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Plant furnaces employ radiant and convective heat recovery from

the flue gases of fired fuels to maximize fuel efficiency. The
temperature level of flue gases at the furnace stack has decreased
dramatically by design as energy costs have gradually
risen. Plants of several decades ago had stack flue gases
operating at or above 400 degrees F. Modern and upgraded
plants, in today's energy environment, have furnace stack flue
gases operating at or below 300 degrees F.
Furnace stack temperature increases due to gradual build-up of
fouling over time, as well as due to increased thermal load
from higher plant rates than original design. It is desirable to keep
furnace stack flue gases as cool as practical from periodic
coil cleaning and maintenance and occasionally by replacement of
overloaded or worn out convection coils with improved
designs.
Furnace convection coils reduced performance and fouling occurs
for a variety of reasons. The most serious fouling occurs on
the outside of convection coils. However, sometimes fouling does
occur on the inside tube surface, such as when thermal
cracking of the process stream in a coil occurs, producing solid
product, such as carbon. The outside surface of convection
coils may also become fouled from carbon due incomplete
combustion and also from refractory dust resulting from flame
erosion of burner blocks and from furnace casing brickwork and
insulation. The gradual build-up of fouling materials
deteriorates convection coil heat transfer, causing "leakage" of
potential heat recovered as hotter flue gas flowing to
downstream convection coils. This can result in overheating of
some coils not rated for the operating temperature, and
certainly increased heat losses in furnace stack gases.

Coil designs may be bare tube surface, or they may be enhanced

with extended finned surface, or a combination of the two.
Generally those coils in hotter flue gas service (above 1500-1600
Deg F) are constructed of bare tubes. When a large duty
has to be accomplished, some finned tubes are used in the
convection coil design, sometimes in combination with bare tubes
in the hottest flue gases.
Fouling of convection coils is such a gradual process that it is not
really noticed over many years of service. Certain
convection coils are more dramatically impacted in terms of lost
heat transfer than others. At times, only a very thin coating of
refractory dust is required to deteriorate the performance of bare
surfaces in high temperature flue gases. In such high
temperature flue gases, the buildup of only 0.001 to 0.010 inch
(0.0025-0.025 cm) of fouling thickness on the outside of bare
tubes can significantly reduce heat transfer. Finned convection coil
heat transfer is also dramatically influenced from refractory
and airborne dust material build-up and there are more crevices for
the dust to settle in.
Plant furnaces employ radiant and convective heat recovery from
the flue gases of fired fuels to maximize fuel efficiency. The
temperature level of flue gases at the furnace stack has decreased
dramatically by design as energy costs have gradually
risen. Plants of several decades ago had stack flue gases
operating at or above 400 degrees F. Modern and upgraded
plants, in today's energy environment, have furnace stack flue
gases operating at or below 300 degrees F.
Furnace stack temperature increases due to gradual build-up of
fouling over time, as well as due to increased thermal load
from higher plant rates than original design. It is desirable to keep
furnace stack flue gases as cool as practical from periodic
coil cleaning and maintenance and occasionally by replacement of
overloaded or worn out convection coils with improved
designs.

Furnace convection coils reduced performance and fouling occurs

for a variety of reasons. The most serious fouling occurs on
the outside of convection coils. However, sometimes fouling does
occur on the inside tube surface, such as when thermal
cracking of the process stream in a coil occurs, producing solid
product, such as carbon. The outside surface of convection
coils may also become fouled from carbon due incomplete
combustion and also from refractory dust resulting from flame
erosion of burner blocks and from furnace casing brickwork and
insulation. The gradual build-up of fouling materials
deteriorates convection coil heat transfer, causing "leakage" of
potential heat recovered as hotter flue gas flowing to
downstream convection coils. This can result in overheating of
some coils not rated for the operating temperature, and
certainly increased heat losses in furnace stack gases.
Coil designs may be bare tube surface, or they may be enhanced
with extended finned surface, or a combination of the two.
Generally those coils in hotter flue gas service (above 1500-1600
Deg F) are constructed of bare tubes. When a large duty
has to be accomplished, some finned tubes are used in the
convection coil design, sometimes in combination with bare tubes
in the hottest flue gases.
Fouling of convection coils is such a gradual process that it is not
really noticed over many years of service. Certain
convection coils are more dramatically impacted in terms of lost
heat transfer than others. At times, only a very thin coating of
refractory dust is required to deteriorate the performance of bare
surfaces in high temperature flue gases. In such high
temperature flue gases, the buildup of only 0.001 to 0.010 inch
(0.0025-0.025 cm) of fouling thickness on the outside of bare
tubes can significantly reduce heat transfer. Finned convection coil
heat transfer is also dramatically influenced from refractory
and airborne dust material build-up and there are more crevices for
the dust to settle in.

