Presented at:

AFRC 2014 INDUSTRIAL COMBUSTION SYMPOSIUM

September 7-10, Houston, TX, USA

Know the Secret of Fired Heater Design and Operation

with Ultra Low NOx Burner
Sultan Ahamad, Rimon Vallavanatt
Bechtel Corp, Houston, TX

The first reaction has high activation energy and

Introduction
therefore requires high temperature for NOx
New burner technologies have been developed to formation. The formation of a NOx molecule from
meet the more stringent emission requirements. the first reaction results in a release of an N atom
Most of these new technologies use internal flue gas which rapidly forms another NOx molecule.
recirculation and fuel staging to reduce NOx. These
The formation rate of Thermal NOx increases
burners are often referred to as Ultra Low NOx
exponentially with increasing flame temperature and
Burners (ULNB). The techniques used in ULNB for
is also directly proportional to residence time of
reducing NOx emissions from process heaters affect
reactant in the peak flame zone. The key parameters
key aspects of burner and heater performance.
of Thermal NOx formation are temperature, Oxygen
The existing guidelines for burner specifications are and Nitrogen concentrations, and residence time in
generally based on conventional and Low NOx the flame zone.
burners. These guidelines may not be sufficient as
Ultra Low NOx burners behave differently. (c) Prompt NOx
NOx Basics Prompt NOx is a newly recognized mechanism of
Nitrogen oxides formation is commonly grouped NOx formation. Although it only represents a small
into three mechanisms or types: (a) Fuel NOx (b) portion of the NOx formed, it becomes a significant
Thermal NOx and (c) Prompt NOx. emissions source with Ultra-Low NOx burners.
Under the fuel-rich conditions of the flame zone,
(a) Fuel NOx particularly areas where the stoichiometry is less
Fuel NOx is the result of reactions between fuel- than 0.6, both HCN and NH3 can be formed through
bound Nitrogen and Oxygen in the combustion air. an extremely rapid reaction of Hydrocarbon radicals
The conversion rates of the fixed nitrogen in the fuel with atmospheric Nitrogen. As these components
can be as high as 50 to 60% percent of the nitrogen enter areas of the combustion zone where additional
present. Most refinery fuel gases do not have fuel oxygen is available, HCN and NH3 are oxidized to
bound Nitrogen; therefore there is virtually no fuel form CO2, H2O and NOx.
NOx for fuel gas firing.
The major source of NOx in a fuel gas fired heater is
Thermal NOx emissions created through high-
(b) Thermal NOx
temperature reactions of Nitrogen and Oxygen
Thermal NOx is refers to the oxidation of molecular present in the combustion air. Since the reaction is
nitrogen contained in the air or fuel by oxygen. The highly temperature-dependent, the best direct
rate of Thermal NOx formation is very sensitive to method of lowering NOx emissions is to lower the
local flame temperature. The formation of Thermal peak flame temperature. Various burner suppliers
NOx is described by following reactions: have developed specialized Ultra Low NOx burner
N2 + O => NO + N to accomplish these goals.
N + O2 => NO + O

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 Know the Secret of Fired Heater Design and Operation with Ultra Low NOx Burner

