Direct Fired Furnaces

Direct fired furnaces are an essential tool in the industrial extraction of gas and oils. They are,
at times, alternatively referred to as direct fire heaters or process heaters. Fired furnaces are
exchangers that heat up process fluids inside tubular coils arranged inside an internally
insulated enclosure. They do this by transferring heat from the burn of hot combustion gasses
primarily through radiation and convection. There are different classifications of fired
furnaces. These classifications are based on factors such as the structural configuration, the
burner arrangement, and the radiant-tube coil configuration. The radiant-tube coil
configuration contains fired furnace types such as the vertical fired furnace, horizontal fired
furnace, tangentially fired furnace, and the cyclone fired furnace.

1. The Vertical Fired Furnace

The radiant coil of a vertical fired furnace runs vertically up and down along the combustion
enclosure walls. Firing, in this type of furnace, is on the floor of the heater. Thus, all tubes get
their heat through radiation. Heaters with vertical fired furnaces include the vertical-
cylindrical all radiant type, those with a helical coil, vertical-cylindrical with a cross-flow-
convection section, an integral-convection section, a wicket type, and a vertical-tube with a
single-row and double-fired. For identifying as vertical fired furnaces, all these types have a
common vertical arrangement of the radiant-section coil.

2. The Horizontal Fired Furnace

The horizontal fired heaters have their coils running horizontally across the radiant section.
The arrangement creates a lining on the sidewalls and the roof of the combustion chamber. In
the vertical fired furnace, firing can only be done from the floor, and heat transfers through
radiation. The tube coils' horizontal arrangement enables firing horizontally using burners
fixed on the side walls just below the tube coil. In this type of furnace, heat transfer is also
via convection from the horizontal bank of tube coils above the combustion chamber. The
horizontal fired heaters are more economical and efficient compared to the vertical fired
furnaces. Examples of designs applying the horizontal arrangement are in the cabin, two-cell
box, cabin with dividing bridge wall, end-fired box, an end-fired box with side-mounted
convection section, and horizontal-tube with a single row and double-fired.
 3. The Tangential Fired Furnace

The tangentially fired furnace is used synonymously with corner firing. It is commonly used
in the combustion of pulverized coals. In this heater, four burners are placed on the four
corners of the furnace. The burners fire tangentially at an imaginary circle at the center of the
furnace. There is a primary air jet from each burner that transfers the fuel (for example,
pulverized coal). The jet receives heat directly via radiation, thus raising the temperature in
the combustion chamber. Tangentially fired furnaces produce the highest temperature and
rapid combustion due to the flame envelope that ensures thorough mixing within the furnace.

4. The Cyclone Fired Furnace

Cyclone heaters are compatible with non-pulverized coal components. They consist of a
horizontal cylindrical barrel, which is attached to the side of the boiler furnace. In a situation
where the furnace is used in burning coal, the crushed coal is placed into the burner
tangentially at the cyclone's front. Secondary air is similarly introduced tangentially to the
main cyclone burner resulting in a whirlwind motion. After combustion, the final products
get cooled at the water-cooled throat of the rear of the cyclone. The cyclone fired furnace is
more flexible on the fuel types it burns; for instance, it can accommodate the heavier, lower
volatile fuel constituents that require much higher temperatures.