Product Description
Built at our Yangtze River manufacturing facility in Jingjiang, our Atmospheric & Vacuum Process Heater serves as the primary thermal processing cornerstone of refinery crude distillation units (CDU/VDU), designed to fire raw desalted crude and reduced atmospheric bottoms up to precise vaporizing temperatures. Leveraging our 26-year manufacturing heritage and deep technical footprint with major refiners including Sinopec and CNPC, we build each Atmospheric & Vacuum Process Heater to overcome the dual challenges of massive volumetric throughput and rapid coking tendencies inherent to heavy crude fractions. By deploying rigorously balanced multi-pass symmetrical coil circuits, low-peak-flux radiant firing, and low-pressure-drop vacuum transfer lines, our heating systems deliver run lengths exceeding 36 to 48 months between turnaround decoking cycles while reaching thermal efficiencies above 92%.
Applications
Crude Distillation Units (CDU): Raising desalted blended crude oil from 280°C to 360°C–380°C prior to atmospheric fractionator flash zone entry.
Vacuum Distillation Units (VDU): Deep-heating reduced atmospheric residue to 390°C–420°C under deep vacuum conditions (15–30 mmHg absolute) to extract vacuum gas oils (LVGO/HVGO).
Refinery Modernization & Revamp Projects: Replacing degraded or inefficient vintage box heaters to boost crude processing capacity from 5 to 10+ million metric tons per annum (MTPA).
High-Acid & Sour Opportunity Crude Processing: Firing high-TAN and high-sulfur crude slates requiring specialized alloy coils that resist naphthenic acid wash and sulfidation.
Technical Specifications
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Design Standards |
API 560 / ISO 13705, ASME Section VIII Div. 1, ASME B31.3, Class A2 Pressure Vessel License |
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Structural Geometry |
Twin-cabin rectangular fired heater with common central convection bank, or multi-cell box configuration |
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Thermal Firing Duty |
20 MW to 125 MW per furnace package |
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Coil Circuitry |
4, 6, 8, or 12 symmetrically balanced horizontal/vertical radiant passes |
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Radiant Metallurgy |
Seamless carbon steel (ASTM A106 Gr. B), 5Cr-0.5Mo (A335 P5), 9Cr-1Mo (A335 P9), and stabilized TP321H / TP347H for sour feeds |
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Convection Tube Banks |
Bare shock rows followed by high-frequency resistance-welded (HFW) serrated finned tubes (09CrCuSb / ASTM A106-B) |
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Vacuum Transfer Line Design |
Internal velocity-controlled expanding transition cones engineered to minimize sonic pressure drop and fluid mist shear |
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Efficiency Level |
91% – 93% (Equipped with air preheaters and dedicated soot-blower stations) |
Customization Capabilities
Hydraulic Pass Symmetry Balancing: Custom thermo-hydraulic circuit simulations ensuring uniform mass flow across all parallel passes to eliminate dry-out spots and uneven coke buildup.
Shop-Fabricated Vacuum Transfer Spools: In-house fabrication of large-diameter (up to DN1800), thin-to-medium wall vacuum transfer lines featuring compound miter elbows and internal guide vanes.
Modular Block Prefabrication: Heavy casing side-panels and convection boxes pre-lined with multi-density ceramic fiber blankets and castable refractories, cutting crane hours on site by up to 40%.
Flexible Burner Integration: Structural floor framing adapted for floor-mounted ultra-low-NOx staged gas or dual-fuel burners firing refinery off-gas.
Zero MOQ Restriction: From single-cell radiant box replacements during turnaround revamps to complete multi-heater CDU/VDU packages.
Quality Control
Certified Global Accreditations: Manufactured under ASME "U" and "S" stamps, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, and ISO 3834-2 welding quality management.
Full Process QR Code Tracking: Every tube length, 180° cast/forged return bend, intermediate support plate, and casing plate carries an individual QR code linked to certified mill test reports and NDT logs.
Comprehensive Weld & Hydro Verification: 100% Radiographic Testing (RT) / Ultrasonic Testing (UT) on all pressure-retaining butt welds; hydrostatic proof-pressure testing performed at 1.5 times design pressure before shop dispatch.
Dimensional Trial Assembly: Convection modules and structural frame skeletons undergo factory pre-erection and laser coordinate mapping to guarantee bolt-hole alignment on the refinery foundation.
Heavy Marine Packaging: Welded steel transit saddles, greased bevel protections, desiccants, and multi-layer waterproof shrink packaging.
FAQ
Q: How do you address velocity and pressure drop inside the vacuum transfer line between the heater and the column?
A: We design the vacuum transfer line with continuous expansion tapers and large-radius sweeps to keep fluid velocities within the optimal range (typically 0.6 to 0.8 Mach under vacuum flash conditions), suppressing momentum shock and preventing liquid droplet degradation.
Q: What is the typical fabrication schedule for a grassroots atmospheric and vacuum heater complex?
A: For a complete twin-cabin heater package, total shop fabrication time is typically 5 to 6 months following final drawing sign-off and material delivery. Standalone convection replacement modules can be completed within 3 months.
Q: Can you accommodate our company-appointed third-party inspectors during production?
A: Yes. We routinely host resident and visiting inspectors from agencies such as Bureau Veritas, DNV, SGS, and TÜV for all mandatory hold points, including raw material PMI, weld radiography review, and final hydro-testing.
Q: What commercial terms and shipping arrangements do you support?
A: We support EXW and FOB terms, utilizing our proximity to the Yangtze River deep-water port terminals for barge loading to Shanghai. Payment terms follow a 30% advance deposit, 40% intermediate fabrication milestone payment, and 30% balance prior to ocean dispatch, payable in USD, EUR, or RMB.
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