Industrial application fluidized bed combustion category III: indirect fired heaters. Quarterly technical report No. 9, July--September 1978

Technical Report · Sat Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1977

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6437078· OSTI ID:6437078

A program is underway to evaluate the technical and economic potential for the application of fluidized bed combustion to refinery and petrochemical plant indirect fired process heaters. Two pertinent areas not being addressed in the on-going boiler oriented programs and which are being investigated here concern the effects of larger tube size and hydrocarbon coking. Phase I of the program consists of the design, construction and operation of three laboratory facilities to carry out these studies. Fluidized bed performance studies, including bed mixing and density measurement, have been completed on six alternative tube bundle configurations ranging from 2-inch to 6-inch diameter tubes arranged on nominal 2-diameter, 3-diameter, and 4-diameter horizontal spacing. Conductive/convective heat transfer coefficients as a function of tube size, location and surface orientation have also been obtained on these same bundle configurations and on isolated single tubes. Finally, evaluations have been made on the effect of altering the tube-to-grid dimensions and of operating with limestone beds of different particle size distributions. A Process Stream Coking Test Unit has been commissioned and is being used to study the parameters affecting coke laydown on the internal surfaces of hydrocarbon containing tubes under conditions of high temperature and heat transfer rate. Five test runs have been completed. The preliminary data analysis shows that in addition to film temperature, mass velocity is an important parameter in controlling coking rate. Design, procurement and construction activities are underway for the third laboratory facility which will be a ''hot'' coal-fired fluidized bed combustor. The status of the construction is described.

• Research Organization: Exxon Research and Engineering Co., Florham Park, NJ (USA). Engineering Technology Dept.
• OSTI ID: 6437078
• Report Number(s): HCP/T2471-9
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020400 -- Petroleum-- Processing
42 ENGINEERING
421000* -- Engineering-- Combustion Systems
BURNERS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CARBONATE ROCKS
CARBONIZATION
CHEMICAL PLANTS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COAL
COKING
COMBUSTION
COMBUSTORS
CONFIGURATION
DECOMPOSITION
DESIGN
ENERGY
ENERGY SOURCES
ENERGY TRANSFER
ENGINEERING
FLUIDIZED-BED COMBUSTION
FLUIDIZED-BED COMBUSTORS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HEAT
HEAT EXCHANGERS
HEAT TRANSFER
HYDROCARBONS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
LIMESTONE
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
PARTICLE SIZE
PETROCHEMICAL PLANTS
PETROLEUM REFINERIES
PROCESS HEAT
RESERVOIR ROCK
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SIZE
TEST FACILITIES
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
TUBES