Plant Energy Saving through Efficient Retrofit of Furnaces

journal article - other

en

Tubular process furnaces belong to energy demanding equipment in the process industry, especially in the chemical and petrochemical process plants and refineries. Several ways of energy saving in plants like these usually exist. Retrofit of furnaces can be considered as one of straightforward and efficient ways. Hovewer, operational and geometrical constraints of an existing furnace are the reasons from which the retrofit of a furnace is a very difficult task. Therefore the process retrofit is usually focussed on heat exchanger network (HEN) retrofit considering maximum furnace duty. Nevertheless, the furnace retrofit should be considered wherever possible. In some older plants the placement of new shells or topology changes in heat exchanger networks can be expensive from various reasons and only minimum topology modifications are usually allowed. The furnace retrofit procedure described in the paper is based on an advanced furnace integration approach using some principles of Pinch Analysis and considering furnace limitations. It can bring surprising results. This method combines principles of an effective design of both processes and equipment. An efficient methodology for furnaces retrofit using optimization of both stack temperature and air preheating system is applied. Advantage of this approach is demonstrated through a case study – retrofit of furnace in petrol hydrogenation refining plant for energy efficiency improvement.

Tubular process furnaces belong to energy demanding equipment in the process industry, especially in the chemical and petrochemical process plants and refineries. Several ways of energy saving in plants like these usually exist. Retrofit of furnaces can be considered as one of straightforward and efficient ways. Hovewer, operational and geometrical constraints of an existing furnace are the reasons from which the retrofit of a furnace is a very difficult task. Therefore the process retrofit is usually focussed on heat exchanger network (HEN) retrofit considering maximum furnace duty. Nevertheless, the furnace retrofit should be considered wherever possible. In some older plants the placement of new shells or topology changes in heat exchanger networks can be expensive from various reasons and only minimum topology modifications are usually allowed. The furnace retrofit procedure described in the paper is based on an advanced furnace integration approach using some principles of Pinch Analysis and considering furnace limitations. It can bring surprising results. This method combines principles of an effective design of both processes and equipment. An efficient methodology for furnaces retrofit using optimization of both stack temperature and air preheating system is applied. Advantage of this approach is demonstrated through a case study – retrofit of furnace in petrol hydrogenation refining plant for energy efficiency improvement.

Furnace, Design,Synthesis, Optimization, Process Integration, Pinch Analysis

2002

01.01.2000

Elsevier Science

1359-4311

Applied Thermal Engineering

20

6

16