Application and Benets of Combustion Management to Fired Heaters

A White Paper

Application and Benets of Combustion Management to Fired Heaters

Sections
Introduction Managing Combustion in Natural Draft Fired Heaters How It Works CASE STUDY: A Major Gulf Coast Renery The Recommended Best Industry Practice The Technology The Installation Process 1 2 5 6 7 8 9

Figures
Figure 1: Diagram of a Typical Fired Heater Figure 2: Features and Benets of TDLS Technology Figure 3: TDLS Technology for Combustion Safety and Optimization Figure 4: Basic Functional Capabilities of CombustionONE Figure 5: Reners Participating in the API 556 Task Team Figure 6: CombustionONE - An Integrated Solution 2 3 4 5 6 8

Application and Benets of Combustion Management to Fired Heaters

Introduction
While red heaters are used throughout rening and petrochemical processes as the source of process heat, they carry inherent risks and costs that make operating without current technologies problematic. To address safety concerns, Industry standards are upgrading their recommended practice for Instrumentation, Control, and Protective Systems for Fired Heaters and Steam Generators. While not yet required by regulation, plants not meeting the best Industry Practice guideline, will be at added risk in the event of an incident on a red heater. Since many natural draft red heaters do not meet this guideline with existing instrumentation and control systems, an upgraded system consisting of recommend technologies will be needed. Further, since most natural draft red heaters have only automated control of the fuel supply, not air, excess air is often applied to the combustion process, reducing thermal efciency. According to ARC INSIGHTS, Second only to raw materials costs, energy is the leading cost pressure currently affecting manufacturers. New analysis techniques, such as tunable diode laser spectroscopy (TDLS), can improve efciency, maximize throughput, reduce emissions, and improve safety and reduce energy in combustion processes. This paper highlights and describes the application of a new combustion management system by Yokogawa called CombustionONE. By incorporating Tunable Diode Laser Spectroscopy (TDLS) technology, this new system has the ability to simultaneously control air and fuel supply to red heaters by measuring average gas concentrations across the high temperature radiant section. Cross sectional averages that measure O2 and CO at high temperatures has only recently become reliable with the introduction of the TDLS technology. The

CombustionONE solution unites a TDLS analyzer with a dedicated control system and a safety system certied to meet FM NFPA and SIL 2 standards. The intrinsic value gained by adopting this new combustion technology can be summarized by the following: Best Industry Practices which can only be satised with new technology Increased safety because both air and fuel are continuously controlled Improved thermal efciency as excess air is always optimized ............................. Longer red heater life (asset reliability) since heat is not concentrated at the bottom of the convection section Lower greenhouse gas emissions through a more efcient use of fuel

Second only to raw materials costs, energy is the leading cost pressure currently affecting manufacturers. New analysis techniques, such as tunable diode laser spectroscopy (TDLS), can improve efciency, maximize throughput, reduce emissions, and improve safety and reduce energy in combustion processes. ARC INSIGHTS, INSIGHT# 2009-50MP, November 2009

Application and Benets of Combustion Management to Fired Heaters

Managing Combustion in Natural Draft Fired Heaters

The air supply for most red heaters is natural draft not forced air - and these heaters normally lack the extent of automation as the other process units in the plant. Natural draft red heaters, as the name implies, use ue gas buoyancy to support combustion. These heaters can be either cylindrical or box type (see Figure 1 below). The buoyancy of the ue gas (combustion product) relative to the surrounding air is determined by the product of the average density of the ue gas and the height of the heater. Furnaces are designed to run at a pressure of -0.05 to -0.1 WC at the top of the radiant section, whether a heater is natural draft, induced draft or forced draft. Figure 1 provides a simplied diagram of a typical red heater.

The low level of control on most red heaters is due, at least in part, to the historical lack of reliable, effective instrumentation and automation technology to simultaneously measure and control the fuel, gas concentrations, and the air/fuel ratio. An oxygen (O 2 ) sensor is typically required at the stack base for thermal efciency calculations, which require total excess air. While operators attempt to maintain excess O 2 in the furnace for safety, the amount indicated from an existing sensor may be incorrect due to tramp air. In fact, it is possible that the burners may be starving for air, despite excess oxygen at the stack base. Because of the lack of air control, operators will typically allow excess air

Figure 1: Diagram of a Typical Fired Heater

Stack

Inefcient combustion can be attributed to the air/feul ratio. Too much excess air (air rich) results in loss of efciency and increased NOx emissions, while too little air (fuel rich) is downright dangerous. Carbon monoxide measurements provides an indication of fuel-rich conditions, while oxygen measurements indiate air-rich conditions. The optimal control point is the lowest possible excess air value that does not cause the system to enter an unsafe condition or violate emissions limits.

