A gas processing facility was experiencing multiple issues with its hot oil heater, including flame impingement on the burner coils, uncontrolled combustion resulting in soot formation, high stack temperatures, excessive vapour formation, under-capacity pumps resulting in partially filled coils, and frequent shutdowns for cleaning the heater due to soot formation on the coils, which caused over heating and pitting.

The client engaged our team to help identify the root causes of these issues and provide solutions to address them. After conducting a thorough analysis of the system, we identified the following solutions:

Optimising Air/Fuel Ratio:

We adjusted the air/fuel ratio to minimise soot formation, which in turn improved the flame profile and indicated optimum combustion.

Installation of Fire Bricks:

Due to significant damage to the initial coils from flame impingement, we installed fire bricks around the initial tubes in the radius of the flame.

Replacement of Under-Capacity Pumps:

We suggested replacing the under-capacity pumps with new ones to ensure that the coils were fully filled and heat transmission to the oil could be increased.

After implementing these solutions, the system has been operating uninterrupted for more than two years. Our team’s expertise in identifying and addressing the root causes of the issues allowed the client to achieve improved heater performance and reliability, resulting in increased operational efficiency and cost savings.