Training Services

Heater Design Procedures

FH/8-1

Section Outline

„ Process
„ Radiant Layout
„ Firebox Geometry
„ Burner to Tube Clearance
„ Convection Layout
„ Sulfur Dewpoint
„ Coil Pressure Drop
„ Draft
„ Design Summary

FH/8-2

1
Fired Heater Specification

FH/8-3

Example Design Problem

„ Design a new vertical cylindrical crude heater

„ Process Conditions
– 50,000 BPSD=632,624 lb/h
– Process Inlet 500ºF(260ºC)
– Process Outlet 7200ºF(382ºC)
– Process Duty =127.7 MM Btu/h
„ Low NOx –natural draft burners are required

FH/8-4

2
Select Radiant
Flux Rate
„ Design new units for
conservative flux
rates
„ Consider future
process cabability
„ Example, new crude
heater flux=10,000
„ BWT=1440ºF

FH/8-5

Run Fuels Program

„ Stack=Process Inlet +75ºF
„ BWT from UOP Charts
„ Example
– Crude heater BWT=1440ºF
– Stack=500+75=575ºF

„ Fuels program output

– efficiency=84.5%
– fuel fired=127.7/.845= 151.1 MM Btu/h
– radiant convection split (59.6%/84.5%)=70.5% radiant
– amount of flue gas

FH/8-6

3
 Run Fuels Program

FUEL GAS DATA

adiabatic flame temp, °F 3331 FLUE GAS INFO Btu/lb

LHV of fuel, BTU/lb 23035 15%xs air bwt enthalpy

LHV, Btu/SCF 719.29 1400 389.56

lbs of wet air/lb fuel 20.92 1500 421.41

(Flowing @ Amb Air) Ft3 of wet air/lb fuel 280.72 BW temp, °F= 1440 402

air preheat temp, °F 60 % Radiant Efficiency= 59.61%

air preheat content, btu/lb 0.00 FG out stack, °F= 575 141.41

Corrected heat content fuel, btu/lb 23035 Heat Loss= 2.00%

Corrected heat content fuel, Btu/SCF 719.3

Note: ¯P air side burner ~ (Mass
Flow)^2 * Specific Volume (ft3/lb) % Total Efficiency= 84.50%

FH/8-7

Layout Radiant Section

„ Set number of passes to obtain desired mass velocity
– Example, crude=6”Sch 40 tubes , minimum mass
velocity=200 lb/sec-ft2
„ Even number of tubes per pass
„ Set Tube Length to obtain L/D=2
„ Estimate number of burners and heat release
– Flame length must be 1/3 to ½ radiant height
– Gas flames -1 ft/mm btu/h
– Gas Low NOx flames -1.5 ft/mm btu/h
– Gas Ultra-Low NOx flames -2-3 ft/mm btu/h
– Oil flames -2 ft/mm btu/h
– Oil Low NOx flames -1.5 ft/mm btu/h

„ Check burner to tube clearance

FH/8-8

4
 Layout Radiant Section
„ Number of passes=(632624 lb/h)/(3600sec/h)*200MV*0.2006Ft2/pass
= 4.4 (Use 4 passes)

„ 127.7 mm Btu/h* (.705 radiant)/10,000= 9003 ft2 radiant surface

„ 9003/1.734ft2/ft=5191 feet of 6” pipe required
„ Try 88 tubes
– Length=5191/88=59’-1.6’return bend =57.4’
– Tube Circle Diameter=88/3.147=28’
– L/D=57.4/28=2.05

„ Try 12 Burners
– fuel fired= (151.1 MM Btu/h)/12=12.6 MM Btu/burner
– Flame length= 2 feet*12.6= 25.2 feet
– % tube coverage=25.2/57.4= 44%
FH/8-9

Burner to
Tube
Clearance
„ Most heater failures
are cause by flame
impingement
„ API clearances are not
adequate
„ Add an additional 12”
for coking or fouling
services

FH/8-10

5
 Layout Radiant Section
„ Try 12 Burners at 72” burner to tube spacing
– Burner circle diameter= 28’-2(6’)=16’
– Space between burner= {16*12*3.147- 12(30”)}/12=20”
– Burner to burner= 50”= 1.66 tile OD

