2 replies to this topic

[sanaullah]

Dear Professionals,
I am currently working in consulting firm as a Trainee Process Engineer, where i am assigned to size the firetube reboiler for gas sweetning unit. I've found the difficulty regarding the draft, stack height, and calculation regarding no of tubes in the reboiler.
I would be very grateful to all of you for sharing any literature or any formula for calculations of the parametes aforementioned.

Regards

Sana Ullah

[Art Montemayor]

Sana Ullah:

I empathize with your situation and assignment. As a trainee, you have been put into a situation where experience and detailed knowledge of the gas sweetening process is a key necessity. Amines, specifically MEA, are susceptible to heat degradation and for that reason I have always stayed away from direct-fired reboilers for amines. Of course, the direct-fired reboiler is the cheapest and lowest capital cost of the options available and that may be the driving factor in your case. As an operator, I would stay away from this type of reboiler. That is the experience factor. There are no “equations” or formulas for this. To do a mechanical design of the regeneration unit (draft, stack height, materials of construction, etc.) you will require training or experience in fired furnaces or boilers.

The process design can be carried out using the available and authoritative literature for this type of process:

• The GPSA Engineering Databook, which you can buy either as a hard copy or as an electronic version through the Internet; e-mail: gpsa@gasprocessors.com; or their website: www.gasprocessors.com;
• “Gas Purification”; Arthur Kohl and Richard Nielsen; 5^th Edition; Gulf Publishing Co.
• You can also buy the Gas Purification text book through the Internet.
• “Gas Processing”; John Campbell.

I recommend you obtain these classical sources for gas treating technology and use the information you find therein to design the process.

[sanaullah]

Dear Montemayor ,

In Manning & Thomson, there is a chapter on Direct Fired Heater where an example is discussed on the firetube Re-boiler, not in complete way but to estimate the design procedure there is a procedure given anyway.
Thanks for your interest in replying my querry, while i have read GPSA, Manning and various other books regarding Direct fired furnace, heaters, boilers. But unfortunately there was nothing to do for me in all those books. Whereas by using Manning, i can estimate the heat transfer flux, firetube area and other related parametrs.
Therefore i am requesting all those professionals who has worked on firetube amine reboiler, please help me out regarding all those parameters i've mentioned in my querry, whereas if there is any empirical value regarding draft, stack height etc for firetube reboiler then please share with me.
Once again Montemayor, bundle of thanks for your reply.

Regards.

Sana Ullah

Edited by sanaullah, 04 October 2012 - 11:34 PM.