Heat Transfer

Heat exchangers: Understanding the technology and its market

Patnaik, C., Stratview Research

The laws of thermodynamics include: energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it can only be converted from one form to another; and heat always moves downhill, from hotter objects to the colder objects, unless the direction of heat flow is reversed using external energy.

Practical application of expansion joints for heat exchangers

Acharya, B. N., Pal, N., Contributing Consultant; Daru, K., Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.; Panchal, A., PVA Systems

Expansion joints are used throughout industry for various purposes.

Key considerations for the optimum design of a hot oil system

Singh, R. B., Maheshwari, G., Goel, A., Bechtel India Pvt Ltd.

In the hydrocarbon processing industry, where direct heating is not possible, a heat transfer medium is used. Steam has traditionally been the preferred heating medium.

Fouling monitoring and prediction of heat exchangers via simulations powered by AI-driven models

Hydrocracker units are the most valuable conversion facilities in refineries. The outcome is the conversion of a variety of feedstocks to a range of products—the units that produce those products can be found at various points throughout a refinery.

Innovations

Rhodes, Mike, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Endress+Hauser’s newly developed iTEMP TMT31 temperature transmitter (FIG. 1) for analog 4-20mA signals is characterized by its long-term stability, high accuracy and ease of use for reliable temperature measurement.

Sensitivity analysis of a shell-and-tube heat exchanger

Laturkar, K., Facility for Rare Isotope Beams; Laturkar, K., Validation Associates LLC

Sensitivity analyses evaluate the effects of changes in certain variables on project simulations or investment economics.1

Cut emissions and fuel while increasing capacity in fired heaters

Poth, J., IGS

According to a recent digital refining article,1 fired heaters are responsible for an estimated 400 MMtpy–500 MMtpy of CO2, with at least 73% of average refinery CO2 emissions coming from combustion.

Mechanical design challenges in high-temperature electric heaters

Pramanik, R., Contributing Editor; Srinath, N. R., China Petroleum Engineering Co. Ltd.

Electric heaters are used in the process industries as an alternative to fired heaters or process heaters—where the heating medium is either steam or any heating fluid—for some specific applications where the process duties are low but fluids are heated to high temperature.

Air-cooled heat exchanger under natural convection

Pramanik, R., Contributing Consultant

Determining whether or not to operate an air-cooled heat exchanger (ACHE) under natural convection is a challenge due to the limited information available for simulations of an ACHE under operation without fans.

2022 HP Awards Finalists

Nichols, Lee, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Hydrocarbon Processing, the downstream processing sector’s leading technical publication for 100 yr, has announced the finalists for its sixth annual HP Awards, which celebrate innovative technologies and people that have been instrumental in improving facility operations over the past year.