IMPROVEMENTS IN CHEMICAL PROCESS FIRED HEATERS,FURNACES OR BOILERS

摘要

In a chemical process plant or the like, of the type having a gas turbine driven compressor and a fired heater for heating the process medium, and of the type which hitherto used the exhaust (GTE) of one or more gas turbines as an oxidizing medium input for oxidizing the fuel in the radiant section of the fired heater, the GTE is instead now diverted from the radiant section to a heat exchanger and air at substantially atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature is forced through the heat exchanger by a fan so as to be heated by the heat energy derived from the GTE and is then fed to the said oxidizing medium input of the heater radiant section. The GTE which has passed through the heat exchanger is exhausted to atmosphere. Air and any GTE which is surplus to the requirements of the heater radiant section can be fed to a heat recovery convection section in the flue of the heater where it can support further combustion, thereby increasing flexibility of heat recovery in the convection section and in the overall operation of the fired heater.