Utilization of Infrared Inspection: A Comprehensive Distillation

Furnace Inspection Program

John R. Coleman, P.E.
Infrared Scanning Services, Inc.

ABSTRACT
Tube metal temperatures are critical to furnace operations. When operating a furnace close to the maximum
allowable tube metal temperature, changes of less than 200° F can dramatically reduce tube life on tubes
rated for 100,000 hours to only a few hundred hours.

Operations personnel rely on thermocouples as the primary tool to provide the temperature data necessary
for making critical process decisions. However, the data that thermocouples provide is extremely limited.

The primary limitation is the fact that thermocouples only supply data for a specific point on the tube. Most
distillation furnaces only have 1 to 3 thermocouples per pass. In service applications that involve internal
fouling such as distillation, it is not unusual to see tube metal temperature variations of 200° F or more in
areas of fouling. This paper describes how an infrared inspection program can identify potentially catastrophic
problems in distillation furnaces that could be easily missed when relying on thermocouple data or visual
inspection.

INTRODUCTION
Utilization of infrared for the purposes of furnace tube temperature analysis relies heavily on data
interpretation. Data interpretation is especially important in distillation furnaces. It is this aspect that shows the
advantages of an ongoing inspection program that allows for comparative analysis of multiple scans over time
to gain the best overall picture of the true thermal profile of the tubes.

THE PROBLEM WITH THERMOCOUPLES

Operations personnel rely on thermocouples as the primary tool to provide the temperature data necessary
for making critical process decisions. However, the data that thermocouples provide is extremely limited.

Thermocouples

Figure 1: Thermocouple away from coke Figure 2: Thermocouple away from coke

InfraMation 2006 Proceedings ITC 115 A 2006-05-22

Thermocouples only provide data for a single point on the tube. As can be seen in Figures 1 & 2, problem
areas can be completely missed when relying strictly on thermocouple data.

KNOWLEDGE OF SERVICE & MATERIALS

Before beginning any furnace inspection it is important to acquire as much information about the furnace as
possible.

Consider the process aspects of the furnace.

1. What are the inlet and outlet temperatures and pressures?

2. Is the service a coking or fouling service?
3. Is it natural gas or refinery fuel fired?
4. If refinery fuel, what is the fuel constituent make-up? Is it constant?
5. Are the burners prone to fouling?
6. Where is the heater/unit in the run?

Consider the target.

1. What is the tube material?

2. What is the emissivity?
3. Is it prone to scaling?
4. If so, at what temperature?

Remember that “book” emissivity does not always equal “actual” emissivity.

Basic knowledge of the service and materials is important. It will assist in determination of the type and
criticality of any problem. Since this paper addresses distillation furnaces, one primary consideration is the
determination of coke formation.

Figure 3: 316 SS with coke Figure 4: 316 SS after decoke

Figure 3 is a thermogram of a coker furnace with coked areas measuring 1450° F. Traditional analysis of this
coker furnace would indicate this problem as critical. This is due to the fact that traditionally coker furnace
tubes are 5 or 9 Cr. with a temperature limitation of 1200° - 1300° F. Immediate action would be required to
cool the tube metal. At 1450° F an immediate shutdown would be required. This would result in lost
production in the coker unit and would necessitate the cutback of units both upstream and downstream to
compensate for coker unit production loss. However, making the call without full understanding of the
materials involved would result in production losses measured in millions of dollars. However, the radiant
section of this particular coker furnace is tubed with 316SS. The critical maximum allowable temperature on
316SS in this service is 1500° F. The furnace was brought down and decoked (Figure 4) on a regular reduced
production window so all costs were minimized.

InfraMation 2006 Proceedings ITC 115 A 2006-05-22

IMPORTANCE OF PROCEDURES
One important aspect of distillation furnace inspection is in performing comparative analysis of subsequent
scans. Performing a single scan on a furnace for the first time can provide significant data. However,
performing multiple scans over time will provide information on areas of the furnace where analysis is
questionable.

When performing a scan on a heater always use the same inspection procedure. Always start at the same
point and proceed through the inspection in the same fashion. It will make performing comparative analysis
much easier.

The primary problem in distillation is coking. It is important to be able to look at suspect areas over time.
Coked areas will change in appearance over time; usually increasing in temperature and size. If coke
formation is suspected in a furnace it is much easier to make a positive determination if previous base line
data exists.

Coke can form slowly and uniformly over time or can form rapidly in small localized areas due to process
upsets, burner problems, etc. It is important to be able to perform comparative analysis to be able to
accurately determine the extent of the problem and to analyze any changes made to mitigate the problem
such as firing configuration changes or charge rate reductions. If the decision is made to decoke, a post
infrared inspection can be performed to determine the effectiveness of the decoking procedure. If the decoke
procedure is steam/air, infrared can be used to monitor and control the actual procedure.

