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Show Having completed the short term burner stability tests in Phase I, the focus of the project over the past 12 months has been to improve the aging characteristics of the radiant burner at high temperature. Initial life tests of a standard Alzeta ceramic fiber burner at simulated reformer conditions indicated a burner life of 1200 hours. The design target for the ARCS burner is 16,000 hours. Simulated reformer test conditions for the aging tests include a thermal sink temperature of 1800°F, combustion air preheat of 400°F, and a surface firing rate of 125 to 175 MBtu/hr-ft2 based on the higher heating value of natural gas or process gas at 10 to 15 percent excess air. Burners have been fabricated and tested using high temperature fibers, binders, and surface treatments to improve the durability of the ceramic fiber pad. The most promising candidate burner at this time has operated for over 3000 hours at simulated reformer conditions, and life testing of this burner will continue through December 1992. Three additional extended life tests of other candidate burner materials are currently in progress. The burner development test program is scheduled for completion in December. At that time, one to two burner formulations will be selected for demonstration in the field test unit .. A surface treatment has been demonstrated during the Phase II burner development program to increase the life of the ceramic fiber burner. Tests of this, and related, surface treatments are continuing. In addition, field testing of burners using this surface modification is in progress in a low temperature process heater at a motor oil recycling plant in Newark, California. FIELD TEST FACILI1Y DESCRIPTION A field demonstration of the ARCS will begin in late 1993, with combustion system fabrication and facility modifications scheduled to start during the preceding summer. In selecting a field demonstration site, the following criteria were considered: • The selected chemical process should benefit from uniform and controllable process temperatures or heat flux to process tubes in order to maximize the benefits of the ARCS, with steam reforming being the preferred application. • The field unit should be of sufficient size and a should be of a design that is representative of a large fraction of the targeted market. • The field unit owner-operator should be familiar with current industrial process heater combustion hardware in order to effectively evaluate the merits of the proposed system. Based on these evaluation criteria, a field test facility has been selected that is well suited to the objectives of the ARCS project. The field unit is a steam reformer at a hydrogen plant owned and operated by Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (APCI) of Allentown, Pennsylvania. The reformer heater is one of two units at the plant, allowing a 15 |