Fouling, however is causing a serious penalty in the furnace

performance and efficiency in this example.
Figure 2 (on Page 4) shows the improved plant performance from
successful cleaning of all of the convection section coils and
reduction of their original base case operating fouling factors by
50%. Excess oxygen was maintained the same as the base case.
The furnace actually operates at fairly efficient levels of excess
oxygen from the Cold Convection Section (at 2.7%, Dry Molal),
however the combustion air preheater being of the rotary
regenerative type has a fairly high leakage, due to the large
pressure differential across the seals between the FD/ID streams,
as a result of the high plant rate. (10.2% of the total FD Fan
air flow)
As a result of the total cleaning of the convection section to 50%
reduction in original fouling factors, the furnace total fired fuel has
decreased by 1.57% below the base case, equal to 16.19 Million
Btu/Hr, HHV savings, or 0.217 Million Btu/ST NH3 HHV.
The furnace stack temperture has been reduced from 370 Deg F to
314 Deg F as a result of the cleaning and the improved heat
transfer and efficiency of the convection section coils. The furnace
efficiency has improved from 88.70 to 90.13% (LHV).
Based on $5.00/MM Btu HHV energy and 350 days/year operation,
the fuel savings would equal $680,000 per year. Thus,
improving convection section performance from cleaning and
reduction of fouling offers substantial energy savings equal to the
benefits of fairly large new capital projects.

The Heat-r-Rate-r and simulation software take into account the

changing performance of the Feed Gas preheat and High
Temperature Steam preheat coils and the resulting impact on the
inlet temperature to the Mixed Feed Gas coil, after the
blending of Feed Gas and Medium Pressure Steam, let down from
the High Pressure Steam header. Thus, the Mixed Feed Coil
inlet temperatures change in the convection coil cleaning scenarios.
The results of the as cleaned convection coil rating indicate a
substantial energy savings for cleaning, but the as fouled operating
rating gives another unique perspective. Chem-Engineering
Services has devised a systematic approach for selection of the
convection coils that would provide the greatest energy savings
benefit from cleaning. Refer to Table 2, which summarizes the
method and the optimal selection of coils that would benefit by
providing the greatest energy savings from cleaning. In Table 2,
the original existing equipment rated fouling factors are multiplied
by the rated coil duties to define a "Fouling Impact Factor".
The Fouling Impact Factors are then summed and normalized to
provide a "Percent Potential Energy Savings", upon cleaning.

Table 2
Coil
Fouling
Duty
Percent Potentlal Selected for
Savings

Factor
Cleaning

MM Btu/Hr

Fouling Impact
Factor

Energy

Mixed Feed
13.5

0.011365

45.85

0.5211

13.5

HT Proc Air

0.011529

15.94

0.1838

4.8

HT Stm Spht 0.015048

36.2

92.67

1.3945

36.2

LT Stm Spht 0.008789

17.2

75.70

0.6653

17.2

Feed Prht

0.007754

29.90

0.2318

6.0

BFW Prht
19.8

0.009868

77.57

0.7655

19.8

Fuel Prht

0.004771

8.60

0.0410

1.1

LT Proc Air

0.004306

12.62

Total
86.7

0.0543
3.8573

1.4
100.0

Those coils that indicate the greatest Percent Potential Energy

Savings should be cleaned. The remainder of the coils are of
lesser significance and the cost of cleaning does not result in as
great a benefit. Thus, it is apparent that the cleaning of the
Mixed Feed, High Temperature Steam Superheat, Low Temperature
Steam Superheat and Boiler Feedwater Preheat coils for
this plant example should achieve about 87% of the impact of
cleaning all of the furnace coils. Figure 3 shows the results from
Heat-r-Rate-r and the simulation software, following cleaning of the
four coils recommended for cleaning, based on percent
potential energy savings.
Economic optimization can be accomplished by cleaning just those
coils that result in the most energy loss and not expending
cleaning efforts on the remainder of the convection coils, thereby
controlling maintenance costs. Convection coil rating
studies are valuable tools for the plant understand the extent of
convection coil fouling, the benefits of coil cleaning and for
designating those critical coils that can really improve plant
performance and eliminate excessive energy use.
Table 3 shows a summary of the energy saving benefits from
cleaning the entire convection section of the Ammonia plant,

compared with cleaning selected coils that provide maximum

potential energy savings.
Table3 1790 TPD Ammonia Plant Furnace Convection Section
Coil Cleaning
Case