Ultra Low NOx Burners Key Considerations for Process Fired Heaters
Ultra Low NOx Burners have design features and with Ultra Low NOx Burners
operating philosophy, which are different from a Every design step in fired heater and burner design
conventional burner. An Ultra Low NOx burner uses is critical for optimum performance. Oversight at
fuel staging and flue gas inspiration (internal flue any stage, from fuel gas supply to flue gas disposal
gas recirculation). system, will adversely affect burner performance
In fuel staging, combustion is carried out in stages, and hence fired heater capacity, overall thermal
efficiency, and run length. Proper burner selection,
one fuel-rich and the other fuel-lean. Fuel gas is
number of burners, fired duty per burner, and
injected into the combustion zone in two stages
which creates a fuel-lean zone and delays location of burners etc. are very important for
optimum performance of a fired heater. Following
completion of the combustion process. This keeps
are the most critical parameters that are need to be
combustion away from the stoichiometric mixture of
fuel and air where flame temperature peaks. evaluated when designing a fired heater with Ultra
Low NOx burners:
These burners are designed to re-circulate relatively
(1) Burner Design Parameters
cooler flue gas from the firebox back into the
(2) Heater design parameters
combustion zone using the pressure energy of fuel
(3) Fuel Gas Delivery System
gas. This re-circulation of largely inert flue gases
(4) Operating Parameters
into the combustion zone reduces the peak flame
temperature and average O2 concentration.
A fired heater with well-designed burners with good
The fuel-air mixture gets diluted by re-circulated engineering practice should be able to attain
flue gas resulting in lower combustion rates. Lower followings:
burning rates increase the flame length which can  Minimize flame-to-flame interaction
often result in flame to flame interaction as well as  Prevent leaning of flames
flame impingement on tubes.  Prevent flame impingement
Flame to flame interaction can result in the merging  Prevent burner to re-circulate flue gas from its
of flames from individual burners. Merged flame is own flame
much longer than stand-alone flame. The prolonged  Meet the emission requirements
flames can tilt towards the tubes and flame tails can
impinge on tubes.

Secondary
Zone

Staged
Primary
Fuel Gas
Zone
Flue Gas

Primary
Fuel Gas

Combustion
Air

Flue Gas Recirculation Flue Gas Recirculation Enhanced Flue Gas

Fuel Staging
(Using Primary Fuel Gas) (Using Staged Fuel Gas) Recirculation

Figure-1 : Basic Concept of NOx Reduction Methods

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 Know the Secret of Fired Heater Design and Operation with Ultra Low NOx Burner

36,000
(1) Burner Design Parameters:
34,000
2.1 Selection of number of burners 3 Burners
32,000 4 Burners
Increasing the number of burners will reduce the
heat liberation per burner. This will result in the 30,000

Peak Flux, Btu/hr/ft2

shortest possible flame length and more uniform
28,000
heat distribution.
26,000
Two separate CFD modeling were performed;
one for a fired heater with thee burners and one 24,000
with four burners. A comparison of Peak Heat
Flux Profile for the three and four burner 22,000
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
arrangements was plotted for the tubes. CFD Tube Number (Counted from Inlet)
modeling (as shown in Figure-2) predicting a Figure-2 : Peak Radiant Heat Flux Profile with 3 and 4 Burners
significant reduction in peak heat flux for the
four burner arrangement. This formula works well for conventional burner
and still need to be checked for ULNB. The
The tube skin temperature was also reduced calculation considers actual size of burners to
significantly with the four-burner arrangement. provide required burner circle diameter.
This resulted in significant improvements in A new formula is required in addition to the
overall fired heater run length. above formula which considers spacing between
tiles of neighboring burners. The following
2.2 Burner Layout
formula can be used to calculate the burner
2.2.1 Burner to Burner Spacing circle diameter in a vertical cylindrical heater
with Ultra Low NOx Burners:
Ultra-Low NOx burners require maximum
clearance between the tiles of neighboring
ࡰ ࢚ + ࡯࢚
burners. This space is required for internal flue ࡮࡯ࡰ =
‫(ܖܑܛ‬૚ૡ૙
࢔ )
gas recirculation. For example, in a vertical
Where:
cylindrical heater with burners too close BCD = Burner Circle Diameter
together, the inner portion of burner tips may not Dt = Burner tile Outside Diameter
have internal flue gas recirculation. This can Ct = Clearance between burner tiles
produce longer flames and produce higher NOx. n = Number of Burners
A general clearance guideline is to use 1 Inch
2.2.2 Burner Circle Diameter per MMBtu/hr of heat release. For example, if
burner heat release is 10 MMBtu/hr, then
Traditionally, burner circle diameter in a vertical clearance between tiles should be 10 Inch.
cylindrical heater is calculated using following Another suggested guideline is keeping burner
formula: center to center spacing as 2 times the burner tile
ࡰ ࢈ + ࡯࢈
࡮࡯ࡰ = outside diameter.
࢙࢏࢔(૚ૡ૙
࢔ )
Where:
2.2.3 Burner in Two Concentric Circles
BCD = Burner Circle Diameter
Db = Burner Controlling diameter (generally, front It has been a common practice to install burners
plate Outside Diameter)
in two circles for conventional burners (see
Cb = Clearance between burner controlling diameter
n = Number of Burners Figure-3).The two circle arrangement provides
In a competitive market, just barely meeting better clearance between tubes and burners. In
API-560 minimum clearance requirement can be most of the cases, an inner circle is added during
expected to minimize overall cost. Burner fired heater revamp to provide additional firing
installed with minimum API clearance can cause rate.
flame impingement for slight change in fuel This is not a preferred option with Ultra Low
pressure or upset in fired heater operation. NOx Burners. The inner circle burners do not

