che_february-2025 - 15

Source: Lummus
Roberto Groppi, senior director for
heat exchangers, with Lummus Heat
Transfer (Houston, Texas; lummustechnology.com).
FIGURE
5. Lummus's SRT-e electric cracking heater
leverages Short Residence Time technology modified
to operate using electricity, and incorporates a
modular unit-cell design that can be replicated for
plants to accommodate any commercial capacity
electrolysis (AWE) processes as the
working temperatures are moderate
and temperature differences to the
ambient are limited. "
And, as electrification of process
heating becomes a major initiative,
particularly in certain areas where
the electric grid is already decarbonized
since it offers a straightforward
approach to reducing direct and
indirect emissions, heat transfer is
of growing importance, say Richard
Jibb, technology director, and
" Electric heaters, furnaces, heat
pumps and boilers are all examples
of heat transfer equipment that can
be used to reduce reliance on fossil
fuels, " says Jibb. " However, using
renewable energy effectively can be
challenging due to fluctuations in energy
production based on the time
of day, weather conditions and seasonal
variations, such that energystorage
technologies are needed to
bridge this gap by storing excess
energy during times of high production
and releasing it when needed.
Energy storage technologies such
as compressed-air energy storage,
liquid-air energy storage and molten
salt or thermal storage all rely significantly
on advanced heat exchanger
technologies capable of operating at
extreme temperatures and under cyclic
conditions. In addition, the scale
of many industrial heating operations
presents an issue, as the electrical
infrastructure required may present a
practical limit to the amount of heating
that can be converted to electrical
power. "
Groppi explains: " An alternative
approach investigated by Lummus
is to use hybrid heating technologies
that can combine electrical heating
with conventional heat sources
or can use electric heating when it
is available in excess, in essence
balancing the grid and reducing the
electricity supply cost. "
As such, Lummus has developed
a portfolio of solutions for electrification.
The company is involved in
joint studies related to the industrial
demonstration of Lummus's SRT-e
electric cracking heater to decarbonize
a Braskem (São Paulo, Brazil;
www.braskem.com.br) site in
Brazil (Figure 5). The SRT-e electric
cracking heater leverages Lummus'
proven Short Residence Time (SRT)
technology modified to operate
using electricity and incorporates
a modular unit-cell design that can
be replicated for plants to accommodate
any commercial capacity.
The technology uses commercially
demonstrated components, plus an
optimum heat-flux profile, leading
to a longer radiant coil life and longer
run length. In addition, decoking
can be carried out on a unit-cell
basis so maintaining a spare heater
is not required.
Whether the application is existing
or cutting-edge, heat exchange
technology is evolving to provide
more efficiency and reliability, as well
as a lower cost of ownership, helping
to make any operation more sustainable
and profitable.
n
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