Air Preheater Upgrade with Technoform PPS-GR Tubes (Total / Zeeland refineries)
Operating Data
Air Preheater retrofit with Technoform PPS-GR tubes: A project designed, manufactured and delivered by Apex Group
We are pleased to detail an efficiency enhancement in a vacuum furnace, accomplished by preheating the combustion air using residual heat from the furnace's flue gas. This upgrade, achieved in 2016, involved equipping the existing vacuum distillation unit with air preheater designed and manufactured by APEX Group, capable of cooling the flue gas from 370 to 135 °C.
As a vital part of the cold-end retrofit of the air preheater, APEX Group replaced glass coated tubes corroded due to acidic flue gas condensation with Technoform’s PPS-GR tubes. Since January 2022, the new tubes have been successfully operating under these corrosive conditions, offering significant improvements to the cold-end air preheater for the vacuum distillation unit.
Technoform's PPS-GR tubes replaced the previously installed glass-coated steel tubes
In these challenging conditions, where the cold pass operates continuously below the acid dew point, Apex Group has provided a hybrid solution incorporating thermally conductive PPS-GR tubes. This resilient design ensures the recovered waste heat is efficiently used to preheat the combustion air.
The result of this upgrade is not just a significant increase in fuel savings but also a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions. The excellent coordination between teams, coupled with a swift lead time, enabled the upgrade to be completed in less than a few days. This successful project showcases the potential immediate benefits of heat recovery systems in the industry, both in terms of fuel savings and emissions reduction.