– Low Nox burners require 1.5 tile OD

– Ultra low NOx require 2.0 tile OD

FH/8-11

Layout Convection Section

„ Set Tube Length to cover radiant section(TCD)=28’
„ Set number of tubes per row to obtain flue gas mass
velocity =0.3-0.4 lb/sec/ft2
„ Set number of tube rows to obtain 75ºF cold end approach
„ Use fins for extended surface
– Use Maximum fin length=1”
– Use Maximum fin density= 5fins/inch
Check convection flue gas pressure drop, target=0.2-0.3”
H2O

FH/8-12

6
 Select
Convection

„ If 0.3MV=11 rows
„ If 0.4MV=12 rows
„ 12 tubes/row=0.25 MV
„ 8 tubes/row=0.38 MV

„ Use 8 tubes per row at 12

tube rows to obtain a
71ºF cold end approach
with a 0.284” ∆P

FH/8-13

Draft Profile
100’

Fired Heater Draft

Profiles
according to heater height
& Stack Damper opening

50’

40’
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0’
-.70 -.60 -.50 -.40 -.30 -.20 -.10 0 +.10 +.20

Furnace Pressure - inches

WC
HTR-R00-73 FH/8-14

7
 Layout Stack Diameter
„ Calculate flue gas
– fuel fired= (151.1 MM Btu/h)/23035btu/lb=6560 lb/hr
– Flue gas = 6560*(20.92+1) lb air/lb fuel= 143,792 lb/hr

Calculate stack diameter(Size for 25 fps)

– Flue gas flow= 143792/(.0364lb/ft3)*3600=1097ft3/sec
– Area = 1097/25= 43.9ft2
– Diameter= (43.9ft2/.7854)0.5= 7.5’

FH/8-15

Run Fuels Program

FUEL GAS DATA

adiabatic flame temp, °F 3331 FLUE GAS INFO Btu/lb

LHV of fuel, BTU/lb 23035 15%xs air bwt enthalpy

LHV, Btu/SCF 719.29 1400 389.56

lbs of wet air/lb fuel 20.92 1500 421.41

(Flowing @ Amb Air) Ft3 of wet air/lb fuel 280.72 BW temp, °F= 1440 402

air preheat temp, °F 60 % Radiant Efficiency= 59.61%

air preheat content, btu/lb 0.00 FG out stack, °F= 575 141.41

Corrected heat content fuel, btu/lb 23035 Heat Loss= 2.00%

Corrected heat content fuel, Btu/SCF 719.3

Note: ¯P air side burner ~ (Mass
Flow)^2 * Specific Volume (ft3/lb) % Total Efficiency= 84.50%

FH/8-16

8
 Draft
0.013
0.012
Draft per Foot of Height in H2O/ft

0.011
0.010
0.009
0.008
0.007
0.006
0.005
0.004
0.003
0 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 2800
Temperature of Gas, °F
HTR-R00-72 FH/8-17

Layout Stack Height

„ Calculate pressure drop in velocity heads

„ Velocity Head (inch H20)=(0.003)(MV)2(SV)

– Flue gas mass velocity= lb/sec-ft2
– Flue gas specific volume= ft3/lb

Velocity Head Loss

– Bare Tubes =0.2VH (per row)
– Finned Tube =1.0VH (per row)
– Damper =1.5VH (per row)
– Stack Entrance =0.5VH
– Stack Exit =1.0VH
FH/8-18

9
 Layout Stack Length
„ Calculate pressure drop=0.574” H2O
– Bridgewall= 0.1” H20
– Convection= 0.284” H20
– Damper= 0.05” H20
– Entrance and Exit (1.5VH)=0.10” H20
– Stack Friction= 0.04” H20

Calculate stack length(Size for 0.0065” H2O/ft)

– Height = 0.574/0.0065= 88 ft

FH/8-19

Layout Comparison

Hand Calc. Computer

Radiant Flux Rate, btu/h-ft2 10,000 9,963

Radiant Surface,ft2 9,003 8,936

BWT,ºF 1440 1464

Stack, ºF 575 571

Fuel Efficiency, % 84.5 84.7

Fuel Fired, MM Btu/h 151.1 150.7

Stack Height, ft 88 94

FH/8-20

10
 Flame Emissivity

„ Oil Firing on Right Burner

„ High Emissivity Oil Flame

„ Gas Firing on Left Burner

„ Low Emissivity Gas Flame

„ Oil flame requires larger

clearance to tube

FH/8-21

Flame Radiation

„ Varies by square of distance to tube

=
( Fuel Emissivity )( Burner Duty )
( Burner to Tube Distance ) 2

„ Oil is twice that of gas

„ Talmor Method

FH/8-22

11
 Flame Radiation - Talmor Method
1.00

Pitch Creosote
0.90

Creosote Oil
(f for Fuel Gas; fo for Fuel Oil)

