COURSE OVERVIEW:

This course provides a detailed and practical understanding of direct-fired heaters as used in refineries, petrochemical, gas processing, and industrial plants. It covers heater types, combustion and heat transfer fundamentals, thermal and mechanical design considerations, burner and fuel systems, instrumentation, operation, inspection, emissions control, and troubleshooting. Emphasis is placed on safe, efficient, and reliable operation, recognizing operating problems early, and implementing effective optimization and rehabilitation measures for existing heaters.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

After completion of this course, the participants will be able to:

1. Describe the role of direct-fired heaters within refinery and petrochemical process units.
2. Identify the main types of fired heaters and their typical process applications.
3. Explain the fundamentals of combustion and heat transfer as applied to fired heaters.
4. Interpret process and firebox side design parameters such as duty, heat flux, bridgewall temperature, and flue gas temperature.
5. Read and understand heater datasheets, P and IDs, general arrangement drawings, and firing diagrams.
6. Explain the function and operation of burners, fuel trains, igniters, pilots, and flame monitoring systems.
7. Evaluate draft conditions, flue gas paths, and the effect of air and fuel distribution on heater performance.
8. Assess the impact of fuel composition, excess air, and firing rate on efficiency, emissions, and tube metal temperature.
9. Recognize common mechanical and process integrity issues affecting tubes, refractory, insulation, and structural components.
10. Apply best practice procedures for start-up, shutdown, purging, and normal heater operation with emphasis on safety.
11. Use operating data, performance tests, and flue gas analysis to optimize heater efficiency and identify capacity limitations.
12. Diagnose typical operating problems such as flame instability, hot spots, tube coking, smoking, and high stack temperature.
13. Plan inspection, cleaning, and maintenance activities to improve reliability, extend tube life, and reduce unplanned outages.
14. Understand relevant codes, standards, and recommended practices governing the design, operation, and inspection of fired heaters.
15. Communicate heater performance issues, risks, and improvement options effectively to operations, maintenance, and management.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

-Process and operations engineers working in refineries, gas plants, and petrochemical facilities

-Mechanical, reliability, and maintenance engineers responsible for fired equipment

-Control and instrumentation engineers involved in heater control and safeguarding systems

-Operations supervisors, panel operators, and field operators working with fired heaters

-Project and design engineers involved in new heater design, revamps, and debottlenecking

-Inspection, integrity, and asset management engineers overseeing fired heater condition

-HSE and safety engineers concerned with combustion risks and fired equipment safety

-Any technical staff seeking a structured understanding of direct-fired heater design and operations

TRAINING COURSE METHODOLOGY:

A highly interactive combination of lectures, discussion sessions, and case studies will be employed to maximise the transfer of information, knowledge, and experience. The course will be intensive, practical, and highly interactive. The sessions will start by raising the most relevant questions and motivating everybody to find the right answers. The attendants will also be encouraged to raise more of their questions and to share in developing the right answers using their analysis and experience. There will also be some indoor experiential activities to enhance the learning experience. Course material will be provided in PowerPoint, with necessary animations, learning videos, and general discussions.

The course participants shall be evaluated before, during, and after the course.

COURSE CERTIFICATE:

National Consultant Centre for Training LLC (NCC) will issue an Attendance Certificate to all participants completing a minimum of 80% of the total attendance time requirement.