Figure 5: Before Figure 6: After Upset & Figure 7: After Decoke

Process Upset Before Decoke

Figures 5, 6, & 7 are of high alloy tubes in a vertical can crude furnace. They are the same tubes shot at
different times. The arrows indicate reference points. This furnace is part of an ongoing comprehensive
inspection program. During a recent run a serious process upset occurred causing an emergency unit
shutdown. After the unit was brought back online two thermocouples were reading high. An infrared
inspection was performed to verify the high thermocouple readings. The thermocouples were verified as
correct but as can be seen in Figure 6 there was general coking in several tubes and heavy localized coking

InfraMation 2006 Proceedings ITC 115 A 2006-05-22

in two specific tubes. Several process and burner moves were attempted but the temperatures could not be
lowered to an appropriate level due to the extent of the coking. The furnace had to be decoked. An inspection
was performed after the decoke procedure and, as can be seen in Figure 7, all of the heavy coke was
removed but some light coke still remained. The furnace will be inspected regularly until the next shutdown to
insure that coke formation does not accelerate.

DATA ANALYSIS
Infrared inspections on furnace tubes, like most other infrared inspections, are performed to obtain the true
temperature of a target. In furnace applications it is the temperature of the tube metal that is of interest.
Thermal anomalies on furnace tubes can be a function of actual hot tubes, surface conditions such as scale
and oxidation, or a combination of several factors. It is important for the thermographer to have the knowledge
and experience to evaluate the thermal profile data and make a determination as to what is valid tube metal
temperature data and what should be avoided.

Sometimes the difference between a surface anomaly such as scale and actual coking conditions can be very
subtle. Figure 8 shows furnace tubes with varying surface conditions in close proximity. Initial inspection
would indicate scaling. However, comparative analysis of the tubes with previous inspections indicated that
two of the tubes are coked while 4 others have a scaled surface. Performing multiple scans over time and
doing comparative analysis make this a relatively simple call.

Coke Scale
Figure 8: Furnace tubes with coke and scale.

Figures 9 & 10 are infrared images of furnace tubes from an atmospheric crude furnace (same tubes shot
from different angle/port). Determination of the actual tube metal temperature in this particular furnace is
extremely difficult. Simply using the standard spot measurement tool, tube surface temperature indications in
Figure 9 range between 930° F to over 1115° F. Tube surface temperature indications in Figure 10 range

InfraMation 2006 Proceedings ITC 115 A 2006-05-22

between 965° F to over 1090° F. The temperature measurements in these 2 images represent the same
points and the actual tube metal temperatures have not changed. Yet there is a 30° F increase in the
measured temperatures on the left side of the images and a 25° F decrease in the measured temperature on
the right side of the images.

Which ones are correct? Are multiple points correct? Why.

Figure 9. Coke & scale in crude furnace Figure 10. Coke & scale in crude furnace

When performing tube temperature measurements on distillation furnaces, a number of key points must be
considered.

1. Be certain that the area being measured is a valid target (tube metal and not scale or other surface
anomaly) and know the emissivity of that target.
2. Be certain of background temperature based on field measurement or furnace data.
3. Correct for interference from furnace atmosphere. In very adverse atmospheres this is valid for a
relatively limited area and is based on a “snapshot” in time. If possible, include a known valid
thermocouple or external reference thermocouple in the image.
4. Take multiple images of the subject area and attempt to minimize the interference.

Minimize the temperature span to determine the extent of the flame interference. This will be a factor of fuel
type (natural gas vs. refinery gas), burner type, firing rate, draft, and IR camera and filter. Remember that
consistency in procedures will always facilitate easier comparative analysis and result in a better
understanding of the furnace.

SUMMARY
A single scan on a distillation furnace can be helpful in providing useful data to operations personnel.
However, a more complete picture can be obtained if the furnace is part of an ongoing comprehensive
inspection program. With data from multiple inspections, questionable areas can either be ruled out as
surface conditions or verified as coking. Trending of temperatures can allow for accurate projections of run
time. Changes in firing conditions can be made to extend run times. Outages can be based on actual furnace
conditions and not on best guesses based on thermocouple data. Comparative analysis is one of the best
tools in furnace tube temperature analysis, and only available if the furnace is part of an ongoing
comprehensive inspection program.

InfraMation 2006 Proceedings ITC 115 A 2006-05-22

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John Coleman works as a consultant to refineries, primarily in the Gulf coast area, providing field service and
technical support in the development and implementation of infrared furnace inspection programs. He holds a
BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Houston. He is a registered Professional Engineer and
holds an ASNT Level II TIR. He has been in the infrared inspection business for 22 years with the bulk of his
experience in refinery applications.

InfraMation 2006 Proceedings ITC 115 A 2006-05-22