(136a) Burner-Specific Safety and Design Issues

Burner-specific Safety and Design Issues

Different Low NOx or Ultra Low NOx technologies have been developed and used over the years. The main aim of these technologies is to reduce the flame temperature, and as such, reduce the production of NOx. These developments showed that fuel needs to be directed into very distinct locations within the combustion zone to influence the pollutant emissions and at the same time ensure stable operation.  Along with the evolution in burner design, the demand in safety, supervision, and remote ignition of the firing equipment has increased over the years. Especially in Europe, the introduction of the EN 746-2:2010 Directive (Safety Requirements for Combustion and Fuel handling Systems) has set out new standards and requirements. Findings, as reported at the EEPC 2012 by Issue Group Furnace Safety, still show a significant amount of incidents related to operation. Approximately 10% of all recorded incidents are related to the Fired Equipment.

The proposed presentation will focus on two aspects:

1. Overview of Low NOx burner designs in cracking furnace applications.
2. Considerations in burner design and arrangement when applying EN-746 guidelines.

Specific items that will be addressed are:

• Burner design aspects (fuel composition, fuel pressure, plugging, turndown, etc.)
• Low NOx burner design features
• Safety considerations as per EN 746-2
• Start-up Phase (purge/sampling, start-up sequence, switch low/high temperature operation)
• The role of the pilot
• Flame detection devices (scanner, flame rods etc.)
• Implementation strategies in relation to EN 746-2 depending on the burner layout (radiant wall, floor fired, combination floor radiant