---

---

~...

""""

.f;
"~IDID

(j

c:
"O>

c:
w

c:

+= <J)
.DEO O < E

::J

L~lI~-.

()

i
g el.
w ID

I """

Ad he eq h c t b ~... Vince G. Gom McG Univ here are two prim obje in furn ope 3. Air sy fo co a A p system Hum respo is inad for con effi to ab 90 Th ar w c o
0
CONTROLLINGFIREDHEATERS

Furnaces operated with but unstable. Careful

schemesarenecessarytopreventexplosionhazards.

low excess-air instrumentation

are fuel-efficient and control

t-,... I

tion-fuel efficiency and safety while maintaining the desired flow, temperature and pressure conditions. The complex interactions between the process variables, and the multiple simultaneous manipulations needed to meet the objectives, make automatic control essential. Split-second decisions required to prevent an explosion hazard in a fuel-efficient furnace (low excess-air operation) are best left to automatic protection
T

widely used with fired heaters. Design of the heat-recovery system is based on fluegas temperature, dewpoint, and the temperature of the stream that picks up the waste beato The decision to use such equipment should be based on a technoeconomic feasibility study. Broadly speaking, heat-recovery systems can include: 1. Process-stream heating in convection section. 2. Steam generation.
heaters are the most widely used heat-recovery system

for fired heaters,

the control and

and are instrumental

in boosting
a system.

the

ling continuous Brief review

furnace

operations.

of fundamentals

instrumentation

of such

The

1--I

The factors that determine heater efticiency are: 1. Fluegas exit temperature. 2. Excess-air for combustion. 3. Type o fuel. 4. Heater casing loss. Improvement in heater efficiency is usuaIly realized by incorporating: a heat-recovery system; improved instrumentation and control; more-efficient burners; improved insulation; efficient soot blowers; reduced air leaks.

important process variables with air preheating are: Fuel flowrate.

for control of a fired heater

.
.Airflowrate.

. . . .
.

. Operating
Process

excess-air.
fluid flowrate.

Process fluid temperature.

Furnace draft.
Flame condition.

Combustibles.

~-

CHEMICAL

ENGINEERING/JANUARY

7,198563/~---.-

ensuring long-term accuracy. However, the overall system accuracy and flow range are limited by the differential-pressure secondary instrumentation (transmitters, meters, etc.). Hence, care must be exercised in the selection of the secondary instruments. Excess-air estimation used

The

~IR HE % o di p f . B com the to pe pr 1 y t o Good contr requi good mea devi The foc flow meas howe pose som prob sinc ventu yield a l press drop ow but is com tively expen and may requ a d tran from uct a r to c ectan cros The ircu Ann Essen an Annu elem has char sim ele for E, pr by th c i g b s rangin withi 1% of value base on 95% of test poin It E r lag [0 ga x gen in sam ga T = T (a e Be its ou vo is te tion to the log of O c o s o
Tamparatura-controllad
chambar

"" ""

-.

"

,..'

Mounting plata' \ \ \

Pipa siza (nominal) 4 5 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 24 30 36 42 48 60

unracovarad

(i.a.,

prassura

loss) *

I I

Support

plata

Aspiration-air

lina ,/

Aspirator-air inlet --'

11 9 21 16 13 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 3 2

c/

oritice platas is approximately pressure (rula ot thumb)

60%

ot the

d itterential

Choosing a transducer
herewillbemainlyonprimarymeasuringelements.

as to which is preferable,
ceramicsensingelementhascometobewidelypre-.

but

oxygen

analyzers

are

cheaper and are' more widely used. The zirconium-oxide

-"

Flow

measurement

Fuel-oil,

and

process-fluid,

flowrate

measurement

can

be

ferred. It offers several advantages ayer the other existing types-such as reduced maintenance requirements,
mnimumsample-conditioningneeds,abilitytohandledirtyfluegases,andgreaterresolutionatlowoxygen combinationwithothersuitablemonitoringdevicessuch...~asthecombustiblessensor.Apartanoftheaspirated~sampleisredinaclosedlooptothesensor(whichis.