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 Know the Secret of Fired Heater Design and Operation with Ultra Low NOx Burner

get the cold flue gases for internal flue gas Ultra Low NOx burners for forced draft
recirculation. This lack of internal flue gas application. In this type of application, higher air
recirculation increases the NOx emission from pressure drop across the burner (say 2 InchWC)
the inner circle burner. The overall NOx from can significantly improve burner performance.
the heater will go up and may not meet the The higher air pressure drop results in better
emission requirement. flame pattern, minimize tube impingement, and
lower NOx. It becomes more critical in
2.3 Heat Liberation and Overdesign application with large number of burners in a
A good engineering practice for specifying the single chamber such as in a Coker heater. The
overdesign for a burner as per API-560 is as coupling of flames results in much higher NOx
follows: values than expected based on shop test of a
 5 or fewer burners : 120% single burner.
 6 or 7 burners : 115%
2.4 Burner Performance Shop Test
 8 or more burners : 110%
The burner test is critical for Ultra Low NOx
It has been common practice in the industry to Burners. With conventional and low NOx
overdesign the burners. Additional margin on burners, the performance seen in the test is
burner design is sometimes applied on top of similar to multi-burner heaters. However this
margin on fired heater design. Overdesign shifts may not be always true with ultra-low NOx
the burner design point away from the actual burners. If burners are not placed with sufficient
operating point. spacing, the flames may merge, resulting in
longer flame length. It may also result in flame
In a case study, burners were designed with impingement on furnace tubes. Ultra-low NOx
120% margin on required firing rate. The draft burners are more prone to flame interaction in
available at heater design condition is 0.6 multi-burner heaters. Therefore, it is always
InchWC. However the draft utilized at heater recommended to carry out a burner test. Also, if
design condition will be 0.41 InchWC instead of a burner supplier has a sufficiently large heater,
0.6 InchWC actually available. This overdesign try to test two or more burners with the same
on the burner reduces the draft loss requirements spacing as the actual heater. The test furnace
for actual heater operating condition which conditions (e.g. Bridge wall temperature, draft
results in a larger flame dimension. It is highly etc.) should replicate that of the actual heater.
recommended to minimize the overdesign to
avoid increasing the overall flame dimension. It is critical to measure flame dimensions during
test. Visually establish the flame dimensions
An adequate air pressure drop should be used for may not be correct. It is recommended to use

Desired layout: Burners in one circle Non-desired layout: Burners in two circles
Figure-3 : Burner Layout Options

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 Know the Secret of Fired Heater Design and Operation with Ultra Low NOx Burner

