Boilers for oil, gas and petrochemicals
For this industry TIPO Kotlogradnja designs and manufactures: industrial steam boilers; thermal oil boilers; hot water boilers; waste heat recovery boilers.
Each boiler is designed and manufactured to the required capacity, process requirements, fuel type and operating conditions of the plant.
The role of steam and heat in oil, gas and petrochemical processes
In refineries, gas processing plants and petrochemical complexes, heat is consumed throughout the process chain: heating feedstocks and intermediates, running column reboilers, regenerating solvents, drying gas and driving turbines. Steam links consumers at different levels and is often generated from heat that would otherwise be lost, for example from reactor effluent streams. In steam cracking, steam is mixed with the feed before the furnace and is also used for decoking, while cooling the gas after cracking produces mainly high-pressure steam that drives the compressor turbines.
In gas processing, heat is needed to regenerate the amine that removes H2S and CO2, to regenerate glycol in gas dehydration and to heat the gas used to regenerate molecular sieves. Thermal oil is often chosen for such duties: indirect heating gives more evenly controlled temperatures and lowers the risk of local overheating compared with direct firing, and it avoids the high-pressure equipment that steam would require for the same regeneration temperatures. Thermal oil boilers are considered for these duties, while steam boilers serve process steam and turbine drives.
Requirements, safety and regulations
Boilers, steam generators and piping are pressure equipment. In the European Union they fall under the Pressure Equipment Directive PED 2014/68/EU, which governs design, manufacture and conformity assessment and requires CE marking; see certificates and standards for more. For thermal oil installations in Germany there is the standard DIN 4754-1, which sets safety requirements for plants using organic heat transfer fluids and aims to meet the protection objectives of the PED. For other markets, the applicable national regulations must be checked.
Where an explosive atmosphere can arise from flammable gases, vapours, mists or dust, two ATEX directives apply in the EU: 2014/34/EU on equipment and protective systems, and 1999/92/EC on worker protection. The employer, that is the plant operator, classifies areas into zones and selects equipment accordingly, while the equipment manufacturer is responsible for conformity with the equipment directive. Zone classification should therefore be known before deciding on the boiler house location and on the choice of burner, valves and instrumentation.
Fuel, energy and sustainability
Refineries often burn refinery fuel gas, meaning gas from distillation and conversion units, so its composition and availability should be established before the burner and operating mode are selected, with a back-up fuel considered. Sources of waste heat are numerous; one example is the flue gas from an FCC regenerator, where a waste heat recovery boiler is installed. Manufacturers of such boilers note that the design must account for catalyst dust in the gas and for corrosion caused by sulphur compounds in the flue gas.
The European best available techniques conclusions for refining of mineral oil and gas (Decision 2014/738/EU, adopted under the Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU) list heat integration, automated combustion control, steam system management, cogeneration and waste heat boilers among energy efficiency measures. Boilers are treated as combustion units, with emission monitoring requirements. At steam system level, returning condensate and recovering heat from blowdown reduce fuel and make-up water consumption, supported by suitable water treatment.
What to define when selecting a boiler
Consumption and operating conditions differ from unit to unit, so before an offer the investor should define the data that decisively shape the solution. It is particularly important to separate steady base load from peak and transient modes such as start-up, shutdown and decoking, and to establish which part of the heat can come from recovery and which must be supplied by a separate boiler. The procedure is described in more detail in the guide how to choose an industrial boiler.
- heat carrier (steam, thermal oil, hot water), required quality and temperature level at the consumer
- fuel or waste heat source: composition, dust, sulphur, back-up fuel
- zone classification and safety solutions for burner, instrumentation and boiler house location
- reserve and availability: number of boilers, plant overhaul and shutdown regime
- feedwater treatment, condensate return, market regulations (PED, ATEX, national) and available space
Boiler types for this industry
Industrial steam boilers
Saturated or superheated steam for industrial, process and power applications. Shell and water-tube boilers for solid fuel, biomass, liquid and gaseous fuel.