satisfactorily achieved by orfice meters. The fuel-gas flowrate can be corrected by using a densitometer. Airan orfice produces a high, permanent, pressure loss. The

content-and is readily adaptable for use as a probe type or extractive type. The extractive type can be used in

element
TheAnnubarisanaveragingtypeofflowelemento

has be en found

suitable

for this joto

housed

in a temperature-controlled

chamber)

and is dis-

charged back to the furnace (Fig. 1). The sensor output signal is determined with respect to
theoxygencontentofareferencegassuchasair.The

ilar to the pitot tube, but with vastly improved accuracy,

is further reported to have a 0.1 %-of-value repeatability, based on an average of various differential-pressure readings. The permanent pressure loss in the Annubar is comparable to that of the venturi tube; hence, it is much less energy-intensive compared with the orfice plate (Table I). Further, the Annubar is relatively insensitive to surface wear or abrasion on edges or sensor parts,

[02Jsample

gas

[02]Reg.

gas

= Concentration of oxygen in reference

of oxy-

gas = 0.209 for air; [02Jsample gas = Concentration

the cell has to be maintained at a constant temperature. Since the resulting output signal is inversely pro porpledgas,thesignalstrengthishigheratlowerconcen-~

tration.
resolutionareobtainableatthelowerrangeofoperating~

Therefore,
(see

greater
II).

accuracy,

reliability

and'r

excess-air

Table

indicators

to control

low-excess-air

trim

are

oxygen

and carbon
CHEMICALENGINEERING/JANUARY7,1985

monoxide

meters.

Controversy

exists

It is advisable to locate the analyzer installation at the heater bheching, where errors due to air leakage are

64 '-'

"
~

,- --"'.

'

'

,,~'

Temperature

Thermocouple temperature measurement is adequate in a heater environment. For better estimation of fluegas ,-..Aemperature, a velocity thermocouple is recommended [1], because of its superior sampling technigue.

--

qui mo fo fla fa T u f Accu 1 % o exce 2 ftrib hea hav co fi th U c Th gas be the ex el b i Ho the UV ra fi ar n e d wi a f en h la a p v ing ang acr pl of th fl is re B Resp range 190nm (wa nei fla by pr po U e bur is int fit w a U s f c Powe cons 15 V A Th life ex of d d the lig sig to th so de w i u UV spe bu ar co b a v a Comb O2 and CO anal can be used to trim ay wh m c b e t The main objec of the cont syst for a fdis urn tem and the philo rega com fail A repres schem will be exam in the fvll
Flame
Useofforced-draftburnerswithelectricalignitionre-

scanning

scanner
comprisesapairofhighlypolishedmolybdenum(or

offers an excellent

solution for multiple-burner

Repeatability: Response

0.2%

of measured 3,200F

value

time:

5 s (approximate) 0.1-120

Sample Sample Sample

temperature: flowrate: pressure:

(max.),

with

ceramic

probe

std.

ft3/h

'

2 psig

sometimes tungsten) electrodes positioned at a certain distance from each other inside a helium-filled glass bulbo

Aspirator

air requirements: psi. monitor:

10 to 20 std ft3/h detector

at

15 to 100

Combustibles

Catalytic

independent

of 2 sensor

Flame-off

delay:

1-3

s (preset)

for

sides,itisadvisabletoeliminateinterferencefrom

uponbeingstruckbyUVphotons.Theresultantpulse

frequency is a direct measure of the radiation intensity received, thus providing a realizable means for discrimination between the main flame and its neighbors.

optimum

viewing

plane

and

angle.

Temperature Field

range

(operating):

0-60

of view:

3 deg

Purge/cooling "Fault"

air:

1 ft3/min 100

with higher

operating

temperature.

Hence,

proper

hous-

"Flame-on"

sensitivity:

1 }J.W/cm2 }J.W/cm2

sensitivity:

ing and use of cooling air, in addition to an air purge for cleaning the optics, are necessary. Table nI provides a brief summary of typical specification figures. In addition to the detecting-tube type, solid-state scanners algo are available. However, solid-state devices (diode/transistor) are very temperature-sensitive and require installation at a cool, remate location. Therefore, fiber-optic bundle s normally are used for transmitting
ally placed not more than 6 ft away. Commerciallyavail-

expected
~theexitoftheconvectionsectionorinthefluegasduct,a

to be minimum.

