Combustion Furnace
Definition of a Combustion Furnace
A combustion furnace is a device that burns fuel within a combustion chamber surrounded by refractory materials for the purpose of heating or incineration. It typically includes a heat transfer surface designed to achieve the required pressure and temperature for the fluid.
Classification of Combustion Furnaces
1. Fired Heater
A fired heater is mostly a tubular heater that directly burns fuel to heat process fluids or change their phase (e.g., from liquid to gas). Depending on the shape, it can be classified as a vertical cylindrical, cabin-type, or box-type heater. Depending on its purpose, it is used for heating, evaporation, reaction, decomposition, reforming, and other processes.
2. Boiler
A boiler is a device that produces steam by heating water through an evaporation process. Boilers come in a wide variety of types, ranging from small household units to large industrial boilers used for power generation. Based on power generation applications, boilers can be broadly categorized into circulation boilers and once-through boilers.
- Circulation Boiler
- Natural Circulation: This type uses the density difference of the feedwater flowing through downcomers and wall tubes to circulate naturally.
- Controlled Circulation: This type uses a boiler water circulation pump (BWCP) to force circulation through the downcomers.
- Once-Through Boiler
- This type of boiler converts water into steam in a single pass, from steam condensate to the steam entering the turbine. Since gas-liquid separation is not possible above the critical point, supercritical boilers must use once-through designs. Examples include the Benson Boiler and the Sulzer Boiler.
3. Incinerator
An incinerator is a combustion device used to incinerate waste, particularly household waste, reducing its volume and weight by over 90%. Many incinerators are equipped with auxiliary devices such as boilers to utilize the heat generated during waste combustion (waste heat recovery). However, there are concerns about the emission of harmful gases like dioxins during combustion.
4. Flare Stack
A flare stack is a device used in oil and gas plants to safely burn and release flammable waste gases into the atmosphere during plant operations. The height of the flare stack is determined by the expected maximum flare length or maximum heat radiation intensity during gas combustion. There is also a Ground Pit Flaring method that disperses the combustion flame on the ground.
Additional Diagrams
