ARTICLES
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Realities of heat flux in fired heaters
Nov-2020
Uneven radiant heat flux distribution is a major cause of poor reliability in refinery fired heaters.
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Identifying very small equipment leaks
Jan-2008
Very small leaks in feed/effluent exchangers can be identified using chemical tracing. This online technique can detect leaks as low as 5.0 ppm, avoiding ...
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Best practices in boiler replacement (TIA)
Nov-2018
When you are processing 100 000 barrels or more of crude in a day, reliability is of the utmost importance. There is no justification for unscheduled shutdowns ...
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Jul-2020
Expanding the capacity of sulphur recovery and tail gas units requires a thorough review of all plant systems.
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Dec-2020
Remotely cleaning furnace tubes slashed the cost of hydrogen production for a refiner.
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Custom boilers meet capacity, emissions challenges (TIA)
Nov-2019
Many refinery complexes in Texas are ageing. It is not uncommon to find boilers that are 50 or more years old. As a result, these facilities can be liable ...
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Heater experts solve common problems with IR thermography
Dec-2020
Many owner operators in the oil/gas and petrochemical industry know infrared (IR) thermography is a pillar of any robust inspection program. At Becht Fired ...
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When replacement in-kind gives performance that isn’t: a vibration case study
Dec-2020
This story starts with a familiar scenario for a fluidised catalytic cracking unit (FCCU); a 30 year old waste heat boiler (WHB) had become a maintenance ...
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Apr-2021
Fired equipment is a critical part of most refinery process units. Operating at high temperatures and potentially high pressures make these equipment items ...
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Don’t let furnace emissions derail your expansion project
Nov-2021
Predicting emissions prior to actual furnace design is not just a mathematical calculation
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Jan-2022
Improvements in performance and energy efficiency were achieved during the turnaround of a crude distillation unit.
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Convection section retrofit (TiA)
Nov-2021
XRG recently retrofitted a convection section in a crude heater that was originally built in 1935. The new convection bank consists of two sections; the ...
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An introduction to fouling in fired heaters: part 1
Apr-2022
Fouling is the accumulation and formation of unwanted materials on the surfaces of processing equipment.
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An introduction to fouling in fired heaters – Part 2: exterior fouling
Apr-2022
An important fouling mechanism on the fireside is corrosion fouling, especially for oil fired equipment.
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Apr-2022
Did you know that ancient algae impact our lives to this day? Read on to learn how decomposed carbon-based life becomes petroleum products with the help ...
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Carbon dioxide emissions from fired heaters
Apr-2022
Fired heaters emit an estimated 400 to 500 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) every year. At least 73% of average refinery CO2 emissions come from combustion ...
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The keys to successfully revamping a fired heater: how to maximise value
May-2022
(White Paper) - Fired heaters are facing scrutiny because they contribute to the global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). ...
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Reducing refinery heater revamp costs
Oct-2005
This article discusses the importance of being able to deliver a safe, cost-effective heater revamp, in the shortest possible shutdown
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Jul-2020
Expanding the capacity of sulphur recovery and tail gas units requires a thorough review of all plant systems.
-
Best practices in boiler replacement (TIA)
Nov-2018
When you are processing 100 000 barrels or more of crude in a day, reliability is of the utmost importance. There is no justification for unscheduled shutdowns ...
-
Cost efficient revamps in hydrogen plants
Jul-2001
Revamping of existing equipment is often seen as the cheapest and most cost effective solution, but this calls for a thorough knowledge of the plant, its ...
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Managing the molecule: an update on 2005
Jul-2002
An overall look at the opportunities for gas-to-liquids projects in Europe as tighter gasoline and diesel specifications loom
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Vacuum unit design effect on operating variables
Jul-2002
To revamp vacuum units, process modelling and equipment design know-how are needed, and the understanding of connected equipment performance can lead to ...
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Specifications – importance of getting them right
Mar-2003
Faulty equipment specifications sometimes carry unforeseen penalties, with loss of performance. It is the process design engineer’s responsibility to ...
-
Identifying very small equipment leaks
Jan-2008
Very small leaks in feed/effluent exchangers can be identified using chemical tracing. This online technique can detect leaks as low as 5.0 ppm, avoiding ...
-
Custom boilers meet capacity, emissions challenges (TIA)
Nov-2019
Many refinery complexes in Texas are ageing. It is not uncommon to find boilers that are 50 or more years old. As a result, these facilities can be liable ...
