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

Technical Report · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1983

OSTI ID:7090068

Mehta, D C

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
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010405* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Hydrogenation & Liquefaction
CHEMICAL REACTORS
COAL LIQUEFACTION
CORRELATIONS
DATA
DEMONSTRATION PLANTS
ENERGY TRANSFER
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FLOW MODELS
FLUID FLOW
FLUID MECHANICS
HEAT TRANSFER
HEATERS
INFORMATION
LIQUEFACTION
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MECHANICS
MULTIPHASE FLOW
NUMERICAL DATA
PRESSURE DROP
SRC PROCESS
TEST FACILITIES
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES