a method for heating and / or treating at least one feedstock chosen from a hydrocarbon feedstock, an oxygenated feedstock, NH3, H2O, CO2 and H2, by means of a furnace according to the invention, the method comprising: a step of introducing the feedstock inside the process tubes of the furnace, and a step of heating the feedstock circulating inside the process tubes during which the at least one electric heating element of at least part of the radiant heating systems is supplied with electricity and / or the at least one burner of at least part of the radiant heating systems is supplied with oxidant and fuel to provide heat to said feedstock, in particular in sufficient quantity to reach a target temperature.
[0041] This can in particular make it possible to provide sufficient heat to the feedstock to separate or treat it, for example to convert it, while reducing CO2 and NOx emissions. The furnace according to the invention can thus be used to heat a feedstock sufficiently to separate it, for example by distillation, or to treat it, for example to convert it. Typically, the heated feedstock can be separated in equipment external to the furnace (distillation column or other), while a treatment of the feedstock, for example a conversion of the feedstock, can be carried out inside the furnace enclosure or in other equipment external to the furnace (naphtha reformer, alcohol dehydration, paraffin dehydrogenation, ammonia cracking, etc.). Thus, in certain cases, the process tubes of the furnace according to the invention can serve as a reactor.
[0042] Thus, in one embodiment, the heating step provides sufficient heat to the feedstock to process the feedstock inside the process tubes of the furnace, in particular to convert it. For example, the heat provided may be sufficient to carry out a treatment selected from a steam cracking reaction, a cracking reaction, steam reforming, a paraffin dehydrogenation reaction, an alcohol dehydration reaction, a reverse water gas shift reaction (RWGSR or RWGSR).By way of example, the furnace according to the invention can thus make it possible (i) to steam crack a feedstock, for example a hydrocarbon feedstock, alone or in a mixture with CO2, (ii) to crack a feedstock, for example a hydrocarbon feedstock or NH3, (iii) to steam reform a hydrocarbon feedstock, typically methane, (iv) to convert a mixture of CO2 and H2 to produce water and CO (RWGSR), (v) to carry out any other conversion of at least one feedstock chosen from a hydrocarbon feedstock, an oxygenated feedstock, NH3, H2O, CO2 and H2.
[0043] Hydrocarbon feedstocks may contain hydrocarbons such as natural gas, ethane, propane, butanes, naphtha, diesel and / or petroleum (crude oil). Oxygenated feedstocks may include alcohols (e.g. methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanols, etc.), linear ethers (e.g. dimethyl ethers, diethyl ethers, etc.) or cyclic ethers (e.g. alkyl furans), esters (e.g. triglycerides, diglycerides, monoglycerides, methyl esters, etc.) or carboxylic acids (e.g. fatty acids, etc.).
[0044] Where large amounts of heat are required, it may be preferable to supply radiant heating systems with fuel and oxidant only, but this can be done for a short time, in order to minimise the amount of fuel and oxidant burned during the heating stage, and thus minimise CO2 and NO emissions. X .
[0045] Advantageously, during the heating stage, at least some of the radiant heating systems can be powered by electricity, oxidant and fuel. These radiant heating systems then operate in hybrid mode, i.e. in both combustion and electric mode. This makes it possible to limit CO2 and NO emissions. X compared to operation only in combustion mode.
[0046] However, during the heating stage, it is preferable to supply at least part of the radiant heating systems with electricity, and the other part with oxidant and fuel.
[0047] Advantageously, during the heating stage, at least some of the radiant heating systems can be powered solely by electricity. Such operation in electric mode only allows for further reductions in CO2 and NO emissions. Xcompared to operation in hybrid mode or combustion mode. This embodiment is particularly advantageous when the electricity is electricity produced by renewable means (solar energy, wind energy, hydraulic energy) and / or at lower cost.
[0048] Advantageously, during the heating step, at least some of the radiant heating systems can be supplied only with oxidant and fuel. This embodiment with operation only in combustion mode of at least some of the radiant heating systems, makes it possible to reduce the quantity of electricity used to heat the load to a target temperature, for example when electricity from non-renewable sources is not available and / or too expensive and / or when the quantity of electricity consumed by the installation must be reduced.
[0049] It is thus understood that the oven according to the invention can operate in a very flexible manner, depending on the available energy and / or depending on the energy that one wishes to prioritize, to operate the radiant heating systems and heat the load to a target temperature, in particular while minimizing costs and / or CO2 and NO emissions. X .
[0050] Advantageously, during the heating step, each radiant heating system, in particular a part of the radiant heating systems, can be controlled separately and / or groups of radiant heating systems can be controlled separately, in particular to operate them in electric mode, in combustion mode or both, preferably in electric mode or in combustion mode. This can make it possible to more precisely regulate the temperature inside the furnace and / or to improve the temperature uniformity, while minimizing costs and / or CO2 and NO emissions. X .
[0051] Advantageously, during the heating step, the electricity and / or fuel and oxidant supplies of at least one radiant heating system and / or at least one group of radiant heating systems can be regulated so as to provide the load with sufficient heat to reach a target temperature. In particular, this regulation can be achieved while minimizing costs and / or CO2 and NO emissions. X .