If the analyzer is mounted

to determine the

at

leak

analysis

is recommended

required

able fiber-optic bundle s exhibit a high attenuation of the

frequencies. Hence, red, far-infrared or far-violet

correction

to analyzer readings.

lower

excess air, if the extra cost is justifiable.

measurement

spectra are selected for operation. Modern flame detectors are designed and located for sensing multiple characteristics of a flame before the

Fired-heater control
General description

presenceoftheflameisacknowledged.Thus,itisnot

unusual to find a burner unit fitted with more than one detector head and detector unit logic, including selfchecking features, to take care of sensor failure.

suit

a particular

system.

The

controllers

most

widely

With air preheating are t: 1. Meter fuel according to load demando 2. Proportion air and fuel for complete combustion. 3. Optimize excess-air for fuel efficiency. 4. Initiate protective measures in the event of a flameout or a faTI failure. 5. Maintain optimum draft conditions. 6. Monitor fluegas combustibles and air-preheater cold-end temperature.

used for the analog control system to be described are the parameter-optimized proportional-integral (PI) or the proportional-integral-derivative (PID) type.

Fuel-air control

7.

Monitor

process-stream

conditions.

There are many possible variations of the control scheme that depend on the particular fired-heater sys-

The firing-rate-demand signal is used for regulating the fuel and air flowrates. This signal is derived from the deviation of the process-fluid outlet condition from that desired (setpoint). The process-fluid outlet condition is usually determined from the fluid temperature. In case ofvaporization within a very narrow temperature range, -the fluid pressure is use,d as the feedback. The simultaneous fuel and air control (Fig. 2) employs a cross-limit control system. It ensures that fuel demand does not exceed
CHEMICALENGINEERING/JANUARY7,1985 65---

measured

The firing-rate-demand signal is sent to a pair of signalselectr relays-highand low-signal selectors. The high-signal selector compares the firing-rate demandagainsttheoperatingtotal-fuel-flowsignal.The

changes by the fuel/air controllers within the limits ofthe bias. The high-signal selector: causes the air to lead the causes the air to lag the fuel during the decreasing
mode.

~RE HE does not drop below meas fuel flow (plu tole onl wit the lim of th bi T n fu o o on a d fir ec m a c t lector includ a s nega bias appl mal to the tota Th out of low se is th s f fuel durin the incre firin mod and the fue flo sig is ad fo e B wit res to the fu ga A fu G a f g for the airflo contr The feed sign to the latThe pro flo is co b a f c ~ l cha du to flu in th fl b u by high and low limit to a n rang of 0.8 to 1.2 arro flow contr is sent the force (FD faT inle diti Th FD faT ou is co (F 3 b t O2 tran O2 cont A = F dete saf inte lam
airflow. (plus tolerance) and that the airflow

flameoff, a purge signal is activated and an override signal for startup is substituted for the control signal.
The low-signal selector compares the firing-rate-demandsignalagainsttheoxygen-trimmedairflowsignal. .,.J Asmallpositivebiasisappliedtotheairflowsignalto

permit

a certain

initial

response

to load changes,

though

latter

is obtained

from

a "summer"

of the

conditioned

fuel-gas and fuel-oil flowrate signals. The high-signal

fuel-flowsignal.Thispermitsfasterresponsetoload

se-

the low-signal selector are: cause the fuel to lead the air
fuel to lag the air with increasing firing-rate demando

firing-

the fuel flow controller, the feedback signal being the total fuel flowrate. For combination firing, the fuel-gas flowrate signal is corrected for density variations, and

rate-demand

The output of the high-signal

se lector is the setpoint

can be controlled

simultaneously

in case

of combination

firing, the controller action is usually arranged for maximumfiringofthecheaperfue!.Thefuel-oilatomizing

teristheoxygen-trimmedairflowsignal.Thissignalis

derived

from

the

airflow

transmitter

and

subsequently

adjusted
oxygen

by a multiplication
controller. The

fctor determined
to the

by the
trim

steam

is controlled

by a differential

pressure

controller.

trim

feedback

oxygen

controller is the oxygen analyzer signal. The output of the oxygen. controller, as a safety precaution, is filtered
(typical).
valle
stationandtheflamesafetyinterlocks.Inthemanual

ler.Afeedforwardcontrolloop,toanticipateload

for

the

fuel-air

control

system.