View →Thermal oil boilers
Thermal oil boilers serve process heating in industrial plants that need high and stable operating temperatures.
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Hot water boilers
Hot water for industrial and energy systems and district heating. Shell and water-tube boilers for all common fuels.
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Waste heat recovery boilers
A WHRB (Waste Heat Recovery Boiler) is a steam generator that uses the waste heat of exhaust gases from industrial processes to produce saturated steam.
View →Applications
Industrial steam boilers
- Chemical and petrochemical industry
- process heating, temperature control and production
Hot water boilers
- Chemical and petrochemical industry
- temperature control and process heating
Thermal oil boilers
- Chemical and petrochemical industry
- heating of reactors, process vessels and distillation columns
Waste heat recovery boilers
- Petrochemical industry
- energy recovery from process and flue gases
Frequently asked questions
When should I choose a thermal oil boiler instead of steam?
When the process needs high, precisely controlled temperatures without high-pressure operation: thermal oil carries heat at high temperature and low pressure, with no evaporation or water treatment.
Which heat transfer fluid to choose: water or thermal oil?
The choice depends on the required operating temperature and the process requirements. Water is the right choice for heating systems and processes at lower temperatures. Thermal oil is chosen when the process needs higher, stable temperatures, precise control and heat transfer without the high pressures typical of water systems at a comparable temperature level. The final solution is defined by the required capacity, operating temperature, pressure and plant operating conditions.
Which fuels does a thermal oil boiler use?
Liquid and gaseous fuels (model TKT-TU), solid fuels and biomass, or electricity (model VAT-V-TU) where no flue gases or burners are wanted.
Which standards apply to steam boilers?
EN 12953 for shell boilers, EN 12952 for water-tube boilers, EN 13445 for pressure vessels, EN 13480 for piping, and ASME BPVC or AD 2000 for export markets. Pressure equipment carries the CE mark under PED 2014/68/EU.
What is the difference between a shell and a water-tube steam boiler?
A shell (fire-tube) boiler has a large water content, is built to EN 12953 and suits small and medium capacities with stable operation. A water-tube boiler has a small water content, is built to EN 12952 and is used for larger capacities, higher pressures and superheated steam.
Why are waste heat recovery boilers so often installed in refineries and petrochemical plants?
Because process units release hot gases, for example from an FCC regenerator or after cracking, whose heat can be turned into steam. The European best available techniques conclusions for refining explicitly list waste heat boilers as an energy efficiency measure. The design depends on the gas composition: dust and sulphur call for a suitable arrangement of heating surfaces, cleaning provisions and choice of materials.
Can a boiler or burner operate in a zone with an explosive atmosphere?
It depends on the zone classification that the operator establishes for the plant under the ATEX workplace directive 1999/92/EC. Equipment intended for use in such an atmosphere must meet the equipment directive 2014/34/EU. It is therefore first defined whether the boiler house, burner and instrumentation will be inside a classified zone or outside it, and the solution is agreed in the project with the investor and the applicable regulations.
What most often damages thermal oil in a system?
According to fluid manufacturers, the most common causes are overheating, where fluid molecules break down and carbon forms, and oxidation through contact with air, which produces acids and sludge. That is why accurate temperature control, sufficient flow through the boiler, a tight system, protection of the expansion vessel and regular fluid analysis are important.
Standards we design and build to
TIPO Kotlogradnja designs and manufactures boilers and complete boiler plants according to the investor's requirements, fuel type, capacity and operating regime. The process covers requirement analysis, solution proposal, offer, design, material procurement, manufacturing, erection, testing and commissioning. Whatever the complexity of the project or the market, the equipment is designed and built to European and international standards, including EN 12952, EN 12953, EN 13445, EN 13480, ASME BPVC and AD 2000, in line with the project documentation and the investor's requirements.
Other industries
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