Inspection Guidelines For Fired Heaters
Inspection Guidelines For Fired Heaters
Inspection Guidelines For Fired Heaters
GUIDELINE Rev.0
2nd Aug.2013
INSPECTION GUIDELINES FOR INSTALLED
PROCESS FIRED HEATERS Page 1 of 18
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION.
2. SCOPE/PURPOSE
3. REFERENCES
4. DEFINITIONS
5. INSPECTION GUIDELINE
6. RESPONSIBILITIES.
Appr’d
Rev. Issue Date Amendment Description Prepared By: Chk’d By:
By:
0 First Release
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1. INTRODUCTION:
These guidelines are intended to provide advice and recommendations for in-service
evaluation of Process Fired heaters installed in QChem Complex. They were originally
developed as an Internal and External inspection guidelines separately as TE-STA-GLN-
00-0024 (Internal inspection of Fired Heaters Guideline) and TE-STA-GLN-00-0038
(External Inspection of Fired Heaters Guidelines), and has currently been superseded by
this document.
2. SCOPE/PURPOSE
This document presents the inspection (internal and external) guidelines for Installed
Process Fired heaters that have been placed in service. These guidelines were prepared
from the collective experience of number of major Petrochemical and Petroleum
organizations, and from International codes/standards and recommended practices.
The guidelines described in this document are focused to improve equipment reliability
and plant safety by means of identifying and assessing pertinent deterioration
mechanisms, appropriate inspection technique/methods, recommending
repair/replacement in time based on assessed condition against acceptance criteria and
rate of deterioration.
The scope is limited to all installed Fired heater pressure coils in an mixture of
hydrocarbon service, including return bends; fittings; manifolds; radiant and convection
coils, internal and external crossover piping, headers, associated welds and
Refractories.
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3. REFERENCES
The following standards/codes/Recommended practices were used in the preparation of
these guidelines and should be carefully reviewed by the inspectors/inspection
engineers prior to performing inspection. All references should be the latest issued
revision or edition.
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4. DEFINITIONS
4.1. General Definitions
The lower-case word shall indicates a requirement.
The word should indicates a recommendation.
The words coils shall also mean tube or tubing unless clearly distinguished
otherwise.
4.2. Convection Tubes: These tubes are on the top of the heater, heated by the
outgoing flue gas from the Radiant section. On other hand, the heat is transferred to
the tubes primarily by convection.
4.3. Cross section: The interconnecting piping between any two heater coil sections.
4.4. Flue gas: The gaseous product of combustion including the excess air.
4.5. Manifold: A chamber for the collection and distribution of fluid to or from multiple
parallel flow paths.
4.6. Radiant tubes: The heat transfer in these tubes is primarily through the radiation
from the heating flame and incandescent refractory.
4.7. Repair: The work necessary to restore the condition of the equipment suitable for
safe operation at the design conditions, without any deviation from the original
configuration.
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5. INSPECTION GUIDELINE:
Heater inspection is done in two stages: ‘On-stream’ and ‘during shutdown’ of the
equipment. Generally, heater inspection is scheduled along with turnaround or any
partial unit shutdown, as necessary. However, if a heater is made available due to other
reasons and needs inspection based on previous findings, the opportunity should be
used for detailed inspection of the heater, as necessary.
Heaters with austenitic stainless steel tubes operating with/exposed to fluids containing
Hydrogen sulphide or halogen compounds need special precautionary measure like
neutralization, maintaining inert atmosphere etc., during heater shutdown prior to
inspection. Such protection shall be done as per procedure TE-STA-GLN-00-0045
Protection of Stainless Steel Equipment during Down Time against Stress Corrosion
Cracking.
5.1. Inspector/Inspection Engineer Qualifications: These guidelines are intended
for inspectors and inspection engineers. Inspector/Inspection Engineer shall have
adequate training and experience with heater operation, heater deterioration
mechanisms and the appropriate inspection techniques to identify or monitor them,
and with understanding of burners, tubes, tube hangers and supports, refractory,
and overall heater operation.
5.2. Safety: Prior to enter any Heater, Safety precautions shall be taken. These
precautions include but not limited to isolating energy sources, lock-out-tag-out and
try, atmospheric gas checks and confined space temperatures before entering. All
applicable QChem’s Site specific safety procedures and OSHA regulations shall be
consulted.
5.3. Inspection Tools Required: Portable light, Thin bladed knife and scrappers,
Inspector’s hammer, calipers, pit gauges, steel rule, magnifying glass, Mirror, wire
brushes, magnet and Ultrasonic thickness meter.
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Special tools, instruments and NDT techniques such as MPI, LPI kit, Hardness
tester, Elcometer (Magnetic permeability), plumber’s level and Radiography
Equipment etc. should be available if and when required. All tools should be
checked for operability and availability/Calibration as necessary.