Damper

Breeching Convection section Shield section

Process Fluid In Process Fluid Out

Coil Radiant section

Because of the lack of air control, operators will typically allow excess air into the red heater, reducing its thermal efciency.
Burner Natural Air Draft

Application and Benets of Combustion Management to Fired Heaters

into the red heater, reducing its thermal efciency. The lack of effective instrumentation to continuously and rapidly measure O 2 and CO in the combustion chamber of red heater introduces considerable safety risk. Apart from the simultaneous control of fuel and air concentrations, it is possible for fuelrich conditions to arise which increases the potential explosion risk. Note that under fuel-rich conditions, temperature/fuel controllers no longer work properly. Apart from the simultaneous control of fuel and air concentrations, it is possible for fuel-rich conditions to arise which increases the potential explosion risk. The detection of combustibles - primarily CH4 - in the radiant section of the red heater is recommended by the American Petroleum Institute per API 556; however, traditional analyzer technology cannot be installed in the radiant section due to the high temperatures. As noted above, without accurate measurements of CH4, O 2 and CO concentrations, operators tend to allow excess air than necessary in the heater, reducing its thermal efciency. To

and CO at the top of the radiant section, ideally one foot below the roof tubes. This is where combustion reaction is expected to complete under all heater operating loading. This is an ideal application of CombustionONE, which employs new TDLS technology. Using the TDLS in concert with a dedicated controller, a cross section average O 2 and CO density can be measured to determine the right air/ fuel ratio, rather than a localized spot measurement of these gases. Using an average O 2 and CO density produces safer burner control and greater overall heater efciency. Figure 2 lists the features and benets of TDLS technology, which has distinct advantages over single point, in-situ analyzers that may give false readings because of varying gas concentrations at different locations in the red heater.

Figure 2: Features and Benets of TDLS Technology

Feature
In-situ analysis Fast response Tunable laser

Benefit
Sample conditioning not required Real-time data for control Interference-free analysis

To properly control the combustion air, CH4 and CO must be measured at the top of the radiant section where combustion is completed, regardless of the burner loading.

Non-contact sensor Suitable for operations in harsh environments Optical sensor Low maintenance

Source: ARC INSIGHTS, INSIGHT# 2009-50MP, November 2009

Fired heaters have two principal unsafe operating conditions that must be avoided:

properly control the combustion air, CH4 and CO must be measured at the top of the radiant section where combustion is completed, regardless of the burner loading. Note that O 2 and CO will coexist within the ames, where the temperature may be as high as 2,200 degrees F. Low NOx burners may use delayed completion of combustion through staged air/fuel mixing, or external recirculation of cooler ue gas with combustion air, reducing peak ame temperature. In either case, to effectively control the combustion process it is essential to measure O 2 Flame Out where Loss of ame results in rapid loss of gas temperature. O 2 levels are high as burner air is not reduced by combustion, and un-combusted fuel (CH4 ) is present Fuel Rich - where air is reduced, CO will be produced by the burners and excess O 2 will be lower, which results in excess fuel (CH4 ) from the burners

Application and Benets of Combustion Management to Fired Heaters

Consequently, continually measuring percent O 2 is critical to improving heater efciency and maintaining safe operating conditions. When rebox conditions are unacceptable, i.e. high levels of CO or combustibles exist, the effective combustion management solution must rapidly detect the condition and initiate the appropriate response. In the case

of CombustionONE TM, the embedded control and safety systems will ensure that these conditions are avoided or that combustion is extinguished and fuel ow is interrupted automatically if these conditions are detected. The TDLS analyzer technology will reliably respond to all O 2 events, where conventional sensor technology will miss most such events.

By optimizing air ow control, O2 concentration is typically reduced from 6% to 2%, increasing thermal efciency of the furnace
TDL Transmitter

Figure 3: TDLS Technology for Combustion Safety and Optimization

Concentration Variations

Cool temperatures but CO reaction is nearing completion

Convection Tubing TDL Receiver

Radiant Tubes (Radiant Zone)

Before Combustion Management

Higher costs as operators increase O2 ow to avoid a fuel rich atmosphere Unexpected demand for fuel, leading to unsafe combustion conditions Greater risk during a process upset Risk of inadequate air control may not be assessed correctly for process upset Wet steam introduced on start up, requiring a steam purge, risking ignition failure Shorter life of the nned convection section with afterburning due to presence of combustibles

After Combustion Management

Reduced O2 and lower operating costs as the fuel-air mixture is controlled Fuel is limited to the available air to prevent unsafe fuel rich combustion CO and O2 concentrations are safely controlled at the optimum levels Unburned fuel is detected readily, avoiding unsafe combustion Process upsets are handled with controlled combustion conditions Enforced drain removal from purge steam prevents unsafe ignition attempt