[0052] Advantageously, during the heating step, when at least part of the radiant heating systems is supplied with oxidant and fuel, the combustion gases produced by the radiant heating systems can then be collected by means of at least one collector connected to at least one heat exchanger, and the heat from the combustion gases can be transferred to at least one of the following devices (i) a supply of oxidant and / or fuel to the furnace to heat the oxidant and / or the fuel, (ii) the at least one inlet of the load to heat it before it enters the enclosure, (iii) a steam generation or steam superheating device to respectively produce steam or superheat steam, (iv) an organic Rankine cycle machine.Optionally, the radiant heating systems may be equipped with at least one recuperator or at least one regenerator capable of recovering at least part of the energy from the combustion gases produced, and the combustion gases from at least part of the different radiant heating systems may be collected by means of said at least one collector connected to the at least one heat exchanger.
[0053] Alternatively or in combination, heat may be recovered from the combustion gases produced by each radiant heating system thus supplied by means of at least one recuperator or at least one regenerator to heat the oxidant and / or fuel entering the radiant heating system.
[0054] Definitions
[0055] The terms "comprising" and "comprises" as used herein are synonymous with "including," "includes," or "contains," "containing," and are inclusive or unbounded and do not exclude additional features, elements, or method steps not specified.
[0056] By "hydrocarbon feedstock" is meant a feedstock containing hydrocarbons of fossil or non-fossil origin. This term thus includes crude or refined oils, natural gas, refinery gas, synthesis gas, biogas, biomethane, pyrolysis oils from plastic, tires and / or biomass, hydrothermal liquefaction oils from plastic, tires, and / or biomass, and more generally all hydrocarbon compositions requiring heating. By "group of radiant heating systems" is meant at least two radiant heating systems, arranged in modules or not, capable of being regulated by the same regulation means and / or of being controlled together by the control system. detailed description of the invention
[0057] Description of figures
[0058] Figure 1 schematically represents an oven according to one embodiment of the invention.
[0059] Figure 2 schematically represents in longitudinal section a radiant heating system according to one embodiment.
[0060] Figure 3 shows the radiant heating system of Figure 2 in cross section.
[0061] Figure 4 schematically represents different configurations (a) to (d) of radiant heating systems with recirculation of combustion gases.
[0062] Figure 5 schematically represents different configurations (a) to (e) of radiant heating systems without recirculation of combustion gases.
[0063] Figure 6 schematically represents a radiant heating system without recirculation of combustion gases equipped with a recuperator.
[0064] Figure 7 schematically represents a radiant heating system without recirculation of combustion gases equipped with two burners and two regenerators, and operating alternately according to configurations (a) and (b).
[0065] Figure 8 schematically represents an oven according to another embodiment of the invention.
[0066] Figure 9 schematically represents cross sections of furnaces according to different configurations (a) to (i) of the process tubes and radiant heating systems.
[0067] In Figure 1, the arrows represent the direction of charge flow.
[0068] Figure 1 schematically represents a furnace 10 intended to heat and / or treat one or more feeds chosen from a hydrocarbon feed, an oxygenated feed, NH3, H2O, CO2 and H2. The furnace 10 comprises an enclosure 12, at least one inlet 14 for the feed, only one in this example, a bundle of process tubes 16 arranged inside the enclosure 10 and connected to the inlet (only one process tube being shown in Figure 1 for clarity), and a plurality of radiant heating systems 20 located inside the enclosure 12.
[0069] The enclosure 12 further comprises at least one outlet 18 (here only one) connected to the bundle of process tubes 16 to evacuate the heated and / or treated load from the enclosure 12. Depending on the arrangement and the number of process tubes 16 present in the enclosure, the latter may comprise one or more inlets and / or more outlets for the load. The process tubes 16 may be arranged in the usual manner, for example in a serpentine or other manner, inside the enclosure.The furnace 10 further comprises at least one oxidant supply 100, generally air and / or oxygen, at least one fuel supply 101, typically a gas, for example natural gas, biogas or gas generated by the units of a refining site (such as dihydrogen, ammonia or gas mainly containing methane mixed with other gases such as ethane, propane or other, in variable proportions depending on the production unit), and at least one electricity supply 102. The oxidant and fuel supplies may each be connected to a storage tank for the oxidant or fuel or to a distribution network for the oxidant or fuel (not shown). The electricity supply 102 may be connected to an electricity source 103. To simplify FIG. 1, these supplies are not all shown on all sides of the furnace.
[0070] In one embodiment, a hybrid radiant heating system 20 for use in a furnace according to the invention is preferably an infrared heating source that is capable of transferring heat such that the feed circulating in the process tubes can be heated to temperatures of at least 150°C, for example at least 180°C or at least 250°C. In certain preferred embodiments of the invention, the hybrid radiant heating systems may be configured to heat the feed circulating in the process tubes to a temperature of at least 150°C, 180°C or 250°C, advantageously at least 300°C, or at least 350°C, or at least 400°C, or at least 500°C. Each hybrid radiant heating system itself can have any high temperature (500°C to 2000°C for example), as long as the heat requirement is provided by a combination of emitting surface and temperature.In some embodiments of the invention, the hybrid radiant heating systems may be configured to produce a radiant heat flux of at least 20,000 W / m. 2 , or even at least 40,000 W / m 2 . In some embodiments, the hybrid radiant heating systems may be configured to produce a radiant heat flux of at least 40,000 W / m 2 . In some embodiments, the hybrid radiant heating systems may be configured to produce a radiant heat flux of at least 60,000 W / m 2 , for example about 80,000 W / m 2 .
