FIRED HEATER HEALTH MONITORING AND RELIABILITY MANAGEMENT IN CHALLENGING TIMES

摘要

Achieving proper balance between reliability and performance of a refinery's fired heaters can be challenging. The health monitoring and reliability management program for fired heaters outlined in this article can help refinery management achieve their long-term goals. It is important to develop a strategy that identifies the essential elements for achieving optimum performance and reliability for each fired heater. The strategy should identify the major potential tube damage mechanisms and any significant issues observed for the fired heater. These damage mechanisms and issues, as well as other industry best practices should be addressed by a strategic action plan. Principled execution towards accomplishing these strategic actions will lead to a higher level of performance and reliability with respect to each individual fired heater. This documented strategy should be periodically reviewed, updated, and changed to ensure fired heaters remain at optimum production. Establishing a fired heater health monitoring and reliability management program will significantly improve fired heater performance and safety by ensuring all risks are understood and accounted for, helping operators reduce the risk while extending run times, and optimizing tube replacements.