In the automatic
through

mode,

the output

of the aircontrol

Fan control

positioner

the

manual/automatic

The fired heater is operated

airflowcontroller,asdescribedabove.However,high

under a balanced-draft

con-

mode,

the

airflow

control

signal

is interrupted,

and

manually generated signal is substituted.

In case of

pressure

at the heater arch can damage the heater struc-

Fuel gas

Fue! oil

Oxygen analyzer

Combustion air

Process

stream

(outlet

line)

Flow

transmitter

Btu

corrector

Air/tuel ratio adjuster

Fuel-tlowsummerM-Astation

Fuel-tlow

controller

Hi-Io

limiter

Low-signal selector

Airtlow

controller
/

T=Fueltrip

M-A=Manual/Automatic

control

station

.:lKf

= PI controller

66

CHEMICALENGINEERING/JANUARY7,1985Lowtire-/I1:..;..,/~"-d'

Lowfire

'-"

'\"./

1. Th dro do ar to or o t s F h cause furna implo The furn draf is con for clase to -1.0 mm wate pres at the arch by sure at the heate arch, via one or mor high sen ing on stand philo adop A s may yst num or a s FD fallo The drop pare doo are sim ally adjus the degre of open In the eve of FD
fan failure the following course of action is prescribed:
ture.Ontheotherhand,excessivelowpressuremay

adjusting the induced-draft (ID) fan inlet-vane positioner. The feedback to the draft controller is the prespressure
IntheeventofeitherFDorIDfanfailures,certain

fan is to switch on, within a specified 2. If a dropout-door system is used,

istoorenwithinaspecifiedtime,andtheIDfantrip.

time limito the stack damper

transmitter(s).

3. If (1) and (2) (if applicable) do not occur within a specified time, the fuel to the furnace is to be cut off and
theIDfanistotrip,incaseofstandbyFDfanfailure.

corrective

or protective either

steps

are recommended,

depend-

Furnace
IntheeventofIDfanfailure:

purge action is to be initiated.

damper is to oren within

accommodate

dropout

doors

on the burner-air

ple-

1. Stack

a set time interval,

fully-open or fully-closed dampers operated by pneumatic cylinders. The solenoid val ves activate the switching from forced to natural draft operation. The stack damper is configured similarly, with the option of manu-

initiation.

2. If the furnace is designed to operate below a certain limit with natural draft, the heater load is to be adjusted
likewise.

otherwisetheFDfanandfuelaretotrip,withpurge

Fan failures

are detected

by line-pressure

switches

Stack

damper

---, I I I I I I I I I
~

"-'"

Washing/fire-

'-""

lA = C alarm urre ST = S trap tea PT P trans ress PIC P res No L ~ o ZS swit osi
I/P = Electrical-to-pneumatic

I extinguishing I water I I I I I I I I I I

--m

signal converter = Interlock switch

I I I I I I I I I I 1

-ti

HC=Manualloader

IS

= Current

PG=PressuregagoPS~PressureswitchPA=Pressurealarm

indicator-controller

TG=TemperaturegagoTS=TemperatureswitchTA=TemperaturealarmSOV=Solenoidvalve

H=HighCHEMICALENGINEERING/JANUARY7,198567-

~IR HE (low at FD fan outle and high at ID fan inle and low trip, the inlet valle are held in the last pos ity. AI sta co by Z o par be fin on tu O s t quick refere to perfo qual Furt a l ow rosion The highalarm also serv to ind cate the possi of fire haza owin to com sions for both the FD and the ID fallo The resp lag of the ons an os re m b o min up off pr H th o dition The 30% mini airfl is mai unti the heate reach of rated capa Initi firin is acof hea ma jus th us of m with an electr spark The flam dete are bro below the minim perm (typ 30% the fue tion of sw tra an bu tr f the ma to the au m C d c R V H E 1. Re R. D. "F Op G P T 1 p 5 2. Sm C. L., "D Co Pr C In T V i p a s M Q H 2 C dy an co a H ho a B T d f th r K In h h f range freed from conta and acce for Tr D o E In L f (N w o p
motor-current switches. In the event of excessive high or low pressures at the furnace arch, fuel and fan trip action should take place, to protect the furnace. During a fuel
the operator switches to manual control. until Air-preheater
Afewinstrumentsareexclusivelyusedformonitoring

instrumentation
performance

Specific component problems should be considered during procurement-for example, setpoint drifting, deadband (inability to reset on signal reversal) problems, and service life of switching elements. Tuning the control scheme described above can be a challenging task by itself. However, proper testing, analysis and documentation should lead, finally, to a tuned system. The basic tuning method involves the use of

