Aspen Fired Heater Models Embedded in HYSYS

Simulations
Tutorial High Level Outline:
• Load HYSYS simulation of crude distillation system processing a medium crude
• Set up a fired heater model to replace the simple heating utility
• Import a Aspen Fired Heater rigorous model of the atmospheric crude heater
• Explore the detailed modelling results
• Change the crude to a heavy blend
• Consider potential revamp options to maintain production with heavy crude
blend
Linking our Rigorous Fired Heater Model
Load the HYSYS Case: CDU AFH EXAMPLE 1.hsc

Make sure you have allowed for multiple stream connections. Go to Tools | Preferences
| Options and check the box for Allow Multiple Stream Connections.
FiredHeater models in HYSYS
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Aspen Fired Heater Models Embedded in HYSYS
Simulations

Double click on the rigorous pre-heat train sub-flowsheet to open it. Click on the
Parameter tab and check the box for Ignored. Then close the sub-flowsheet.

From the HYSYS pallet select the fired heater unit operation and place it on the flowsheet
at a suitable spot.
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FiredHeater models in HYSYS
Aspen Fired Heater Models Embedded in HYSYS
Simulations
Double click your fired heater unit op. to open and for the radiant zone inlet stream
select Warm Crude .

For the radiant zone outlet select Hot Crude.

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FiredHeater models in HYSYS
Aspen Fired Heater Models Embedded in HYSYS
Simulations
For the fuel stream allocate the name Fuel and for the air stream type the name Air.
Type the name Flue Gas against the Combustion Products stream as shown.

Now go to the Design tab and on the Parameters ply select EDR Fired Heater
from the drop down list.
On the Worksheet tab and the Composition ply set the Air composition to 0.78 N2 and
0.22 O2. Then set the Fuel composition all Methane.
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FiredHeater models in HYSYS
Aspen Fired Heater Models Embedded in HYSYS
Simulations

On the Conditions ply set the Air temperature to 25°C and the pressure to 1 bar. Set the
Fuel temperature to 25°C and 2 bar.

Go to the EDR FiredHeater tab and click the Import button.

Select the FiredHeater (.EDR) file from the location you have elected to stored it:
AFH_Twn_Cabin1
The flowsheet will converge rapidly with Aspen Fired Heater modelling the heater
performance and calculating the fuel flow requirement to meet the specified inlet and
outlet conditions on your HYSYS case.
Click on the Fired Heater Unit operation, go to the EDR FiredHeater tab and the
Summary ply.
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FiredHeater models in HYSYS
Aspen Fired Heater Models Embedded in HYSYS
Simulations

Here you can see some of the key performance results for your Aspen Fired Heater
detailed model. The calculated duty should be very close to the simple HYSYS heating
utility, which originally modelled the fired heater, is almost 66MW. The calculated overall
efficiency is 84.7% and the required fuel flow to achieve that is 5607 kg/hr. You may like
to note that the peak tube wall temperature indicated for tubes in the heater firebox is
404°C. You can see how the furnace duty divides between the two tube banks of the
convection section and the firebox.
Exploring the Model
Now let us look at the heater model we have imported to understand its geometry. Click
on the EDR Browser button.
The user interface of Aspen Fired Heater will open so that you can see geometry,
modelling options and calculated results in more detail.
Go to Input | Heater Geompetry | Firebox and the Layout tab.
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FiredHeater models in HYSYS
Aspen Fired Heater Models Embedded in HYSYS
Simulations

We have a twin box (or twin cabin) construction with each box 8m high, 20m long and
4m wide. If you go to the Firebox Diagram tab you will see that each box has 3 paths (or
passes) on each wall with 28 vertical hairpin tubes in each path. You may like to explore
the other tabs here.

Go to Input | Heater Geometry | Convection Banks and the Connections diagram tab
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FiredHeater models in HYSYS
Aspen Fired Heater Models Embedded in HYSYS
Simulations

nd

This shows the warm crude stream flows through the heater elements from the 2
convection bank to the 1st and then into the firebox.
Click on the Layout tab.

