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Fired heater features – what’s that on top of the stack for?
Feb-2023
Finding out what the purpose of the cone featured on the top of some heater stacks is and what it actually does.
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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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A confounding problem: Vibration issues in boilers and furnaces
Feb-2023
There’s a whole lot of shaking going on – but why? Identifying industry trends that have contributed to this issue and what can increase the likelihood ...
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Reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in fired heaters
Feb-2023
A global inventory of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions recently published by One Earth suggests that global cumulative emissions could be reduced by up ...
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How refineries are saving time and money protecting assets
Feb-2023
The oil and gas industry is seeing a rise in demand and is taking vital steps to avoid disruption in production by preventing corrosion in process vessels, ...
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Safer and efficient combustion for fired heaters and boilers
Nov-2022
A technological approach to achieving efficiency improvements, CO2 emissions reduction, and parallel effects in NOx emissions control in a crude oil-fired ...
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Ten easy hacks for heater and combustion engineers
Feb-2023
It’s not possible to run heater simulations out in the field. Here we highlight rules, formulas and easy hacks to help fired heater engineers in their ...
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Unfire your heater for better performance
Feb-2023
The benefits of implementing dispersed combustion in fired heaters in order to align with current and future NOx requirements using a practical techno ...
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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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An introduction to fouling in fired heaters: Part three burner fouling
Feb-2023
Burner fouling: To keep a fired heater operating optimally it is important to distribute heat as evenly as possible.
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How to cut emissions and fuel and increase capacity in fired heaters
Feb-2023
Fired heaters have the greatest running cost in a refinery or a petrochemical site.
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Cooling tower acceptance testing
Dec-2022
In a recent blog, August 8, 2022, the subject of an independent check-rate or rating of a cooling tower’s thermal design was discussed.
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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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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 ...
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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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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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Fired heater features – what’s that on top of the stack for?
Feb-2023
Finding out what the purpose of the cone featured on the top of some heater stacks is and what it actually does.
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How to cut emissions and fuel and increase capacity in fired heaters
Feb-2023
Fired heaters have the greatest running cost in a refinery or a petrochemical site.
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Best practices for refinery boilers field service
Dec-2023
Those servicing refinery boilers often face tight deadlines, limited outage windows, and space constraints. Industrial boilers are generally custom pieces ...
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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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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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An introduction to fouling in fired heaters: Part three burner fouling
Feb-2023
Burner fouling: To keep a fired heater operating optimally it is important to distribute heat as evenly as possible.
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Unfire your heater for better performance
Feb-2023
The benefits of implementing dispersed combustion in fired heaters in order to align with current and future NOx requirements using a practical techno ...
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Restoring fired heater furnace heat transfer efficiency
Nov-2023
Convection section cleaning of process heaters at an Egyptian facility achieved more than 90% treating of all tube and surface areas. Inefficient heat ...
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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 ...
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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
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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 ...
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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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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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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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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