Application and Benets of Combustion Management to Fired Heaters

How It Works
Capable of measuring the average gas concentration across the radiant zone of the red heater, CombustionONE addresses both of the above lessthan-optimum conditions by simultaneously controlling the fuel and air (O 2 ) supply based on 5 second sample intervals. Measuring the gas concentration in the radiant zone is also a requirement of API 556.

inputs directly from the furnace and operates the heater steam purge valves and fuel trip valves when necessary. The simplied architecture diagram below illustrates the key components comprising the solution. Because the TDLS is a non contacting measurement - never touching the ue gas - and has no moving parts, the whole system enjoys very high reliability. The TDLS analyzer technology within CombustionONE has been operational on furnaces

Figure 4: Basic Functional Capabilities of CombustionONETM

CombustionONE

Refinery Heaters

Safety System Gas Concentration Measurement (TDLS)

Control Element

Burners

Field Instrument Control Systems Control Element Burners

Measurements from the system include CO, CH4, O 2, H 2O and temperature. Using an average gas concentration produces safer burner control and greater overall heater efciency. By optimizing air ow control, O 2 concentration is typically reduced from 6% to 2%, increasing thermal efciency of the furnace. The combustion management system manages fuel ow and arch draft through the existing plant DCS via Modbus, and combustion airow directly. The safety system with CombustionONE receives

since 2003 without incident and most of those units have not required calibration. The analyzer has full diagnostic capability, and if there is an issue, the analyzer will alert the operator. Also, the measurement signals from the TDLS are unaffected by the Continuous measurements of percent O2 is critical to improving heater efciency and maintaining safe operating conditions.

Application and Benets of Combustion Management to Fired Heaters

presence of other gases in the ue gas, unlike sensor based technology. TDLS uses a path average measurement, as opposed to the traditional point measurement, making the value of concentration much more accurate.

be correlated to the output from the existing stack gas analyzer to verify the results. Data collected during this testing will be incorporated into the future safety shutdown system. The modular procedural automation capability in CombustionONE will enforce safe operating conditions during start-up and shut-down. Once the Safety Interlock System is in place, CombustionONE will be able to detect and interdict any unsafe operating conditions. Natural draft heaters lack the capability to use air to purge the heater. Instead, steam is used. If the steam is not dry water will accumulate on the burners/igniters, preventing ignition. The start-up sequence, part of the CombustionONE solution, will purge the condensate from the steam line, thus providing dry steam to purge the heater before ignition.

CASE STUDY: A Major Gulf Coast Renery

Challenges
The most critical times of heater operation are at start-up and shutdown. Recognizing that a much faster, more reliable analyzer is required to measure O2, CO and CH4 concentrations, a major Gulf Coast rening operation has adopted the CombustionONE solution for combustion management. Since CombustionONE measures gas concentration in the radiant section of the red heater, the system is expected to improve heater safety and overall operational efciency.

Results
CombustionONE has been operational since June, 2010 and the TDLS analyzers continue to operate reliably with no maintenance needed. The operators have been able to reduce the percent O2 by 1% to 1.5%, thus making the heater more efcient. The furnace is now near optimum operating point using minimum excess air. The TDLS measurements have been veried by the existing stack gas analyzers, but with a percent O2 reading of 1% to 1.5% lower than the stack gas analysis because the measurements are taken in the radiant section. Furnace conditions can now be controlled (or shutdown) quicker since CombustionONE is taking concentration measurements at ve second intervals in the radiant section. If there were to be an excess concentration of CO or CH4 in the furnace, these gases can be detected earlier versus the conventional stack gas analyzer, enabling the heater to be shut down sooner and avoiding unsafe conditions.

Solution
CombustionONE was installed with two Tunable Diode Laser Spectroscopy (TDLS) analyzers for measurement of O2, CO and CH4 concentrations in the radiant section of the heater. A dedicated CombustionONE controller uses these measurements while feeding these values to an existing DCS for monitoring and future control of the heaters. The dedicated control hardware is equipped to receive additional signals from the heater, which will be used to control the airow in the burners in a subsequent phase of the project. Space has also been allotted for a future safety shutdown system. The CombustionONE system will be tested during upset conditions and the response of combustion gases will be analyzed to conrm the desired response to unsafe conditions. This data can then

Application and Benets of Combustion Management to Fired Heaters

The Recommended Best Industry Practice

Over two years in development, API 556, to be published by the American Petroleum Institute, is a recommended practice for Instrumentation, Control, and Protective Systems for Fired Heaters and Steam Generators. This guideline specically applies to gas red heaters and steam generators in petroleum renery, hydrocarbon-processing, petrochemical, and chemical plants. API 556 specically states the following regarding the use TDLS technology: Laser based technology for combustion control (oxygen trim to air or air/fuel ratio controller) is a design consideration for heater applications where a single sample point will not provide a representative sample. It has a response time of 5 seconds and can measure across a radiant section up to 98.4 ft. (30 m). It is not an ignition source to ue gas and requires no reference air.
API 556

Composed of representatives from a cross-section of the rening and petrochemicals industry, the API Task Team continues to rene the API 556 guideline. Figure 6 lists the rening companies who have provided representatives to the API556 Task Team.

