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Title: Full-scale cold-flow modelling of the SRC-I slurry fired heater at Creare, Inc

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7090068

The slurry fired heater is a crucial piece of equipment in the SRC-I Demonstration Plant. The design of the fired heater has not been tested in any other plant under a similar combination of operating severity and multiphase flow. The cold-flow modelling experiments were conducted to confirm the fired heater design and to develop acceptable boundaries of flow rates for proper operation of the fired heater. The primary objectives were to identify the flow regimes, estimate pressure drops and measure heat transfer coefficients at a variety of fired heater operating conditions. The results definitively confirm the presence of a slug flow regime in the fired heater at the full range of operating conditions. Slug flow is desirable to avoid coking and excessive temperature gradients in the heater pipes and because of its relatively low pressure drop. The gas holdup predictions by the Hughmark correlation were in good agreement with the experimental results. A simplified correlation was developed to calculate gas holdup in the SRC-I fired heater pipes. The pressure drop results also confirmed that the experimental values were less than the design values. The Hughmark correlation was able to predict the pressure drop for the viscous fluids within +-20% of the measured value. The heat transfer coefficients calculated from the experiments were almost twice as high as those used in the design of the fired heater. The tests were successful based on the data developed, and the results confirm the fired heater design and indicate flexibilities in its operation.

Research Organization:
International Coal Refining Co., Allentown, PA (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-78OR03054
OSTI ID:
7090068
Report Number(s):
DOE/OR/03054-58; ON: DE84013792
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products. Original copy available until stock is exhausted
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English