Improving Process Heating Systems Performance
- By Usman Naseer
- 0
Course Description
Process heating systems account for approximately 70 percent of industrial energy use in sectors like metals, glass, petroleum, and chemicals. These systems convert chemical or electrical energy into heat to raise the temperature of materials for reaction, forming, or treatment. As an industrial engineer, you must view the heating system as a transformation machine where the input is fuel or electricity and the output is properly heated product plus unavoidable losses. The gap between the theoretical minimum energy required and the actual energy used represents the primary opportunity for improvement. Understanding this gap is the foundation of all performance improvement work.
What you'll learn in this course?
By the end of this course, participants will be able to identify the major components and energy flow of industrial process heating systems including furnaces, ovens, and boilers.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to calculate thermal efficiency and quantify common heat loss mechanisms using industrial engineering calculations.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to diagnose operational inefficiencies such as excess air, scale formation, and refractory damage.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to implement cost-effective improvement strategies including waste heat recovery, insulation upgrades, and combustion control.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to develop a continuous monitoring plan using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for sustained performance.
Slides 4-17: Module 1 - Fundamentals & Thermodynamics
Process heating systems account for approximately 70% of industrial energy use in sectors like metals, glass, petroleum, and chemicals.
These systems convert chemical or electrical energy into heat to raise the temperature of materials for reaction, forming, or treatment.
As an Industrial Engineer, you must view the heating system as a transformation machine where the input is fuel/electricity and output is properly heated product plus unavoidable losses.
The gap between theoretical minimum energy required and actual energy used represents the primary opportunity for improvement.
Prerequisites
Basic engineering knowledge and familiarity with industrial systems and engineering units Wiscademy | Improving Process Heating Systems Performance 2
Course Curriculum
- Introduction to Process Heating
- Classification of Process Heaters
- Key Components of a Heating System
- Basic Thermodynamics for Industrial Engineers
- Combustion Chemistry Basics
- Theoretical vs. Actual Air Requirements
- Flue Gas Composition and Dew Point
- Heat Transfer Mechanisms in Process Heaters
- Understanding Thermal Efficiency
- Lower Heating Value vs. Higher Heating Value
- Energy Balance Concept
- Sankey Diagram for Process Heating
- Common Fuel Types and Their Properties
- Combustion Air Preheating Fundamentals
- Key Performance Indicators for Process Heaters
- Flue Gas Analysis Method
- Calculating Excess Air from Flue Gas Oxygen
- Flue Gas Temperature Measurement
- Wall Losses and Surface Temperature
- Loss from Open Doors and Holes
- Loss from Cooling Media
- Scale and Slag Formation Losses
- Incomplete Combustion Loss
- Direct Method for Efficiency Calculation
- Indirect Method for Efficiency Calculation
- Worked Example of Indirect Efficiency
- Benchmarking Against Industry Standards
- Combustion Control Optimization
- Oxygen Trim Control Systems
- Variable Frequency Drives for Fans
- Refractory and Insulation Upgrades
- Low-Thermal-Mass Linings
- Burner Selection and Tuning
- Proper Burner Placement and Flame Impingement
- Charge Preheat Strategies
- Load Density and Placement Optimization
- Reducing Idle and Holding Losses
- Pressure Control in Furnaces
- Preventive Maintenance for Efficiency
- Operator Training and Behavior
- Case Study: Reheat Furnace Optimization
- Quick Wins Checklist
- Waste Heat Recovery Overview
- Recuperators for Combustion Air Preheating
- Regenerators and High-Temperature Recovery
- Waste Heat Boilers for Steam Generation
- Direct Contact Heat Recovery
- Heat Pipes for Low-Temperature Recovery
- Advanced Control Strategies
- Real-Time Optimization Systems
- Monitoring and Targeting Systems
- Economic Analysis for Improvement Projects
- Case Study: Complete System Overhaul
- Implementation Roadmap
- Summary of Key Learnings
- Improving Process Heating Systems Performance
Usman Naseer
4 
Course includes:
Levelintermediate
Duration240 minutes
Lessons56
Quizzes0
CertificationsYes
Enrolled0