PTQ Q2 2022 Issue

debottlenecking of fired heaters. Opportunistic usage of the future row provision can lead to a multitude of benefits, provided the refiner knows what they are looking for during the revamp. This article highlights three scenarios through case studies. Capacity enhancement of the fired heater has always been a sought- after topic, and even an increment of 5-7%, as illustrated, can provide room for comfort to the refiner. Similarly, utilising these future rows in fired heaters operated over many years with deteriorating performance can regain efficiency in lieu of relatively lower Capex. Augmenting existing natural draft fired heaters with APH may push critical performance parame- ters close to their design limits, such as increased radiant flux. Utilising future rows can arrest this increase in radiant flux and ease the severity of operation. However, certain critical parameters must be evaluated to utilise convection future rows, such as fluid pressure drop, location of future rows, ease of revamp, and stack adequacy. In fact, it is always advisable to consult specialised professional fired heater experts for such retrofits. Engineers India Limited (EIL), with its large and experienced team of fired heater professionals, can help refiners eval- uate this alternative for low-cost revamping of their fired heaters, which would surely lend value to their asset and add to maximised asset utilisa- tion of this critical equipment.

The authors would like to thank Mr. Tanveer Singh, EPPL, Noida for the photograph in Figure 1.

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Shilpa Singh is General Manager in Engineers India Limited’s (EIL) heat transfer department. With over 24 years of experience, she leads a team of chemical engineers in grassroot designs, revamp studies, capacity and efficiency improvement projects for fired heater systems. She holds a B.Tech degree in chemical engineering from I.I.T. Delhi. Email: shilpa@eil.co.in Rupam Mukherjee is Sr. Manager in EIL’s heat transfer department. He has over 13 years of experience in design, engineering, revamping and troubleshooting of fired heater systems. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from NIT Durgapur and a post-graduate degree in energy and environment management from IIT Delhi. Email: rupam.mukherjee@eil.co.in Ankur Saini is serving as Manager in EIL’s heat transfer department. His active area of work includes revamping and troubleshooting of oil refinery fired heaters and furnaces. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from BIET Jhansi. Email: ankur.saini@eil.co.in Akhil Gobind is a Fired Heater Engineer in EIL. He has rich experience in design and revamping of fired heaters. He holds a B.Tech degree in chemical engineering from GEC Kozhikode. Email: akhil.gobind@eil.co.in

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