New advanced box heater for testing of Ethylene Furnace Burners.

Overall dimension of mm 2570 x 4600 x 14695H lined with 200mm of ceramic fiber/castable.

In 2020, International Combustion Equipment S.r.l., despite the uncertainties caused by COVID 19 pandemic and Oil & Gas sector overall difficulties, has took the decision to make the biggest R&D investment in his almost-40 years history.

In His testing facility in Cremosano (Italy), already a point of excellence known worldwide between the Oil & Gas Linked Companies, ICE S.r.l. is building one of the biggest and technologically advanced testing furnaces, capable to reach approx. 10MW heat liberation overall.

This heater is specifically designed for testing of multiple burners for Ethylene Cracking Process Heaters for refineries but has been designed to be easily re-adapted to serve a variety of different applications, a paramount importance parameter in a testing furnace.

A key aspect of this New Heater is that it has been designed together with ICE S.r.l. Clients inputs – well known licensors of Ethylene Processes – so to be as much close to market requirement as possible.

This new asset will allow ICE to open new market sectors where the Firing Tests in peculiar arrangements (typically multi-burners firing arrangements) is an essential requirement of ICE S.r.l. Clients and Technology Providers.

This Furnace capable to test more than one burner simultaneously, i.e. :

  • 2 up firing + 2 sidewall firing burners (also called ‘balcony burners’)
  • 2 up firing + 4 radiant wall firing burners

The above, combined with ICE S.r.l. testing rig ancillary (ID/FD air fans & preheaters, fuels mixer skids, measuring Instruments for flue gases, etc.), gives the possibility to simulate field operating conditions and allows Refinery Owners, Heater Manufacturers / Designers, EPC Contractors or Engineering Companies to evaluate possible interactions between flames of different burners.

This New Heater is equipped with several sample ports at different elevations for different kind of measures:

  • Visual check of flame
  • CO probing form flame dimensional reading
  • Heat flux measurement

Dedicated modular cooling system has been previewed on this test bench to achieve the widest possible elasticity in heating power released.

This new asset will be completed and operative by end of June 2021

Factory and Partner networks:

I.C.E. Srl own a small fabrication shop where special equipment (detailed engineering) are manufactured such as :

  • Flare tips
  • Pilot burners
  • Speciality refractories
  • Flame stabilizer
  • Ignition flame detection racks
  • Fuels supply skids

However, due to favourable location of company, very close to a plenty of steelwork prefabricator to which we have very close relationship, we are in condition to perform the all the fabrication activities. Also NDE can be performed according to customers’ requests / relevant specifications.

Constant updates on the production program is the basis to be constantly competitive.

Testing Facilities

Moreover, stringent regulations on pollutant emissions in flue gases made imperative to lower NOx and CO levels in burner performance. Following this principle ICE, which has to goal to produce state of the art combustion equipment, built its own burners test rig. Our company has at its disposal a test area placed aside its production facility, in city of Cremosano (CR). A broad range of burners can be tested, ranging from standard round flame to flat flame shapes, from gas only to multiple firing burners. Also radiant wall burners, special burners for incinerators burners and firing tube burners can be tested. A number of variables can be recorded during the tests such as:

  • Flame length and shape
  • Emissions (NOx, CO, CO2, O2 etc)
  • Temperature in combustion chamber
  • Noise levels
  • Flame stability at different draft and excess air

ICE is constantly improving its own equipment and a new furnace is under construction to complete a wide range of testing possibility.