Fired heaters radiant section

Fired heaters radiant rate, 12,000 Btu/(hr)(sqft) convection rate, 4000 cold oil tube velocity, 6 ft/sec approx equal transfers of heat in the two sections thermal efficiency 70-75% flue gas temperature 250-350°F above feed inlet stack gas temperature 650-950°F. 

In fossil fuel-fired boilers there are two regions defined by the mode of heat transfer. Fuel is burned in the furnace or radiant section of the boiler. The walls of this section of the boiler are constmcted of vertical, or near vertical, tubes in which water is boiled. Heat is transferred radiatively from the fire to the waterwaH of the boiler. When the hot gas leaves the radiant section of the boiler, it goes to the convective section. In the convective section, heat is transferred to tubes in the gas path. Superheating and reheating are in the convective section of the boiler. The economizer, which can be considered as a gas-heated feedwater heater, is the last element in the convective zone of the boiler. 

In the vei tical-tube single-row double-fired heater, a single row of vertical tubes is arrayed along the center plane of the radiant section that is fired from both sides. Usually this type of heater has an overhead horizontal convec tion bank. Although it is the most expensive of the fired heater designs, it provides the most uniform heat transfer to the tubes. Duties are 21 to 132 GJ/h (20 to 125 10 Btu/h) per cell (twin-cell designs are not unusual). 

Honzontal-tube cabin heaters position the tubes of the radiant-section-coil horizontally along the walls and the slanting roof for the length of the cabin-shaped enclosure. The convection tube bank is placed horizontally above the combustion chamber. It may be fired From the floor, the side walls, or the end walls. As in the case of its vertical cylindrical counterpart, its economical design and high efficiency make it the most popular horizontal-tube heater. Duties are 11 to 105 GJ/h (10 to 100 10 Btu). 

In the horizontal-tube box heater with side-mounted convection tube bank, the radiant-section tubes run horizontally along the walls and the flat roof of the box-shaped heater, but the convection section is placed in a box of its own beside the radiant sec tion. Firing is horizontal from the end walls. The design of this heater results in a relatively expensive unit justified mainly by its abihty to burn low-grade high-ash fuel oil. Duties are 53 to 210 GJ/h (50 to 200 10 Btu/h). 

The tubes that are around the flame get most of their heat energs t rom radiation. The tubes in the top of the chamber get their heat from com ec-tion as the hot exhaust gases rise up through the heater and heat ihc process fluid in the tubes. The principal classification of fired heaters relates to the orientation of the heating coil in the radiant section. The tube coils of vertical fired heaters are placed vertically along the walls of the combustion chamber. Firing also occurs vertically from the Hoor of the heater. All the tubes are subjected to radiant energy. 

The radiant section tube coils of horizontal fired heaters are arranged horizontally so as to line the sidewalls and the roof of the combustion chamber. In addition, tliere is a convection section of tube coils, winch are positioned as a horizontal bank of tubes above the combustion cham her. Nonnally the tubes are fired vertically from the floor, but they can also be fired horizontally by side wall mounted burners located below the tube coil. Tins economical, high dficiency design currently represents the majority of new horizontal-tube-t1icd heater installations. Duties run from 5 to 250 MMBtu/hr. Six types o) horizontal-tube-fired heaters arc-shown in Figure 3-21. 

Figure 3-20. Vertical-tube-fired heaters con be identified by the vertical arrangement of the radiant-section coil, (a) Vertical- lindrical all radiant, (b) Vertical-cylindrical helical coil, (c) Vertical-cylindrical, with cross-flow-convection section. d) Vertical-cylindrical, with integral-convection section, (e) Arbor or wicket type, (f) Vertical-tube, single-row, double-fired. [From Chem. Eng, 100-101 (June 19, 1978).]...

In such cases, radiant heat transfer is used from the combustion of fuel in a fired heater ox furnace. Sometimes the function is to purely provide heat sometimes the fired heater is also a reactor and provides heat of reaction. The special case of steam generation in a fired heater (a steam boiler) will be dealt with in Chapter 23. Fired heater designs vary according to the function, heating duty, type of fuel and the method of introducing combustion air. However, process furnaces have a number of features in common. A simple design is illustrated in Figure 15.19. The chamber where combustion takes place, the radiant section... 

Figure 8.19. Some types of process fired heaters (See also Fig. 17.16 for a radiation panel heater), (a) Radiant, shield, and convection sections of a box-type heater, (b) Heater with a split convection section for preheating before and soaking after the radiant section (Lobo and Evans, 1939). (c) Vertical radiant tubes in a cylindrical shell, (d) Two radiant chambers with a common convection section.

The fuel consumed in a fired heater can be estimated from the fired heater duty divided by the furnace efficiency. The furnace efficiency will typically be about 0.85 if both the radiant and convective sections are used (see Chapter 12) and about 0.6 if the process heating is in the radiant section only. 

Figure 12.71. Fired heaters, (a) Vertical-cylindrical, all radiant, (b) Vertical-cylindrical, helical coil, (c) Vertical-cylindrical with convection section.

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