Base

Clean Entire

Clean MixedConvection
Feed, HT/LT Stm
Section - 50%
and BFW Coils
Reduced
50% Reduced
Fouling
Fouling
Furnace Fired Fuels
Nat Gas Fuel, SCFH
923814
NG Btu/SCF LHV/HHV
932.92 / 1034.4
Cryo Fuel, SCFH
182805
Cryo Fuel Btu/SCF LHV/HHV
245.54 / 288.18
Low Press Purge, SCFH
19540
LP Purge Btu/SCF LHV/HHV
345.46 / 404.82

937897
932.92 / 1034.4
182805
245.54 / 288.18
19540
345.46 / 404.82

922247
932.92 / 1034.4
182805
245.54 / 288.18
19540
345.46 / 404.82

Fired Fuels Heat Release, LHV MM Btu/Hr

Natural Gas
874.98
861.84

860.38

Cryo Fuel

44.88

44.88
44.88

LP Purge

6.75

6.75

926.61

912.01

88.70

90.13

Base

-1.57%

6.75
Total
913.47
Furnace Eff, %, LHV
89.99
Fired Fuel Reduction, %
-1.42

Energy Savings, based on $5.00/MM Btu HHV, 350 D/Yr

MM Btu/Hr, LHV
13.14
MM Btu/Hr, HHV
14.57
MM Btu/Ton NH3, HHV
0.195
Annual Savings, $/Year
$611,900

Base

14.60

Base

16.19

Base

0.217

Base

$680,000

As indicated from the rigorous thermodynamic rating results, the

energy savings for 50% reduction in fouling factors for
cleaning of the designated coils is 90%, which is very close, but
slightly greater than the 87% projected savings from the
Fouling Impact Factor cleaning benefit analysis.
When partial or complete convection section coil cleaning is
completed, flue gases throughout the convection section will be
at lower temperature levels, while achieving overall heat transfer
requirements for all of the coils in the convection section.
Those coils that were not cleaned after cleaning critically fouled
coils will under-perform compared with how they previously
performed, because of the lower temperature driving force. This
can be seen in Figure 3, where the Process Air Preheat,
Feed Preheat and Fuel Preheat coils were not selected for
cleaning. Generally, this does not cause any serious equipment
limitations or problems, but it does point out the desirability of

careful evaluations and coil cleaning decisions. Since the flue

gases run cooler after cleaning, previous overheating of certain
coils is not a significant issue. What can be of great
importance in Rating studies of convection coils is the careful
determination of the extremely fouled coils which are leading to
overheating conditions for downstream coils. The specific
elimination of this local fouling can improve the life and reliability of
the downstream overheated coils.
Upgrade of Underperforming Convection Coils
In the example shown after cleaning in Figure 3, by replacing the
Mixed Feed Coil and High Temperature Process Air Preheat
Coil, additional fuel savings can be achieved, while improving
process performance. Refer to Figure 4. The Mixed Feed coil has
been upgraded with a new design, increasing the surface area from
1826 Ft2 to 2032 Ft2 (Bare Coils), while reducing Mixed
Feed pressure drop from 25 Psi to 23 Psi. The High Temperature
Process Air Preheat coil has been upgraded with a new
design, increasing surface area from 1044 Ft2 to 1451 Ft2 (Bare
Coils), while reducing Process Air pressure drop from 29.3 Psi
to 9.3 Psi. The improved thermal performance of the Mixed Feed
Coil lowers the Radiant Reforming duty, while the improved
thermal performance of the new High Temperature Process Air Coil
increases the heat recovery from the Waste Heat Boilers
after Secondary Reforming, thereby lowering the Auxiliary Boiler
duty, thus saving natural gas fuel. The fuel savings of the
combined coil retrofit is 7.94 Million Btu/Hr, HHV or 0.106 Million
Btu HHV/ST Ammonia, equivalent to an annual savings of
$333,000, based on 350 operating days/year and $5.00/MM Btu
HHV energy cost.

The example illustrated in Figure 4 shows dramatically how

upgrade of older underperforming Convection Section coils can can
have attractive benefits, contributing significant savings in energy
for the older plants.