CO probing to establish more reliable flame API recommends a clearance between tubes and
dimension. CO levels must be low in the firebox burners. For natural draft, fuel gas fired burners;
outside of the flame envelope. CO levels of this can be translated into the following
more than 2000 ppm are generally considered as equations:
flame. ࡽ࡮
࡯࡮ିࢀ = + ૚. ૞
૝
Many users do not specify a burner test if they Where:
have used a similar burner in the past. Even CB-T = Burner to Tube Clearance, ft
though operating conditions and heat liberation QB = Burner Liberation, MMBtu/hr
are similar performance test is still
For Ultra Low NOx application, adding 6 inch to
recommended. A small difference in tip drilling
API recommended spacing seems to provide
(which is very common) can have a big impact
needed clearance for proper flue gas
on NOx emissions and flame stability.
recirculation. The modified equation shall be:
(2) Heater design parameters: ࡽ࡮
࡯࡮ିࢀିࢁࡸࡺ ࡮ = + ૛
૝
3.1 Burner to Tube Spacing and Flue Gas Table-1 provides suggested clearances for Ultra
Recirculation Low NOx Burners.
It is suggested to maximize burner to tube Table-2 provides summary of results form a case
clearance not only to avoid flame impingement study comparing the required minimum Tube
on tubes but also for better internal flue gas Circle Diameter (TCD) for a fired heater with
recirculation. This spacing becomes even more conventional burners and Ultra Low NOx
critical for a vertical cylindrical heater. In a Burners.
well-designed furnace, the hot flue gases should
flow upward through the center of the heater. 3.2 Bridge Wall (Firebox) Temperature
The cold flue gas should flow downward behind Ultra Low-NOx burner performance is much
and along the tubes. A smaller clearance more dependent on firebox temperature
between the burner and tubes may not allow compared to conventional burners. Burner NOx
cold flue gases to flow downward. The small and other emissions are a function of firebox
space will be filled with hot gases. Refer to temperature. Higher firebox temperature leads to
Figure-4 for a typical flue gas flow profile in higher NOx formation.
heaters with a normal firebox and a tight firebox.
The firebox temperature calculation methods

Burner Burner

Normal firebox : With flue gas re-circulation Tight firebox: With no or low flue gas re-circulation
Figure-4 : Firebox flue gas flow profile

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 Know the Secret of Fired Heater Design and Operation with Ultra Low NOx Burner

generally used are empirical correlations based The overall heat transfer may not be affected in
on experimental data. The heat transfer in the applications where the heater has a convection-
radiant section is calculated with widely used section preheat coil followed by a radiant-
Lobo-Evans method. This method assumes section in which further heating occurs. In this
complete flue gas mixing in the firebox such that case, the total heat absorption for both the
there are no longitudinal or transverse radiant and convection coils will be about the
temperature gradients. The equation for radiant same, regardless of the Bridge Wall
heat transfer is as follows: Temperature.
ࢗ࢘ ࢀࢍ ૝ ࢀ࢙ ૝ However, it is very important to correctly
= ૙. ૚ૠ૜ ቈ൬ ൰ − ൬ ൰ ቉+ ૠ(ࢀࢍ − ࢀ࢙)
∝ ࡭ࢉ࢖ࡲ ૚૙૙ ૚૙૙ estimate Bridge Wall Temperature where there
are two or more separate services, one in the
Where: radiant section and one or more in the
qr = Total heat absorbed in Radiant Section, Btu/hr
Tg = Average Radiating flue gas temperature in convection section. If the Bridge Wall
radiant section, °R Temperature is higher than expected, the
Ts = Temperature of cold surface (Tube Metal radiant-section absorption will be relatively low
Temperature), °R and the convection-section absorption relatively
αAcp = Equivalent Cold Plane area, ft2
F = Overall exchange factor
high. In this case, such as when the radiant
This correlation was developed based on section consists of a process coil and the
operating data from heaters using conventional convection section consist of a steam-generating
burners. Ultra Low NOx burner flames are coil. An error in the predicted bridgewall
significantly different than a conventional burner temperature would result in an error in one or
flame. An Ultra Low NOx burner flame is cooler both of the predicted duties as well as in the
than conventional burner flame. A lower flame guaranteed heater efficiency.
temperature will result in lower heat transfer in An accurate prediction of bridgewall
the radiant section. Therefore, the flue gas temperature is required, not only for emission
temperature leaving the radiant section will be prediction, but also to correctly predict heat
higher than that of a heater with conventional absorptions and other heater performance
burners. One must account for this when parameters.
designing fired heater. An Ultra Low NOx
In a case study, an estimated performance of a
burner installed in an existing fired heater
fired heater with conventional burner and Ultra
(burner retrofit) may result in loss of capacity or
Low NOx burners were analyzed. The case
overall thermal efficiency.
study was for a vertical cylindrical heater with