[0071] Advantageously, the hybrid radiant heating systems 20 may be capable of emitting (or be configured to emit) electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength in the Infrared spectrum, as defined herein, thereby generating sufficient heat to heat the feedstock flowing through the process tubes to a target temperature. Preferably, said hybrid radiant heating systems may be configured to emit electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength of 700 nanometers to 1 millimeter, and more preferably of 0.7 micrometers to 50 micrometers, or in any range defined by two of these wavelengths.
[0072] A person skilled in the art is able to configure a hybrid radiant heating system to achieve sufficient heat transfer to the process tubes to achieve a target temperature of the load, in particular by choosing the appropriate materials and / or one or more appropriate burners, and / or appropriate dimensions for each hybrid radiant heating system.
[0073] The hybrid radiant heating systems usable in the present invention may differ depending on their geometry, the types of burners used and the materials of manufacture and may be grouped according to their geometry and the manner in which the combustion gases circulate within their outer casing, also called a "tube". Examples of hybrid radiant heating systems usable in the present invention, also called "hybrid radiant heating tubes" or "radiant heating tubes" in the remainder of the description, are described with reference to Figures 2 to 7.
[0074] With reference to figures 2 and 3, a radiant heating tube 20 comprises at least: an outer casing 200 defining a chamber 201, at least one burner 204 (shown schematically in fig.2), generally only one, located inside the chamber 201, at least one oxidant supply 205 and at least one fuel supply 206 supplying the at least one burner 204 and connected to the corresponding supplies 100, 101 respectively, of the furnace, at least one exhaust 207 of the combustion gases, at least one electric heating element 208, arranged in this embodiment inside the chamber 201, at least one electricity supply 209 electrically connected to the at least one electric heating element 208 and to the electricity supply 102 of the furnace.
[0075] When this radiant heating tube 20 is mounted in the furnace 10, the combustion gas outlet 207 opens outside the enclosure 12 of the furnace.
[0076] Thus, the feeds 100, 101, of oxidant and fuel of the furnace are connected exclusively to the radiant heating systems 20 and do not supply burners located inside the furnace enclosure. In other words, the furnace according to the invention does not comprise burners located directly inside the enclosure and releasing combustion gases inside the enclosure, but only radiant heating systems.
[0077] The at least one burner of each radiant heating system may be any type of device initiating combustion and / or in which combustion of the fuel / oxidant mixture occurs.
[0078] In the example shown in Figures 2 and 3, a single electric heating element 208 is provided and arranged inside the chamber 201. The invention is however not limited to this embodiment. One or more electric heating elements can thus be provided, each being able to be, independently of the others, arranged inside the chamber 201, outside the chamber 201 or be integrated into the casing 200. In the example shown, two separate feeds 205 and 206 are shown to bring the fuel and the oxidant to the burner 204. However, these two feeds could join in a single conduit to directly supply the radiant heating tube 20 with an oxidant / fuel mixture. In the example, the mixing can take place within an optional chamber 210, upon arrival in the burner 204, or inside the latter.For this purpose, a mixing device, such as a static mixer, may be arranged upstream of the burner. Alternatively or in combination, a blower external to the radiant heating system may be provided to bring the oxidant / fuel mixture to the burner. The combustion gases from the combustion of the mixture by the burner 204 are discharged via the pipe 207 which opens outside the enclosure 12 of the furnace and which may be collected by a collector 109 (shown in FIG. 1). Thus, the furnace 10 does not have a convection zone, but only a radiation zone. Depending on the mounting of the radiant heating tube 20 on the wall of the enclosure, the discharge pipe 207 of each tube may or may not pass through this wall. It will be preferable to position the discharge pipe 207 entirely outside the enclosure 12.
[0079] Optionally, one or more mixing devices (not shown) may be installed inside the outer casing 200 in order to improve heat dissipation and make it as homogeneous as possible and avoid hot spots in certain locations.
[0080] In the example shown, the electric heating element 208 is a resistive element, formed for example of a metal wire wound around an internal device 202 in the chamber 201. This internal device 202 is an internal casing of tubular shape in the example shown. The electric heating element 208 can for example be fixed to the internal device 202 by supports 211 keeping it at a distance from the internal device 202, as shown in FIG. 3. The invention is of course not limited to a number of electric heating elements, to their structure and / or their arrangement. A person skilled in the art is able to choose one or more appropriate electric heating elements in order to produce the desired quantity of heat.
[0081] Thus, alternatively or in combination, provision may be made to fix an electric heating element to the internal face of the external casing 200. Alternatively or in combination, an electric heating element may be fixed to the external face of the external casing 200.
[0082] Alternatively or in combination, an electric heating element may be attached to a device located inside the outer casing, such as a mixing device, an inner casing, or a device specifically provided for this purpose, such as a support. Such a support may be in the form of a cylindrical wall, such as the inner casing 202 shown in Figures 2-3, or may have any other shape (planar wall, polygonal, rod-shaped, or other).
[0083] Alternatively or in combination, an electrical heating element, in particular of the resistive type, may be integrated into the material that constitutes the outer casing. In other words, the outer casing may form an electrical heating element. Alternatively or in combination, an electrical heating element may be integrated into the material that constitutes an internal device located inside the outer casing, such as a mixing device, an inner casing or a device specifically provided for this purpose.
