Method and apparatus for improved efficiency and flue gas scrubbing in a fired heater using a condensing convection section
AssigneeBD Energy Systems, LLC
InventorsDaniel Joseph Barnett, Daniel Ryan Znidersic
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus for improved efficiency and flue gas scrubbing in a fired heater using a condensing convection section. The method preheats a hydrocarbon or hydrocarbon/water process feed stream in a coil in the convection section of a fired heater, collects condensate from the flue gas, and scrubs the flue gas with the recirculated condensate. The apparatus has a heat transfer coil disposed in the convection section, to preheat a process stream and form condensate from the flue gas, and a condensate recirculation loop to collect the condensate from the convection section and scrub the flue gas with the condensate.
Claims27
A method comprising:
- heating a process fluid, comprising a hydrocarbon, in a first heat exchanger coil in a convection section of a fired heater, with a flue gas to cool the flue gas to below a dew point and form condensate;
- collecting and removing the condensate from the convection section;
- heating the process fluid from the first heat exchanger coil with the flue gas, in a second heat exchanger coil, upstream of the first heat exchanger coil with respect to flue gas flow through the convection section, to superheat and/or vaporize at least a portion of the process fluid;
- and
- reacting the superheated and/or vaporized portion of the process fluid from the second heat exchanger in a radiant section of the fired heater.
A fired heater comprising:
- a radiant section to heat tubes in the radiant section;
- a convection section to receive flue gas from the radiant section;
- a first heat exchanger coil in the convection section to heat a process fluid in the coil and cool the flue gas to below a dew point and form condensate, wherein the process fluid comprises a mixture of hydrocarbon and water;
- a second heat exchanger coil in the convection section to cool the flue gas upstream of the first heat exchanger coil and superheat or vaporize at least a portion of the process fluid from the first heat exchanger coil;
- and
- a condensate recirculation system comprising:
- a basin below the first heat exchanger coil to collect the condensate;
- a recycle line to recirculate the condensate from the basin to a distributor above the basin to contact and scrub the flue gas with the condensate;
- and
- a process feed line to supply the process fluid from the second heat exchanger coil to the tubes in the radiant section.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.