Table-1 : Suggested clearance for Ultra Low NOx Burner

Heat release, Vertical clearance to Horizontal clearance Horizontal clearance Clearance between
MMBtu/hr centerline roof tubes / between tubes and from centerline of opposing burner
refractory (vertical burner centerline, ft- burner to unshielded (horizontal firing), ft-
firing), ft-inch inch refractory, ft-inch inch
2 10'-11" 2'-5" 1'-6" 14'-5"
4 15'-7" 3'-0" 2'-0" 21'-7"
6 20'-4" 3'-6" 2'-6" 28'-10"
8 24'-11" 4'-0" 3'-0" 36'-0"
10 29'-7" 4'-6" 3'-6" 43'-3"
12 34'-4" 5'-0" 4'-0" 46'-10"
14 39'-0" 5"-6" 4'-6" 50'-5"
16 43'-9" 6'-0" 5'-0" 54'-0"
18 48'-5" 6'-5" 5'-6" 60'-0"

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 Know the Secret of Fired Heater Design and Operation with Ultra Low NOx Burner

process coil in radiant section only. Convection Table-2 : Case Study: Required Minimum Tube Circle
section is used for waste heat recovery (steam Diameter for Conventional vs ULNB
coil). The Bridge wall temperature with Conventional ULNB
conventional burners is estimated as 1,560°F as Burner
compared to 1,620°F with Ultra Low NOx Burner design liberation, MMBtu/hr 10.0 10.0
burners. This increase in bridge wall temperature Number of burners 8 8
Burner spacing, Inch 30” 40”
do not only affect the firing rate & NOx
Burner circle diameter, ft-inch 6’-6” 8’-9”
emission but also affect the mechanical integrity
Burner to tube clearance, ft-inch 4’-0” 4’-6”
of heater components like tube supports,
Min. tube circle diameter, ft-inch 14’-6” 17’-9”
structural steel, refractory etc.
with similar firing rate, bridgewall temperature
3.3 Heat Density per unit area and excess, will have different NOx. The one
with lower heat density will likely to have lower
Heat density is not used for conventional NOx.
burners. However, it is a very significant
parameter for Ultra Low NOx Burners. The 3.4 Common Air Plenum Design
reason for this is the importance of flue gas
Common combustion air plenums are sometimes
internal circulation in ULNB.
provided to better control the combustion air.
The following formula can be used to determine These need to be designed to provide equal air to
area heat density: all the burners. It is possible to achieve relatively
ࡽ ࢈ ∗ ࢔ uniform combustion air flow to each individual
ࡴ ࢋࢇ࢚ࡰࢋ࢔࢙࢏࢚࢟ = burner for a well-designed burner plenum. It is
࡭
Where: always recommended to carry out a
Qb = Burner Heat Release Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) analysis to
n = Number of Burners
A = Floor Area (inside the tube circle or between tube
ensure proper air distribution to each burner.
rows) The example in Table-3 demonstrates how air
A = πd2/4 (for Vertical Cylindrical Heaters)
d = Tube Circle diameter
mal-distribution can starve some burners of
A = LxW (for Cabin / Box Heaters) combustion air.
L = Heater Length
W = Heater width (tube center to center)
It is very common to target 2% or even lower
Flue gas flow patterns in the radiant section of excess O2 (2% O2 is equivalent to 10% excess
properly designed process fired heaters are air). Most new fired heaters are able to operate
usually similar irrespective of heater geometry / at lower excess air because of lower tramp air
type. In most fired heaters, tubes are placed (lower air leakage) due to better sealing of
along the walls, and the burners reside in the casing.
middle. As heat is transferred from the flue gas, As noted in the table, a heater operating with
it cools and flows downward close to tubes. This 10% excess air will have a few burners starving
results in a region of hot upward gas flow in the for air at 10% air mal-distribution. A lower
middle of the heater and cool downward flow combustion air supply would result in sub-
adjacent to the tubes. However, this recirculation stoichiometric operation for that burner. This
decreases as over-firing increases. An over-fired will increase CO emissions.
heater may have very little flue gas recirculation.
The extreme case is plug flow case with no flue (3) Fuel Gas Delivery System
gas downward flow.
The Ultra Low NOx Burner tip orifices are very
This over-firing characteristic can easily be small compared to conventional burners. Burner
correlated with heat density. It is recommended ignition ports in most of Ultra Low NOx burners
to limit area heat density to a maximum of are 1/16 inch. These small ports can and will get
250,000 Btu/hr.ft2. plugged if the fuel gas delivery system is not
Two heaters with different area heat density but design to reliably supply clean, dry fuel.