[0084] Notably, in one embodiment, an electric heating element may include, or be comprised of, a resistive element formed from the material that constitutes the outer shell. Alternatively or in combination, the resistive element may be formed from the material of at least one internal device, such as a mixing device, an inner shell, or the like, installed within the outer shell. Examples of resistive material include SiC and iron-chromium-aluminum (FeCrAI) alloys.
[0085] Electrically powered resistive heating elements suitable for use in a hybrid radiant heating system of the inventive oven exist in a variety of designs and in different electrically conductive materials.
[0086] In some embodiments, the electric heating elements may be selected from the group consisting of electrically conductive ceramic heating elements (including carbide-based heating elements, such as silicon carbide, SiC), carbon-based heating elements, silicide-based heating elements (such as molybdenum disilicide, MoSi2), metal or metal alloy heating elements (such as iron-chromium-aluminum alloy, FeCrAI), and any combination thereof.Preferred examples of electrically powered resistive elements include, for example, but are not limited to, electrically conductive ceramic heating elements, and in particular silicon carbide heating elements, molybdenum disilicide heating elements or iron-chromium-aluminum alloy heating elements (e.g. Kanthal® FeCrAI alloys which consist mainly of iron, chromium (20-30% by mass) and aluminum (4-7.5% by mass)). It will be understood that in accordance with the present invention, combinations of different electrically powered heating elements made of different materials and / or different shapes can also be applied in the present invention.
[0087] In the example shown with reference to Figures 2 and 3, the outer 200 and inner 202 envelopes of the radiant heating tube 20 are tubular in shape. The invention is however not limited to a specific shape of the envelopes, and / or to the presence of an inner envelope as previously explained.
[0088] In particular, one or more radiant heating tubes 20 may be used having one of the configurations shown in FIGS. 4(a)-(d), 5(a)-(e), 6 and 7 and described below, such as hybrid radiant heating systems with combustion gas recirculation (FIG. 4(a)-(d)), or without combustion gas recirculation (FIG. 5(a)-(e)), with recuperator (FIG. 6) or with regenerator(s) (FIG. 7). In these figures, for the sake of clarity, the electrical heating elements are not shown, the arrows represent the directions of circulation of the fluids and P1 and P2 designate support walls of the tubes, which may be walls of the furnace and / or walls of a support internal to the furnace. In these examples, the wall P2 may be omitted, in particular for the embodiments of FIGS. 4(b)-(d) and 5(b)-(e).Hybrid radiant heating tubes 20 with combustion gas circulation are systems whose geometry of the outer casing 200 allows multiple internal recirculations of the combustion gases by diluting the air entering the outer casing 200 with the mixture already present in the outer casing 200. This allows for better temperature uniformity at the surface of the outer casing and thus has the effect of reducing the formation of NOx, because the flame temperature and the partial pressure of oxygen are reduced. This type of radiant heating tubes typically has an outer casing 200 in the form of a single-ended tube ("single ended" - fig. 4(a)), a "P" tube (fig. 4(b)), a "double P" tube (fig. 4(c)) and an "A" tube (fig. 4(d)).
[0089] The non-recirculating hybrid radiant heating tubes 20 are systems whose outer casing 200 is shaped so that the combustion gases only pass once inside the outer casing. This type of radiant heating tube is in the form of a straight tube (I-tube - fig. 5 (a)), a single-ended tube ("single-ended" - fig. 5 (b)), a "U" tube (fig. 5 (c)), a "W" tube (fig. 5 (e)) or a trident tube (fig. 5 (d)). In all non-recirculating radiant heating tubes, the burner 204 is fixed at one end, where the oxidant and the fuel enter and a combustion gas outlet 207 is provided at the other end. Only the single-ended radiant heating tube (fig.5(b)) differs in that the combustion gas outlet is on the same side as the burner; combustion takes place in a kind of combustion chamber defined by an inner casing 202 placed axially inside the outer casing 200 and the gases leave the tube through a concentric space between the combustion chamber and the outer casing, as also shown in Figures 2 and 3. Single-ended non-recirculating radiant heating tubes (Fig. 5(b)) provide excellent temperature uniformity and are easy to install in a furnace because they have only one flange and one joint with the furnace wall at the cold end of the outer casing. The other end can thus expand in the furnace freely.
[0090] Uniform temperature distribution is important to achieve uniform radiation from the radiant heating tubes to the process tube bundle in the furnace, maximum heat flux from the radiant heating tubes to the process tube bundle, and long radiant heating tube life. For non-recirculating radiant heating tubes, slow-mix burners with long flames can be used so that the flame covers the first part of the outer shell. In conjunction with temperature modulation, it can be difficult to achieve the same temperature uniformity at different burner loads in non-recirculating radiant heating tubes.With recirculating radiant heating tubes, high-speed burners can be used to promote temperature uniformity through intensive recirculation of combustion gases within the radiant heating tubes.