-
Dec-2020
Remotely cleaning furnace tubes slashed the cost of hydrogen production for a refiner.
-
Apr-2021
Fired equipment is a critical part of most refinery process units. Operating at high temperatures and potentially high pressures make these equipment items ...
-
Convection section retrofit (TiA)
Nov-2021
XRG recently retrofitted a convection section in a crude heater that was originally built in 1935. The new convection bank consists of two sections; the ...
-
Don’t let furnace emissions derail your expansion project
Nov-2021
Predicting emissions prior to actual furnace design is not just a mathematical calculation
-
An introduction to fouling in fired heaters: part 1
Apr-2022
Fouling is the accumulation and formation of unwanted materials on the surfaces of processing equipment.
-
An introduction to fouling in fired heaters – Part 2: exterior fouling
Apr-2022
An important fouling mechanism on the fireside is corrosion fouling, especially for oil fired equipment.
-
Carbon dioxide emissions from fired heaters
Apr-2022
Fired heaters emit an estimated 400 to 500 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) every year. At least 73% of average refinery CO2 emissions come from combustion ...
-
Apr-2022
Did you know that ancient algae impact our lives to this day? Read on to learn how decomposed carbon-based life becomes petroleum products with the help ...
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A novel approach to cleaning furnace coils
Jul-2013
A modified pigging operation aims to greatly reduce the time required for coke removal from furnace coils
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Role of fired heater safety systems
Jul-2013
A fully automated burner management system operating as a SIS for burner control can meet minimum safety targets, improve system availability and lower ...
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Selecting the “Best” fired heater
Jun-2013
Fired heaters are extensively used in the chemical process industry to heat process fluids and generate steam. Typically, fired heaters consume the largest ...
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Column preheat improvement to debottleneck furnace operation
Apr-2012
Simulation helped to identify and mitigate the root cause of a furnace bottleneck to maximise the removal of light ends in the feed to a preflash colu ...
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Useful tips for fired heater optimisation
Apr-2012
Model predictive control that is native to the regulatory control processor provides high-speed, redundant and robust control for process fired heater ...
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Energy management: raising profitability, reducing CO2 emissions
Oct-2010
Case studies show how lower energy demand via revamps and improved maintenance can save money and abate CO2 emissions in refinery operations
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Visbreaker optimisation: a step change
Apr-2009
Optimising visbreakers is not just a matter of monitoring and adding chemicals. Opportunity crudes demand a more integrated approach
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Identifying very small equipment leaks
Jan-2008
Very small leaks in feed/effluent exchangers can be identified using chemical tracing. This online technique can detect leaks as low as 5.0 ppm, avoiding ...
-
Revamping atmospheric crude heaters
Sep-2007
Revamp of an atmospheric crude unit heater suffering from coking caused by asphaltene precipitation resulted in an increased heater run length
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Reducing refinery heater revamp costs
Oct-2005
This article discusses the importance of being able to deliver a safe, cost-effective heater revamp, in the shortest possible shutdown
-
Why vacuum unit fired heaters coke
Oct-2004
A description of the internal workings of vacuum heaters and the causes of coke formation within them
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Specifications – importance of getting them right
Mar-2003
Faulty equipment specifications sometimes carry unforeseen penalties, with loss of performance. It is the process design engineer’s responsibility to ...
-
Vacuum unit design effect on operating variables
Jul-2002
To revamp vacuum units, process modelling and equipment design know-how are needed, and the understanding of connected equipment performance can lead to ...
-
Managing the molecule: an update on 2005
Jul-2002
An overall look at the opportunities for gas-to-liquids projects in Europe as tighter gasoline and diesel specifications loom
-
Cost efficient revamps in hydrogen plants
Jul-2001
Revamping of existing equipment is often seen as the cheapest and most cost effective solution, but this calls for a thorough knowledge of the plant, its ...
-
Avoiding unscheduled shutdowns
Apr-2001
Case studies have demonstrated that correct heater design and consequent performance will determine crude unit run length
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Troubleshooting vacuum unit revamps
Jul-1998
While vacuum unit revamps increase gasoil yield, management is pushing the intervals between turnarounds to four or five years
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The keys to successfully revamping a fired heater: how to maximise value
May-2022
(White Paper) - Fired heaters are facing scrutiny because they contribute to the global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). ...
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