0.80

Residual Fuel Oil

0.70
Flame Emissivity

0.60

Gas Oil
Butane
0.50
Coke Oven Gas
Propane
Symbol Source
Natural Gas

0.40 Thring13
Hydrogen

Zabetakis and Burgess15

0.30 Brzustowski and Sommer1
Brzustowski it al.18
0.20 f = 0.048 LH/900 (Ref. 19)

0.10 f = 0.048 MWfg (Ref. 20)

0
0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 10.0 11.0 12.0 13.014.015.0
Fuel C/H Ratio
HTR-R00-106 FH/8-23

Burner to
Tube
Clearance
„ Most heater failures
are cause by flame
impingement
„ API clearances are not
adequate
„ Add an additional 12”
for coking or fouling
services

FH/8-24

12
 Longitudinal Flux Factor

„ Popular Design in 1960’s

„ Side Fired Cabin Heater

„ Popular Design in 1960’s

„ Liquid from burner drips

into box

„ Overheat lower tube rows

„ Locate inlet at bottom of

firebox

FH/8-25

Longitudinal Flux Factor

„ High heat pickup in lower part

of furnace
„ Visually much brighter in
bottom of furnace

FH/8-26

13
 Longitudinal Flux Factor
„ Highest flux rate is 0.25-0.33 of firebox height for floor fired heater

FH/8-27

Flue Gas Sulfur Dewpoint

„ Process Inlet-25°F (14 °C) Above Dewpoint

– Prevents acid condensation on convection
tubes
„ Stack Inlet-75°F (42 °C) Above Dewpoint
– Prevents acid condensation in stack

FH/8-28

14
Sulfur Dewpoint- Fuel Gas

FH/8-29

Sulfur Dewpoint- Fuel Oil

FH/8-30

15
 Draft

„ Critical at Bridgewall
– Avoid pressurizing heater casing
– Avoid leakage of flue gases to atmosphere
„ Critical at Burners
– Insure sufficient air flow
– Insure fuel-air mixing not limited
– Normally acceptable if good value at
bridgewall
„ Stack Height and Diameter Sized to Obtain
Necessary Draft

FH/8-31

Draft

Stack Temperature
125 Feet

is 600°F

Damper Open Damper Open

.60” H20 .25” H20
Conv. Conv.
.30” H20 .05” H20
Sec. Sec.
Radiant Radiant
Section Section
.45” H20 .10” H20

Damper Too Far Open Damper Too Far Closed

Too Much Draft Too Little draft. Positive
Result: Waste Fuel Pressure Below Convective Section
Result: Damage to Steel Structure
HTR-R00-71 FH/8-32

16
 Draft
0.013
0.012
Draft per Foot of Height in H2O/ft

0.011
0.010
0.009
0.008
0.007
0.006
0.005
0.004
0.003
0 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 2800
Temperature of Gas, °F
HTR-R00-72 FH/8-33

Draft Profile
100’

Fired Heater Draft

Profiles
according to heater height
& Stack Damper opening

50’

40’
g
cu tin

t u ai d
ffi a s

uc le se
di & w
lt

str sib clo

re r
or t s t oo le
co aka n

fi
er le pe

e, os ar
ro
ntr ge
r n ir r o

tag - P f
tP
b u - A fa

ol

af
Dr
el, ts oo

sh esul per
fu esul er t

R m
ig

Da
R amp

es
D
D

er
at
He

0’
-.70 -.60 -.50 -.40 -.30 -.20 -.10 0 +.10 +.20

Furnace Pressure - inches

WC
HTR-R00-73 FH/8-34

17
 Burner Design

„ Different Draft at each

burner

„ Custom design to use 85%

available draft

„ Same excess air for damper

setting

FH/8-35

Burner Heat
Release Curve

„ Standard Sizes

„ Custom Design
for 85%
available draft

„ Natural Draft
burners have
limited
turndown

FH/8-36

18
 Burner Design
„ Different Draft at each burner

„ Custom design to use 85% available draft by welding strip steel to

flame holder to obtain same excess air for damper setting

Strip

FH/8-37

19