[0091] To improve the efficiency and minimize the fuel consumption of the burners of the radiant heating tubes with or without recirculation, recuperators 212 (see for example fig. 6) may be used, such as recuperators, which are heat exchangers (for example called "central heat-exchangers" or "plug-in" or "self-recuperator" in English) of the radiant heating tube, or regenerators 213 (see for example fig. 7), making it possible to use the sensible energy of the combustion gases to preheat the oxidant and / or the fuel. The recuperators are typically configured to circulate the incoming oxidant in a conduit located in a part of the radiant heating system through which the combustion gases are evacuated. The regenerators typically comprise a heat transfer material, generally ceramic, which stores the heat as it is crossed by the combustion gases and then transmits it to the oxidant which passes therethrough.Regenerators are thus generally used in radiant heating systems comprising two burners operating alternately or a single burner operating intermittently.
[0092] The efficiency of a combustion system is essentially the thermal efficiency, also called available heat, and depends on the energy supplied to the system by the fuel input minus the thermal energy that leaves the system via the flue gases. Therefore, in the absence of appropriate heat recovery methods, the efficiency can be very low (available heat < 50%), especially for very high furnace temperatures. In order to increase the efficiency, the flue gas outlet temperature should be as low as possible. An effective way is to preheat the combustion air by recovering the sensible heat from the flue gases. In order to increase the efficiency of radiant heating tubes, recuperators or regenerators can advantageously be used to use the energy from the flue gases to preheat the oxidizer and / or the fuel.
[0093] For non-recirculating U-type (Fig. 5(c)) and W-type (Fig. 5(e)) radiant heating tubes and single-ended recirculating (Fig.4(a)), P-shaped (Fig. 4(b)) and double P-shaped (Fig.4(c)) radiant heating tubes, recuperators can be used to improve thermal efficiency. There are plug-in recuperators in the radiant heating tube and self-recuperator systems. For U or W types, plug-in recuperators 212 are generally used and inserted into the flue where the flue gases exit (see Fig.6), the air is preheated by a co-current exchanger and the preheated air is guided to the burner via ducts outside the furnace.Single-ended, P and Double-P tubes are usually equipped with self-recuperators which are counter-current heat exchangers, which are placed inside and at the height of the furnace wall, allowing high air preheating temperatures and not requiring hot air piping outside the furnace.
[0094] Another possibility for preheating the oxidizer and / or fuel in type A, U or W radiant heating tubes is the installation of a pair of regenerators 213 on these tubes, as shown in Figure 7. For this type of radiant heating tubes, a regenerator 213 may be installed at each end of the tube. Two burners 204 per tube operate alternately. The heat of the combustion gases is then stored in ceramic regenerators 213 and transferred to the oxidizer and / or fuel when the other burner is activated. Regenerative systems make it possible to obtain preheating temperatures close to the furnace temperature. For radiant heating tubes with recirculation of type P or double P, a pair of regenerators can be integrated into a single unit. These self-regenerating burners combine a regeneration system and the burner into a single compact unit.The heat from the flue gases is stored in ceramic regenerators and transferred to the combustion air when the flow direction changes. Cycle times of around 10 seconds allow for consistent conditions. The fuel supply is constant and does not need to be changed, unlike regenerative burner pairs.
[0095] Whether equipped with recuperator 212 or regenerator(s) 213, the hybrid radiant heating tubes usable in the present invention can optionally be connected to a flue gas collector 110 as described below.
[0096] Radiant heating tubes are typically made from a cast alloy or a heat-resistant fabricated alloy. The maximum furnace temperature can be in the range of 900 to 1400°C, depending on the type of material the radiant heating tubes are made from. However, higher temperatures can be achieved with special alloy or ceramic radiant heating tubes, combined with ceramic recuperative burners. Ceramic radiant heating tubes and ceramic recuperative burner parts are typically made from reaction-bound silicon carbide (SiSiC). The heat transferred by the radiant heating tubes determines the furnace's thermal capacity.With ceramic radiant heating tubes, the heat capacity of the furnace can be greatly increased due to the higher surface temperature and greater heat flux of the radiant heating tubes.
[0097] Each radiant heating tube 20 can thus operate in a combustion mode (it is then supplied with fuel and oxidant to produce heat via the burner(s)), in an electric mode (it is then supplied with electricity to produce heat via the electric heating element(s)) or in a hybrid mode combining the combustion mode and the electric mode. However, it will be preferable to operate the radiant heating tubes 20 in electric mode or in combustion mode.
[0098] In the example shown in Fig. 1, radiant heating tubes 20 are fixed to internal walls of the furnace, here on the side walls 104 of the furnace and on the bottom wall (or floor) 105 of the furnace. The invention is however not limited to a particular arrangement of the heating tubes inside the furnace provided that the external casing of the systems is located inside the enclosure. In particular, radiant heating tubes 20 may be arranged at a distance from the walls of the furnace and / or on one or more side walls 104 and / or on the bottom wall 105 and / or on the upper wall 106. Similarly, the radiant heating tubes 20 may be arranged perpendicular to the wall of the enclosure to which they are fixed or not. Alternatively or in combination, one or more radiant heating tubes 20 may be supported by a support itself fixed to a wall of the furnace or resting on a wall of the furnace.Regardless of the embodiment of the radiant heating tubes, the combustion gases from one or more radiant heating tubes 20 may be collected by one or more collectors 109 (a single collector is shown in FIG. 1 for clarity) connected to the discharge pipes 207 of the radiant heating tubes 20. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the collector 109 is connected to a heat exchanger 110 and to a supply 100 of the furnace with oxidant. It is thus possible to heat the oxidant entering each radiant heating tube. Depending on the arrangement of the radiant heating tubes inside the furnace, one or more collectors 109 of their combustion gases may be provided to heat one or more of the supplies 100 of the furnace with oxidant.Alternatively or in combination, a heat exchanger 110 may also be connected to an inlet pipe 111 bringing the load into the enclosure, this heat exchanger 110 also being connected to a flue gas collector (not shown in Figure 1 for reasons of clarity). Alternatively or in combination, a heat exchanger 110 could be connected to another device or pipe to which heat is desired to be supplied, such as a pipe in which another process stream circulates, a heat pump, an ORC machine, etc.
