Economical study by determining the optimum thickness of insulation of some heaters utilized in Qatar refinery

Abstract

Some furnaces and heaters utilized in the industry in Qatar (such as Qatar Refinery) are analyzed economically by the determination of the optimum thickness of insulation for each of these equipments. Different common commercial insulations (fiber ceramics, V-19 block, and firebrick) were analyzed and compared with and without interest and escalation rates. The ceramic fiber blanket (1600 grade) was found to have the best economical performance among the three insulations analyzed for those applications. The savings would be feasible if the calculations were performed for the lifetime of the insulation.