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 Know the Secret of Fired Heater Design and Operation with Ultra Low NOx Burner

The fuel delivery system for Ultra-Low NOx Table-3 : Common Air Plenum – Air Mal-distribution
burner applications must have a filter /coalescer Design % Mal- Maximum Minimum
located downstream of the knockout drum. Use Excess Air distribution Excess Air Excess Air
of stainless steel fuel piping downstream of the (%) (%) (%)
filter/coalescer is also recommended. Fuel 15 5 20.75 9.25
piping downstream of the filter/coalescer may 10 26.5 3.5
require insulation and heat tracing depending on 15 32.25 (-)2.25
local site conditions.
10 5 15.5 4.5
10 21.0 (-)1.0
(4) Operating Parameters: 15 26.5 (-)6.5

4.1 Carbon Monoxide (CO) emission:

Table-4 :Operating at high draft-
Most fired heater emission requirements also Effect of draft change for 40 ft tall firebox
limit CO emission. The factors influencing NOx High draft After draft
emission (firebox temperature, excess air & operation change
residence time) also influence CO emission, Draft at Arch, InchWC 0.20 0
although unfortunately in opposite direction. Draft at Floor, InchWC 0.6 0.4
Excess Air, % 15 (-) 6
NOx emission is reduced as firebox temperature
decreases but CO emission increase. 0.7

CO emission is generally not an issue at heater

design conditions where firebox temperature is 0.6
Elevation = 0
relatively high. However, at low heater Elevation = 5,000 ft
Draft at Floor, InchWC

throughput CO emission will increase. 0.5

Carbon Monoxide is produced by incomplete

combustion of fuel gases. The basic combustion 0.4

process includes formation of CO as an

intermediate product before it is converted to 0.3
CO2. CO is easy to convert into CO2 if sufficient
Oxygen, temperature and mixing is available. 0.2
The minimum ignition temperature of CO in air 20 30 40 50 60

is 1,128°F. A firebox temperature higher than Firebox Height, ft

the ignition temperature is required to limit CO Figure-5 : Effect of Site Elevation on Draft Available at Heater Floor
emission. Burner supplier must be consulted for
Site elevation (altitude above sea level) is one of
minimum firebox temperature below which CO
the most often overlooked parameters while
emission is not guaranteed. Generally, CO
calculating draft. Stack effect reduces with
emission from a burner is guaranteed at a
increase in altitude. If draft is not calculated
firebox temperature above 1300°F.
based on actual site elevation, the burner as well
4.2 Draft as the heater will have capacity limited due to
insufficient draft.
Draft is defined as negative pressure at any point
inside a fired heater. Draft loss across the burner Following correlation can be used to calculate
is the pressure drop of combustion air in the the draft (Inch WC) generated in a heater.
burner. Higher available airside pressure drop to ૚ ૚
ࡰ࢘ࢇࢌ࢚= ૙. ૞૛ ∗ ࡴ ∗ ࡼࢇ࢚࢓ ቊ − ቋ
the burner almost invariably improves flame ࢀࢇ࢓ ࢈ ࢀࢌࢍ
pattern and the ability to effectively use internal Where:
flue gas recirculation in burners. It is very H =Height, ft
Patm = Atmospheric Pressure, psia
important to provide the actual calculated draft
Tamb =Ambient Air Temperature, °R
available to the burner supplier. Tfg =Flue Gas Temperature, °R

