Ali Rabbani, the director of energy efficiency at the National
Petrochemical Company (NPC), said the burners were designed, manufactured and
installed to improve fuel efficiency and address operational problems, with
their development involving computational fluid dynamics modelling and
analysis. Their performance was evaluated in a pilot furnace before
installation.
Monitoring over several months showed a 7% reduction in fuel consumption,
lower combustion emissions and the elimination of flame impingement on furnace
tubes and walls, Rabbani said.
The fuel savings are estimated to be worth around 1.74 trillion rials
($174 billion toman) annually in natural gas costs, according to the economic
assessment cited by Rabbani. The improvements are also expected to extend
equipment life and reduce maintenance costs.
The new burners can operate with fuel mixtures containing up to 90%
hydrogen, Rabbani said, potentially enabling the complex to use surplus gases
as fuel and reduce the amount sent to flares.
The project was carried out jointly by the Petrochemical Research and
Technology Company and Bandar Imam’s processing company. Rabbani described it
as an outcome of the petrochemical industry's specialised energy task force,
led by NPC's headquarters.
He said the project demonstrated how domestic research and engineering
capabilities could address operational challenges, improve energy efficiency
and reduce production costs across Iran's petrochemical industry.
Rabbani called on petrochemical companies to refer their technical,
operational and energy-related challenges to NPC and the Petrochemical Research
and Technology Company for assessment and technical support.