5.4. Pre-Inspection:
I) Check the Heater drawing; construction code; material of radiant and
Convection tubes; tube support & tube guide; Refractory; Skin Thermocouple
and/or Thermo well; Dimension of individual items (diameter, length/height and
thickness) as applicable to the heater type. Check the burner assembly and
orientation of burner tip and material.
II) Read the heater file/report and note history of corrosion, tube failures, history of
overheating, failures and re-tubing frequency, if any and other replacement or
repairs.
III) Discuss with the Operations specialist, and/or process Engineer any operational
problems/ Operating history for the fired heater being inspected and determine if
there are any additional inspections required.
IV) Primarily carry out an external inspection for external flue gas leaks, external
damage to heater casing, and structure’s, Burner blocks and fuel leaks. It is
suggested an infrared Thermography survey is done prior to shutdown of the
heater to identify hotspots and hot tubes and any refractory damage to heater
casing.
V) Start preliminary visual inspection of the heater internally, pay attention to the
heater floor, burner assembly, burners and snuffing steam connections, the
refractory walls, bottom, mid and top tube guides and seat as applicable and
accessible.
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5.6.2.2. A special attention should be given for the following parts of heating coils:
All welds and HAZs (Heat affected Zones)
Tube surface up to 5 meter from burners.
Entry and Exit points through tube sheets of inlet and outlet tubes & tube
headers.
Juncture of plain and finned/studded section of convection tubes.
Crossover tubing for corrosion, leakage, and other physical damage.
Change in flow direction (elbows).
Attachment welds of supports / hangers.
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5.6.3.1. All welds shall be given thorough visual inspection after proper cleaning. 25%
welds at random on carbon steel and low alloy steel tubes and preferably
100% welds on austenitic Stainless steel should be checked by LPI and MPI
(if carbon steel) as applicable.
For Ethylene furnaces, 10% of outlet tube welds of radiant coils and any
suspected welds if any shall be LPI tested. In addition, all accessible welds of
stainless steel convection coils shall also be LPI tested.
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5.6.7.3. If pneumatic testing is used, the test pressure should be limited to 110% of the
maximum allowable working pressure of the equipment. All precaution for
safety should be taken while carrying out pneumatic testing of heater coils.
Pneumatic testing, when required, shall be carried out as per procedure TE-
STA-PRO-00-0043 (Pneumatic Testing Procedure).
5.6.7.4. Pressure testing of heater coils may be considered when the heater is out of
service for long periods.
5.6.7.5. Ethylene coils will be tested when assembled. Coils replaced within a furnace
will not be tested. In that case, all weldments should be 100% radiographed.
Some of the typical likely failure mechanisms, the associated inspection techniques and
acceptance criteria have been summarized in Table 1, which are the collective
information from international standards and API recommended practices.
TABLE 1
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open
‘Fishmouth’)
Oxidation Very thin dark Visual Inspection; Assess corrosion rate and
Scale; Ultrasonic Thickness gauging thickness to be above
General thinning (UTG); Profile Radiography; Minimum required thickness
IR thermography / Tubeskin at next outage/shutdown
thermocouple (Temperature (Note 5)
monitoring)
Sulfidation General Thinning Visual Inspection; Ultrasonic Assess corrosion rate and
and Localized Thickness Gauging (UTG); thickness to be above
corrosion Profile Radiography; IR Minimum required thickness
Thermography / Tubeskin at next outage/shutdown
thermocouple (Temperature
monitoring)
Carburizatio Localized pitting; Ultrasonic Thickness Assess corrosion rate and
n / Metal Grooving; scanning; thickness to be above
dusting Increase in Profile Radiography; Minimum required thickness
Hardness; Metallography; at next outage/shutdown;
Increased level Hardness tester;
of Magnet; IR
Ferromagnetism Thermography/skin
thermocouples)
(Note 6 & 7)
Fuel Ash General metal Visual inspection; Assess corrosion rate and
Corrosion loss; Ultrasonic Thickness thickness to be above
Grooving gauging. Minimum required thickness
at next outage/shutdown;
(Note 8)
Environment – Assisted Cracking:
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General Note:
Notes:
1) Creep damage is not reversible i.e., once creep damage is occurred the most of the
component’s life has been used up and typically the options are to replace the damaged
component.
2) In-situ metallography/Replica on the OD of a component may not provide a clear
indication of subsurface damage.
3) The initial stages of creep damage can only be identified by scanning Electron
microscope metallography.
4) While replacing the damaged coil, the old existing portion shall be Solution Annealed (Air
Quenching) with soaking temperature of 1100 deg.C before welding.