[0099] It will be possible to arrange the heating tubes 20 in modules 300, 300', as shown schematically in Figure 8. Each module 300, 300' then comprises at least one support 301, 30T, here only one, to which two or more radiant heating tubes 20 are fixed, three for the module 300 and ten for the module 300' in the example shown. The support 301 is here in the form of a bar or plate to which the radiant heating tubes 20 are fixed. The support 300' here has a shape similar to a comb, the radiant heating tubes 20 being fixed to the teeth 305 of the comb according to orientations and / or positions which may or may not be similar, as shown. Of course, the invention is not limited to these configurations given by way of example.
[0100] Each support 301, 301' comprises an oxidant supply 302, a fuel supply 304 and an electricity supply 303 (these supplies are not shown for the module 300' for reasons of clarity) connected to the corresponding supplies of the furnace (not shown in Figure 8). In addition, these supplies 302, 303 and 304 are connected to the corresponding supplies of each radiant heating tube 20. In the example shown, each support 301, 301' is fixed to the bottom wall 105 of the enclosure; however, it could simply rest on this wall or be fixed to another wall of the enclosure. In addition, three process tubes 16 are shown here, arranged between the modules 300, 30T. The process tubes 16 are thus arranged in rows, with the radiant heating tube modules 20 between them. The process tubes 16 and the radiant heating tubes 20 are thus regularly distributed inside the enclosure.
[0101] Such a regular distribution of process tubes and radiant heating tubes may also be provided when the radiant heating tubes are not arranged in modules or when some of the tubes are arranged in modules and some are not.
[0102] The invention is not limited to the arrangement of the radiant heating tubes shown in Figure 8. In particular, provision may be made for the radiant heating tubes 20, whether or not arranged in modules, to be distributed regularly or not inside the enclosure, as may the process tubes 16. These different tubes may advantageously be located equidistant from each other. For example, a distance between the radiant heating tubes and the process tubes may be provided at least equal to the diameter of the process tubes.
[0103] Figures 9(a)-(i) show cross-sections of furnaces with examples of the distribution of process tubes and hybrid radiant heating tubes inside the furnace. In Figures 9(a) to 9(f), the furnace is parallelepiped in shape while in Figures 9(g) to (9i), the furnace is cylindrical in shape. In these figures, the solid circles represent the hybrid radiant heating tubes while the open circles represent the process tubes. In configurations (a) and (b), the tubes extend in lines, in alternating rows. In configurations (c) to (f), the process tubes extend in rows but in each row, they form two or three lines, with the same or different spacings from one line to the next. Configurations (g) to (i) give examples of concentric distributions of circles of process tubes alternating with circles of radiant heating tubes in a cylindrical furnace.
[0104] The invention is of course not limited to a specific distribution of the different tubes. The invention is also not limited by the number of radiant heating tubes per module, nor by the shape of the module support, nor by the wall on which each module is fixed. In particular, separate modules may be fixed to separate internal walls of the oven. The supports could also have a rectilinear, comb, circular, polygonal or other shape, or be in the form of plates, of a flat, cylindrical or parallelepiped shape, or other. The radiant heating tubes fixed to each support of a module may be parallel to each other or not, and have one or more different configurations, for example those shown in Figures 2 to 7, without being limited thereto.The orientation of the radiant heating tubes of a module in relation to their support can be chosen according to the shape of the furnace, the shape of the support, the arrangement of the process tubes and the space available.
[0105] In Figure 8, the furnace enclosure is parallelepipedal in shape, but the invention is not limited to an enclosure shape which may also be cylindrical or have another shape.
[0106] As shown schematically in Figure 1, the furnace 10 may further comprise means 107 for regulating the radiant heating tubes 20 capable of regulating the electricity supply, the oxidant supply and the fuel supply to the radiant heating tubes 20, one or more temperature sensors 108, and a temperature control system 30 connected to the temperature sensor(s) and to the means 107 for regulating the radiant heating tubes. In Figure 1, for reasons of clarity, the means 107 have only been shown for one of the radiant heating tubes 20 shown. Note that one or more means 107 for regulating may be provided, each regulating one or more radiant heating tubes, arranged in groups, optionally arranged in modules, or not.The control system 30 is notably configured to regulate the electricity, fuel and oxidant supplies of the radiant heating systems 20 so as to provide the load with sufficient heat to reach a target temperature.
[0107] This temperature control can be carried out as a function of the temperature measured inside the enclosure and / or the temperature of the load, for example at the outlet of the furnace as shown in figure 1, by means of one or more appropriate temperature sensors 108.
