Process Heater Firebox Design Considerations for Optimal Burner Performance

Paper from the AFRC 2013 conference titled Process Heater Firebox Design Considerations for Optimal Burner Performance by Erwin Platvoet

In process heaters, the occurrence of poor flame quality and impingement on radiant tubes is usually attributed to the design of the Ultra-Low NOx burners. However, the demonstration tests of these single burners in the test facility of the vendor are almost never able to replicate these problems. This paper will show a variety of examples where the design of the heater firebox or the layout of the burners inside the firebox is the root cause of the problems, not the design of the burners. A number of rules of thumb will be offered that will prevent the majority of these problems.