A fired heater also known as a furnace is used as a heating equipment in processing facilities to heat gases or liquids to a specific temperature. Fire heaters are classified into two categories: direct and indirect fire heaters.

Indirect fire heaters a burner is used to produce hot gases that transfer heat to a liquid or gas that are flowing in furnace tubes within the vessel. Indirect fire heaters use burners to heat a heat exchanger on top of which cool air is circulated and is later heated.

These heaters find maximum application in the petrochemical refinery sector. Some of their uses are as following:

1.Heating crude oil to separators
2.Steam cracking
3.Gas pipe heating
4.Vaporising gases and liquids
5.Aromatic furnaces

Fired heaters can be divided into three main categories:

1.Box Type: This heater has one or more rectangular chambers with tubes that are in horizontal position and arranged in one on more rows along the wall of the section. In this heater burners are located on the floor or on the wall of the radiant section. Flue gases run through the convection section and exit from the stack in the atmosphere.

2.Cylinder Type: This is a low power heater. These heaters are cheaper compared to other fired heaters. They may be ‘all radiant’ types as well as convention section heaters. In radiant heaters, the coil is made of vertical tubes which are located around a circle, and the base of the heater has the burners. Heaters that have a radiant and convection section allow for higher power and efficiency. The convection section has a horizontal axis that is located on top of the radiant section. The convection section is lined with tubes known as the “shield”. Fluid runs through this section and through the radiant section by the “crossover”.

3.Cabin Type: The radiant section is below the convection section in these heaters. Process fluid to be heated runs through the convection section first and then the radiant section so that it has a higher radiant head. The coil in this heater consists of many tubes that are placed parallel to each other and connected at the end. Burners are placed on the floor with a vertical axis in one or more rows or are placed on the walls with a horizontal axis. Tubes in the convection section have a triangular pitch.

Different fired heaters are suitable for different operations needs. In the oil and gas sector, for example, fired heaters are employed for heating thermic fluid, process fluids, steam heating, and thermal cracking. The cylinder type heaters are best suited for such a requirement. Thermax offers heaters and boilers that are designed according to API codes and have multi-fuel firing capabilities meant to operate at high efficiencies. With over 100 installations worldwide, Thermax offers reliable, sturdy, and high performing boilers. Visit https://www.thermaxglobal.com/ to know more.