Figure 5: Reners Participating in the API 556 Task Team

Company
BP

Contribution
Chairman SCOICS Heater Design Protective System Control, protective General Instrumentation Process Control Heater Design Valves Analyzers Protective System Instrumentation and Analytical Analyzers Design Burners Control Safety Valves

Chevron

CITGO

Not covered in this recommended practice are the following: Oil red and combination red heaters Water tube boilers which consist of single or multiple burners and are designed for utility operation or where the primary purpose is steam generation Fired steam generators used to recover heat from combustion turbines (HRSG) Oven and furnaces used for the primary purpose of incinerating, oxidizing, reduction or destruction of the process medium (covered by NFPA 86). Water bath or oil bath indirect red heaters. CO boiler, ethylene furnace and other specialty heaters

ConocoPhillips

ExxonMobil Marathon Ashland Petroleum

General Instrumentation Process Control Chairman SCOICS Combustion/general General Instrumentation Analyzers Controls

Valero Corp.

Application and Benets of Combustion Management to Fired Heaters

The Technology
The CombustionONE combustion management system is an integrated, self-contained system that can be rapidly installed on any red heater. Four principal components that comprise the solution are shown in Figures 7-10 and described as follows: TDLS technology for gas concentration measurements on 5 second intervals A dedicated system for control of fuel and air volumes based on a red heater model An OSHA compliant safety system to prevent unsafe conditions from persisting Sensing and actuation for additional measurements and air ow control as needed

Two TDLS systems (transmitters and receivers) are typically installed in the radiant section of the red heater, which is the most accurate location for optimum combustion management. At minimum, one unit measures O 2 and the other CO. Additional TDLS units can be installed to measure the products of combustion, such as CH4. Since red heaters have differing congurations, capacities, environmental and process conditions, custom mounting brackets are built to hold and position the laser across the radiant section. This is the best location to obtain the most accurate gas concentration and temperature measurements. The dedicated controller is used to simultaneously control fuel and air volumes based on ve second sampling measurements of average gas concentrations across the radiant section from the TDLS.

Figure 6: CombustionONE - An Integrated Solution

TDLS for Gas Concentration Class 1, Division 2 Rated Enclosure Dedicated Controller

Sensing and Actuation Safety Interlock System

Application and Benets of Combustion Management to Fired Heaters

Embedded with the controller are proprietary red heater combustion strategies that direct fuel ow at the valve and air volume through the burner registers. An OSHA compliant safety system is required on a red heater to meet regulatory requirements. The safety system will safely shut down the red heater if the main controller fails or if unsafe conditions persist in the red heater. The embedded safety system in CombustionONE is certied to meet the requirements of NFPA, FM, ISA S84.01 and IEC61508 and SIL3. Smart (self diagnosing) multi-variable transmitters and valve positioners provide reliable and accurate performance and feedback of the combustion management solution. Additional SIL 2 transmitters are sometimes added on the red heater to provide air ow measurements at multiple locations, ensuring safety and optimum performance.

Since the combustion management solution is completely self-contained and requires little integration with existing control systems and instrumentation, the installation phase is typically straightforward. Where mechanical modications and/or upgrades to the red heater are necessary, Yokogawa acts as the prime contractor, partnering with engineering companies and furnace manufacturers to provide a single source for the project. The installation and commissioning processes occurs in 8 to 12 weeks, depending on the size and complexity of the red heater. Installations on multiple red heaters on a site or across a eet can also be easily accommodated. A systematic installation plan that schedules the installation across multiple red heaters offers greater economy of scale, while reducing the time to realize the benets from the combustion management solution.

The Installation Process

As a best practice, Yokogawa recommends
commencing the installation of a combustion management system with a discovery session that includes a site review. The initial discovery session will produce: The specic red heaters on-site where combustion management can be of highest value A note of the changes needed to each red heater that require detailed engineering Order of installation for the combustion management solution A general project time-line and budget

Improving and Sustaining the Combustion Asset

For More Information Contact Us: CombustionONE@us.yokogawa.com

What does Yokogawa vigilance mean to the future of your business? Quality. Through products that are built from the ground up and tested to the last hour, youre ensured continuous operation and more uptime. Innovation. Your business will benet from new insights and capabilities, bringing true predictability to your process. Foresight. As the market changes, youll have solutions that give you the continuity and exibility to plan ahead and grow. Our partners know the difference. With Yokogawa, you can count on a lifetime of plant efciency, from instrumentation to operation support. Let us be vigilant about your business.

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