[0108] The regulating means 107 may comprise one or more flow regulators (pumps, valves, solenoid valves or the like), for example mounted on fuel and oxidant supply lines of each radiant heating tube 20 or of a group of radiant heating tubes 20 (arranged in modules or not), and one or more voltage or current regulators (not shown), for example mounted on an electricity supply circuit of each radiant heating tube 20 or of a group of radiant heating tubes 20 (arranged in modules or not).
[0109] Generally, regardless of the embodiment, the control system 30 typically comprises one or more processors, for example a microprocessor, a microcontroller or the like. It may be configured to receive temperature information from the temperature sensor(s) 108, and optionally information relating to the quantities of oxidant, fuel and electricity supplied to the radiant heating tubes 20. The control system 30 typically comprises input, output or input / output interfaces. These may be wireless communication interfaces (Bluetooth, WIFI or the like) or connectors (network port, USB port, serial port, Firewire® port, SCSI port or the like). These input and / or output interfaces may form communication means, optionally bidirectional, between the control system, the regulation means, the temperature sensor(s) and / or a user interface.The control system 30 may also include storage means which may be random access memory (RAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, external memory or the like. These storage means may, among other things, store received data, measured values, a database and / or a model, and one or more computer programs.
[0110] The control system 30 can thus comprise at least one processor configured, in particular programmed, to implement the heating steps of the method according to the invention.
[0111] Thus, the control system 30 can be configured, in particular programmed, to regulate the electricity, fuel and comburent supplies to the radiant heating tubes so as to provide the load with sufficient heat to reach a target temperature, in particular at the outlet of the furnace. This regulation can be carried out in such a way as to minimize CO2 and NO emissions. X The control system 30 will thus be able to supply more radiant heating tubes with electricity and / or increase the amount of current supplying the radiant heating tubes, and reduce, or even stop, the supplies of fuel and oxidant to the radiant heating tubes in order to minimize CO2 and NO emissions. Xto heat the load to a target temperature. A person skilled in the art will be able to determine the quantity of electricity supplied to each tube and / or group of tubes and / or the quantities of fuel and oxidant supplied to each tube and / or group of tubes in order to produce the desired quantity of heat. This quantity of heat may be measured, estimated using models and / or determined by tests.
[0112] The control system 30 may also be configured, in particular programmed, to separately control each radiant heating tube and / or group of radiant heating tubes, for example arranged in modules or not. This control may be carried out by supplying the radiant heating tubes concerned with electricity and / or fuel and oxidant so that the heating tubes receive a determined quantity of electricity and / or fuel and oxidant. These quantities of electricity and / or fuel and oxidant may be regulated as previously described. Of course, when it controls the supply of fuel and oxidant to a radiant heating tube, the control system 30 also controls the ignition of the burner(s) of the latter.
[0113] The control system 30 may also be capable of simulating human intelligence (i.e., presenting artificial intelligence), for example by being configured to analyze the data and automate the development of an analytical model for heating the furnace using machine learning technology or using data mining and / or deep learning technologies, in particular by using algorithms capable of learning iteratively, statistical algorithms and / or artificial neural networks.
[0114] The various embodiments previously described with reference to the figures can be combined and operate according to one or more of the embodiments described below.
[0115] The heating and / or treatment of a load by means of the furnace of the present invention thus comprises a step of introducing the load inside the bundle of process tubes 16 of the furnace 10 via the inlet 14 and the heating of this load circulating inside the process tubes using the radiant heating tubes 20. For this purpose, the electric heating element(s) of at least a portion of the radiant heating tubes are supplied with electricity and / or the burner(s) of at least a portion of the radiant heating tubes are supplied with oxidant and fuel to provide said load with heat.
[0116] In particular, the quantities of electricity and / or oxidant and fuel supplied to the radiant heating tubes 20 may be regulated, for example via the regulation means 107 previously described, in order to provide the load with the desired quantity of heat to heat and / or treat it. These quantities of electricity and / or oxidant and fuel supplied to the radiant heating tubes 20 may further be controlled by the control system 30 so as to provide the load with sufficient heat to reach a target temperature, as previously described.
[0117] The operating mode of each radiant heating tube and / or a group of radiant heating tubes (combustion mode, electric mode or hybrid mode) can be controlled for each radiant heating tube and / or for a group of tubes in order to produce the desired amount of heat as quickly as possible, at the lowest cost and / or by minimizing CO2 and NO emissions. X .
[0118] It will thus be possible to (i) supply at least some of the radiant heating tubes with electricity only, (ii) supply at least some of the radiant heating tubes with oxidant and fuel only, (iii) or combine (i) and (ii). However, preference will be given to operating each radiant heating tube in combustion mode or in electric mode. In addition, depending on the thermal energy requirements, it may be possible to provide for not supplying oxidant / fuel and electricity to certain radiant heating tubes. In other words, depending on the desired quantity of heat, certain radiant heating tubes can be switched off.
[0119] It is thus possible to select the radiant heating tubes that will produce heat as well as the heat production mode of each radiant heating tube (combustion mode, electric mode, hybrid mode). The oven according to the invention thus makes it possible to supply the desired heat to a load in a flexible and modular manner.