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 Know the Secret of Fired Heater Design and Operation with Ultra Low NOx Burner

operation. Proper selection of fuel gas supply

Atmospheric pressure (Patm) reduces with system, number of burners, fired duty per burner,
increase in site elevation resulting in reduction is location of burners, fired heater design and operating
available draft. Figure-5 provides a comparison parameter are very important for optimum
of draft at site elevation of 0 ft and 5,000 ft. performance of a fired heater. Every design step in
Fired heater operators tend to operate the heater fired heater and burner design is critical. An
at higher draft to be on safer side. However, oversight at any stage, from fuel gas supply to flue
when there is a large change in draft, it can gas disposal, will adversely affect burner as well as
adversely affect the excess air. Example in table- fired heater performance.
4 indicates that air flow rate becomes sub- Many fired heater design and operating parameters
stoichiometric for a draft change from 0.2 Inch may not be of significance with conventional burner
WC to 0 InchWC. This change may not even but become important for Ultra Low NOx burners.
trigger the low draft alarm (depending on setting
of instrument).
References:
4.3 Air Leakage
(1) API-560 : Fired Heaters for General Refinery Service
Process fired heaters operate under negative (2) API-535: Burners for Fired Heaters in General
pressure. Even small openings can allow Refinery Services
significant quantities of air to leak into the (3) Lobo, W. E., Evans, J. E.; Heat Transfer in Radiant
heater. Air leaking into the furnace increases the Section of Petroleum Heaters, Trans. Am. Inst.
Chem. Engrs. 35, pp.748-778, 1939.
O2 measured at arch or stack, independent of the (4) Beer JM, Chigier NA. Combustion Aerodynamics,
air actually coming through the burners. The Applied Science Publishers Ltd.,:1972.
actual air coming through burner shall be lower
that measure by Oxygen analyzer. This may Sultan Ahamad is a Sr. Fired
increase the NOx emissions. When furnace air Heater Specialist at Bechtel Corp.
leakage is high, the air coming through the in Houston, Texas. He has more
than 16 years of experience in the
burner may not be enough for complete design, engineering and
combustion of the fuel, causing the flames to troubleshooting of fired heaters and
grow larger and possibly impinge on the furnace combustion systems for the
refining and petrochemical
tubes. In such a situation, the heater may have to industries. He graduated from the
be operated at a higher excess O2, sacrificing Indian Institute of Technology in Roorkee, India, with a degree
heater efficiency in order to prevent flame in chemical engineering. He is a member of API Sub-Committee
impingement. on Heat Transfer Equipment. He can be reached by email:
sahamad@bechtel.com
There are many sources of air leakage in a
process heater. It can be tube penetrations, sight Rimon Vallavanatt is the Sr. Principal Engineer at Bechtel
ports, joints between heater walls, out of service Corp. in Houston, Texas. He has
more than 40 years of experience in
burners etc. It is very important to seal any and the design, engineering and
all noticeable openings in order to prevent air troubleshooting of fired heaters,
thermal oxidizers, boilers and flares.
leakage for proper burner operation. Sight
He graduated from the University of
Kerala in India with a degree in
Conclusion mechanical engineering. He also
With the introduction of next generation Ultra-low received a degree in industrial
engineering from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas.
NOx burners, there have been major reductions in Mr. Vallavanatt is a registered professional engineer in the state
NOx emissions. These burners are operating closer of Texas, and he has served on the American Petroleum
to their limits of flame stability and complete Institute’s subcommittee on heat transfer equipment for the past
combustion. Ultra-low NOx burners are very prone 30 years. He can be reached by email: rvallava@bechtel.com
to flame interaction in multi-burner heaters.
Ultra-Low NOx burners along with fired heater need
to be specified correctly to get an optimal heater