J,

input perturbations
determine

such as step or frequency tests to

gain, response time and stabilcontroller

the

air

preheater

(Fig.

3).

the controller
methods

Isolation dampers are provided on the inlet and outlet ducts for air and fluegas. Suitable panel and fieldmounted pressure and temperature indicators serve as

Cohen-Coon

[2] pro vide

preliminary

temperature alarm on the fluegas outlet duct serves to indicate the operating limit for preventing cold-end cor-

Alarms

are also activated

in case oflarge

pressure

excur-

controllers by simulation, prior to actual operations. AIso it is important to consider the sequence of tuning controllers, and the interaction between them. For example, the airflow controller and the heater-pressure (draft) controller interact (with respect to their outputs) to a certain extent. In such cases, the dr::tft controller is tuned first and its response tested to changes in airflow;
theairflowcontrolleristunedseparately-uponplacing~

the fan dampers, the flexing of the damper linkages, and the wearing-out of bearings should be carefully checked.

accumulation,orlowheat-transferduetofouling.

because
duringsimultaneouscontrolleractionthanwhentested

the

airflow

controller's

response

is more

rapid

Startup safety features

Aprefiringpurgeisessential,toensurethatanycom-

by itself. In this case the furnace-pressure controller must be able to deal with any airflow distutbance with furnace-pressure controller must be retained flow-controller sensitivity reduced.
final thoughts

bustibles
movedpriortoinitiationoffiJing.Thiscanbeaccom-

accumulated

in the furnace

are completely

re-

and the air-

plished by passing air through the furnace at a minimum rate, or by passing low-pressure steam into the firebox,

in case there is a high fire hazard under hot furnace con-

Some

The increasing

demands for higher efficiency and safety

"../

complished online.

with

a group

of ignitors control

that

light

the

fuel

If the combustion
tripped.

drops

the air flowrate

is

automatically

Further, the safeguard system does not startup unless safety sequences are followed.

permit the For exam-

control. Considering the increasing capabilities of microprocessors, and the downward trend of their price, this certainly appears attractive. Even if implementation costs barren to be comparable, it is worthwhile to take a rapid glance at the advantages of digital control when applied to heaters-flexibility in logic implementation, process deadtime compensation, synchronization becontrollogic (e.g., adaptive control) elimina-

pIe, a prefiring purge must be carried out for a definite

length of time to allow a specified number of furnace gasvolumedisplacements or theignitors should be activated
foracertainlengthoftime.Theinterlockisbypassed

during

the testing

and startup

schedules.

trol systems

tweenprimaryandsecondarycontrolloops,useofso-"'~

phisticated

are probably

already

in use on fired heaters.

Aspects to consider

Many equipment-related problems are caused by selecting underdesigned components or improperly locating components for demanding service requirements. This especially applies to field-mounted sensors. Such components should be weather-resistant with respect to moisture (at least NEMA-3 rating) and ambient temperature. Further considerations should include mounting-surface temperature, and possible vibration-induced operating problems of components installed on the fan or firing
equipment.

References

Co.,

1972.

research Chemical

Theauthor

assistant in the Dept. Engineering, McGill

of

University,
specializing

3480 University

St.,

in the areas

of process

The sensor-Iocation philosophy should also be based on: obtaining a representative signal ayer the operating
calibration, etc. Transmitters for individ-

Indian

Institute

of Technology,

years of experience as a process engineer in the Heat and Mass

design of heat-transfer

maintenance,

ual sensing taps, and the need for sensing-line purging, also should be kept in mind. 68
CHEMICALENGINEERING/JANUARY7,1985

equipment.