Effect of design parameters on performance of a top fired natural gas reformer

A three-dimensional zone method was applied to an industrial fired heater of methane steam reforming reactor. Radiation heat transfer from all gases and surfaces inside the furnace was considered. Results from previous work and data of an industrial top fired furnace were used to validate the model. A maximum temperature in external reaction tube skin was obtained at about one third of the reactor length from top in the industrial furnace. Effect of important parameters such as emissivity, extinction coefficient, heat release pattern and flame angle on performance of the fired heater are presented. It was found that decreasing the extinction coefficients of combustion gases by 25% (from about 0.20 to 0.15) caused 2.6% rise in temperature of heat sink surfaces. It was demonstrated that the three-dimensional zone method developed in this work is simple, easy and flexible for modeling and simulation of the fired heaters.