Claims
Claims 1. Furnace (10) for heating or treating at least one feedstock selected from a hydrocarbon feedstock, an oxygenated feedstock, NH3, H2O, CO2 and H2, said furnace comprising an enclosure (12), at least one inlet (14) for the feedstock, a bundle of process tubes (16) arranged inside the enclosure and connected to the at least one inlet (14), and a plurality of radiant heating systems (20) located inside the enclosure (12), characterized in that the furnace (10) comprises at least one oxidant supply (100), at least one fuel supply (101) and at least one electricity supply (102), and in that each radiant heating system (20) is a hybrid radiant heating system comprising at least: - an outer casing (200) defining a chamber (201), - at least one burner (204) located inside the chamber (201), - at least one oxidant supply (205) and at least one fuel supply (206) supplying the at least one burner and connected to the corresponding supplies of the furnace (100, 101), - at least one exhaust (207) of the combustion gases opening outside the enclosure, - at least one electric heating element (208), - at least one power supply (209) electrically connected to the at least one electric heating element (208) and to the at least one power supply (102) of the oven.
2. Oven (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one electric heating element (208) is chosen from (i) an electric heating element fixed on the outer casing (200), (ii) an electric heating element integrated into the outer casing (200), (iii) an electric heating element integrated into an internal device (202) located inside the outer casing (200), (iv) an electric heating element fixed to an internal device (202) located inside the outer casing (200).
3. Oven (10) according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that at least part of the radiant heating systems (20) are fixed to at least one internal wall (104, 105, 106) of the enclosure chosen from a bottom wall, a top wall and a side wall.
4. Oven (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises at least one module (300), each module comprising at least one support (301) and at least two radiant heating systems (20) fixed to the support, the support being equipped with supplies (302, 303, 304) of fuel, oxidant and electricity connected on the one hand to corresponding supplies of the oven, and on the other hand to the corresponding supplies of said radiant heating systems.
5. Furnace (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the radiant heating systems (20) are distributed regularly inside the furnace enclosure, between the process tubes (16).
6. Oven (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that at least one radiant heating system is equipped with at least one recuperator or at least one regenerator capable of recovering at least part of the energy from the combustion gases that it produces.
7. Oven (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises at least one collector (109) recovering the combustion gases produced by at least part of the radiant heating systems (20), the at least one collector being connected to at least one heat exchanger (110).
8. Furnace (10) according to claim 7, characterized in that the at least one heat exchanger (110) is connected (i) to at least one oxidant and / or fuel supply of the furnace in order to transfer heat from the combustion gases to the oxidant and / or fuel before it enters the radiant heating systems, (ii) to the at least one inlet of the load in order to transfer heat from the combustion gases to the load before it enters the enclosure, (iii) to a steam generation or steam superheating device, (iv) to an organic Rankine cycle machine in order to supply it with hot fluid, or (v) to a heat pump in order to supply it with hot fluid.
9. Oven (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it further comprises: - means for regulating (107) the radiant heating systems (20) capable of regulating the electricity supply, the oxidant supply and the fuel supply of the radiant heating systems, - at least one temperature sensor (108), - a temperature control system (30) connected to the at least one temperature sensor and to the means for regulating the radiant heating systems, the control system being configured to regulate the power supplies of the radiant heating systems so as to provide the load with sufficient heat to reach a target temperature.
10. Method for heating or treating at least one feedstock chosen from a hydrocarbon feedstock, an oxygenated feedstock, NH3, H2O, CO2 and H2, by means of a furnace (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it comprises: - a step of introducing the charge inside the process tubes (16) of the furnace (10), and - a step of heating the load circulating inside the process tubes during which the at least one electric heating element (207) of at least part of the radiant heating systems (20) is supplied with electricity and / or by combusting and fueling the at least one burner (204) of at least a portion of the radiant heating systems (20) to provide heat to said load.
11. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that it comprises at least one of the following characteristics during the heating step: - at least part of the radiant heating systems (20) are supplied with electricity, oxidant and fuel, - at least some of the radiant heating systems (20) are powered solely by electricity, - at least part of the radiant heating systems (20) are supplied only with oxidant and fuel.
12. Method according to any one of claims 10 or 11, characterized in that, during the heating step, each radiant heating system is controlled separately and / or groups of radiant heating systems are controlled separately.
13. Method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that, during the heating step, the electricity and / or fuel and oxidant supplies of at least one radiant heating system (20) and / or at least one group of radiant heating systems (20) are regulated so as to provide the load with sufficient heat to reach a target temperature.
14. Method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that, during the heating step, at least a portion of the radiant heating systems is supplied with oxidant and fuel and the combustion gases produced by the radiant heating systems (20) are collected by means of at least one collector (109) connected to at least one heat exchanger (110), and the heat of the combustion gases is transferred to at least one of the following devices: (i) a supply of oxidant and / or fuel to the furnace to heat the oxidant and / or the fuel, (ii) the at least one inlet of the charge to heat it before it enters the enclosure, (iii) a steam generation or steam superheating device to respectively produce steam or superheat steam, (iv) an organic Rankine cycle machine.
15. Method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that, during the heating step, at least part of the radiant heating systems (20) is supplied with oxidant and fuel and the heat is recovered from the combustion gases produced by each radiant heating system thus supplied by means of at least one recuperator (210) or at least one regenerator (213) to heat the oxidant and / or the fuel entering the radiant heating system.
16. Treatment method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that, during the heating step, sufficient heat is supplied to said charge to convert it inside the process tubes of the furnace.