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FiredHeater models in HYSYS
Aspen Fired Heater Models Embedded in HYSYS
Simulations
This shows how the process flow through the heater has been specified by the flow
history specifications for each bank. We have a simple arrangement with one stream and
have used the default selections.
If you click on Bank Details tab you will see illustrated how the tubes of the two
convection banks are arranged.
You may also like to look at the other tabs to see the precise tube geometry that has
been defined for bank 1 (3 rows of shield tubes) and bank 2 (6 rows of finned tubes).
You may also like to explore the detailed results. Look at Results | Results Summary |
Overall Summary.
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FiredHeater models in HYSYS
Aspen Fired Heater Models Embedded in HYSYS
Simulations

Note that the peak tube metal temperature in the firebox here is given as 404°C.
In Results | Calculation Details | Stream Details you will find information for each tube
including calculated temperatures, heat transfer coefficients and two- phase flow
patterns.
Refining the Modeling
Now let's refine our modelling approach.
Click on the simple HYSYS heating utility and delete it. You may also whish to delete the
energy stream associated with this unit operation.
Return to the rigorous pre-heat train model we elected to ignore initially and uncheck the
Ignored box.
The simulation may take a minute or so to converge. Now click on the Fired Heater
model and go to the Worksheet tab. You will see that the pressure of the warm crude
has been specified as well as the pressure for the hot crude leaving the heater. Aspen
Fired Heater used these values to scale the pressure drop in the rigorous model. Now
let's delete the inlet pressure value and allow fired heater to calculate what the inlet
pressure would (or could) be.
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FiredHeater models in HYSYS
Aspen Fired Heater Models Embedded in HYSYS
Simulations

This may take some minutes to converge and shows that FiredHeater can achieve the
required outlet pressure if the Warm Crude was supplied at 13.18 bar.
Heavier Crude Blend
No let's explore what would happen if we had to process a heavier crude blend.
Click on the Assay Feeder at the far left of the flowsheet. You will see the bend is 100%
Iranian Heavy Crude. Set up the blend to contain 0.8 Iranian Heavy, 0.1 Soroosh and the
balance will automatically be made up of Petroleum Assay-1.
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FiredHeater models in HYSYS
Aspen Fired Heater Models Embedded in HYSYS
Simulations
You may find it takes some time to converge with this change. You ,may prefer to load a
converged case: CDU_AFH_EXAMPLE_1_Hvy_Blend.hsc.
This blend is harder for the pre-heat train to heat and so the heater inlet temperature is
reduced from around 254.7 C before to 249.7 C.
Click on our FiredHeater model. If we look at the

The heater duty has increased from 65.9MW to 68.1MW. The fuel flow has
correspondingly increased from 5607kg/h to 5795kg/h. This would correspond to a 3.4%
increase in operating cost. You can also see that the peak metal temperature for firebox
tubes has increased somewhat. In some cases this may well constitute an operational
limit.
Consider Revamp Options
If we could revamp the heater is there a way we could process this blend and recover our
operating efficiency?
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FiredHeater models in HYSYS
Aspen Fired Heater Models Embedded in HYSYS
Simulations

Increasing the number of finned tube rows in convection bank 3(from 6 to 12) allows us
to almost recover our operating efficiency. The fuel flow hence the operating cost is only
0.6% higher with this blend. Adding more rows has a diminishing return as we start to get
pinched on the flue gas temperature difference. More tubes per row add surface but
reduced velocities and hence local heat transfer coefficients and so this is not an effective
option to add more duty.
You may like to look at other options:
• Smaller tube diameter and more tubes (need to be careful with the process pressure
drop)
• Air pre-heat (can be an expensive option requiring new burners, an induced draft fan
and a lot of duct-work)
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FiredHeater models in HYSYS