What form of heating is suitable for heating residue? What temperature?
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What type of heating should be used for residue heating? What temperature?
Heating is mainly achieved through steam or electric heating; steam is generally used, as long as the residue oil does not solidify
The external steam double-jacketed tubes we are using currently mean that, under normal operating conditions, the residue oil remains in a flowing state with a temperature above 120°C; therefore, they can be left unused to save energy.
Steam tracing, temperature above 90 degrees
Our unit uses steam heating; the steam pressure is 0.4 MPa and its temperature is around 90°C. Our residue oil goes directly to the coking unit, but we need to replace the residue oil pipeline leading to the tank area once per shift
For the heating of residue, it is first necessary to consider the conditions in the area where the factory is located. In the northern regions, it is advisable to use jacketed heating or four-tube heating systems, with the steam pressure being no less than 0.3 MPa. For residue or asphalt produced from heavy oil processing, it is recommended to use jacketed heating with steam at a pressure of 0.5 MPa or higher. In the southern regions where temperatures are higher in winter, using a heat tracing system with two or more tubes is generally sufficient to meet the production requirements.
The device usually uses steam along with insulation; controlling the temperature involves adjusting the size of the heat tracing wire, and the requirements in this regard are not very strict. Tank areas are generally heated using heat transfer oil
Steam heating; electric heating tends to cause coking
I have installed low-pressure steam tracing; the temperature in the double pipes is around 120 degrees. It’s usually not turned on during summer, while in winter the tracing system requires inspection once per hour
Based on the softening point or pour point, 1.0 MPa of steam is generally considered high enough.
Our plant uses steam double-tube heating, but it isn’t in use at the current time, as the temperature of the residue leaving the unit is still over 120 degrees!