5) Estimated corrosion rates (mpy) for Oxidation is 50mpy and 31mpy for 800H/HP and
310SS/HK respectively (As per API 571 IInd Edi. Apr.2011).
6) If destructive sampling is available, or process side surfaces are accessible, then
Hardness testing and Metallography can be used to confirm Carburization.
7) Increased levels of Ferromagnetism (Magnetic permeability) on paramagnetic material
when initially installed, also an indication that material has got carburized.
8) By minimizing the contaminants (such as Sulfur, Sodium, Potassium and/or Vanadium)
of fuel and operating metal temperature, the Fuel ash Corrosion can be prevented.
9) Proper design of Burner and Burner management can help to reduce flame impingement
and localized hot spots.
10) A Thermal stabilization heat treatment at 900 deg.C may be applied to chemically
stabilized austenitic stainless steel welds after all welding is complete in an attempt to
reduce sensitization and PASCC susceptibility.
11) Review and monitoring of flow rates and process composition can help to recommend
Repair/upgrade material against erosion.
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5.7.1. Inspect tube supports and tube sheets of box type heaters and tube anchor bolts of
vertical heaters, to determine physical condition and fitness for further service.
Check supports for cracks, oxidation and corrosion
5.7.2. Check the space between the pin and sleeve of the tube guide for any blockage or
restriction to the free movement/expansion of the coil.
5.7.3. Inspect tube supports for cracks, elongated holes, oxidation, corrosion, excessive
bending or bent pins.
5.8. Burners
5.8.1. Remove burners for overhauling and inspection, to ensure uniform firing when in
operation. Check for oxidation, corrosion and erosion.
5.8.2. Inspect burner throat refractory when burners are removed. Inspect air registers for
corrosion, excessive burning/deformation and proper operability. Inspect the burner
blocks/tiles for crazing of the tiles.
5.8.3. Inspect the burner tips and gas heads for plugging. Verify the alignment of burner
tips and gas heads. Check head and tip holes for possible enlargement/irregularity.
.
5.8.4. Inspect for missing or plugged burner heads, and check the alignment and
clearance.
5.9. Ducts and Stacks: (Refer to the Stacks and Flares Inspection Guideline No. TE-
STA-GLN-00-0028)
5.9.1. Breaching ducts and stacks shall be inspected on stream externally for evidence of
lining damages. External oxidation of internally insulated ducts and stack would be
an indication of internal lining damage and would require detailed internal
inspection for bulges, flat spots, or missing areas. Areas, which are not internally
lined, should be checked for corrosion and stress cracking due to condensation of
acidic gases with special attention to welds & heat-affected zones.
5.9.2. Inspect the stack bottom for any accumulation of soot or refractory material.
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5.9.3. Inspect the stack access door for warping (look for light shining through).
5.9.7. Check ladders, platforms, painter trolley, pulley and all structural members for
atmospheric corrosion.
5.10.1. Inspect the soot blowers, where provided, for any indications of leaking.
5.10.2. Remove soot blowers, overhaul and inspect for corrosion, cracking and/or
deformation with special attention to lance tube and drive mechanism.
5.10.3. Soot blower stop valves should be pressure tested on test bench after overhauling.
In the case of forced draft heaters, on stream inspection of fans and blowers would avoid
many mechanical breakdowns. During the heater shutdown, these should be
dismantled, overhauled and inspected for corrosion and mechanical damage.
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5.13. Refractory/Insulation.
Different types of refractory/insulating materials are installed in the heaters. Some of the
more common ones are:
When the heater is ready for inspection, all refractory work should be visually inspected
for cracks, breakages sagging crumbling and open joints. Any evidence of high
temperature noticed on the heater shell during On-Stream inspection, should be further
explored during shutdown internal inspection.
Small shrinkage cracks of less than 6 mm in width can be left without repair while bigger
cracks, spoiling of refractory etc. should be repaired as required. The soundness of
refractory can be checked using hammer tapping. Cracks above 6 mm could be filled
with ceramic fiber, if base refractory is not affected. In case, base refractory is not sound
and is damaged, loose or crumbled, refractory from the complete affected area should
be removed up to the base metal and repaired.
Ceramic fiber insulation should be checked for physical damage to the insulation
material or mechanical and any high temperature oxidation/damages to the anchors and
twist clips.
Care should be taken while inspecting convection refractory, as only limited access is
normally available.
More details of Refractory Inspection and Repair Practices are available in. TE-ERG-
GLN-00-0032, Refractory Inspection Guideline.
5.14. Documentation
The details observations made/repairs carried out during the internal inspection of Fired
Heater shall be recorded in the form of Inspection Report as per TE-ERG-GLN-00-0007,
ERG Inspection Report Guideline.
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6. RESPONSIBILITIES
STATIONARY EQUIPMENT INSPECTOR/ENGINEER:
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