What is a Line Heater used for?
Line heaters (also known as indirect heaters) heat the natural gas and liquids flowing in a pipeline indirectly through a heat medium such as ethylene glycol/water mix. If a pressure drop is required, a line heater is installed to offset the temperature drop created by the reduction in pressure. If the temperature drop is too large, hydrates (similar to ice) will collect in any convenient restriction or obstruction in a pipeline (valves, drips, return bends, elbows) and eventually form a large enough mass to block the gas flow. Line heaters are generally used at wellheads, in flow lines, tank batteries and refineries.
What information do you require?
The main sizing determinations are volume, composition of the gas, and the required pressure drop.
High Pressure Gas Streams:
- Gas flow rate (MMSCFD)
- Specific gravity of gas
- Inlet flowing pressure (psig)
- Inlet temperature (°C or °F)
- Shut-in pressure or max working pressure (psig)
- Outlet reduced or choke pressure (psig)
- Outlet temperature required (°C or °F)
Low Pressure Oil and Water Streams:
- Total flow rate (bbls per day)
- Percent water in the fluid stream
- Inlet temperature (°C or °F)
- Outlet temperature required (°C or °F)
- Operating pressure (psig)
- Max. working pressure (psig)
- Oil gravity (°API)
How can Petrofield assist me?
Petrofield offers an extensive range of sizes and designs from 250,000 BTU/hr up to 10 MMBTU/hr to suit most sweet or sour applications. Our engineering team will provide helpful sizing advice based on your process conditions to ensure proper field performance.
Petrofield line heaters feature removable coils, firetubes and expansion tanks for easy maintenance and field inspection. Our own laser-cutting facility ensures bolthole patterns will fit properly and fully seal. Standard instrument cabinets or optional buildings can be provided. For improved efficiency and reliability, compound burners and throttling type temperature controls are standard on larger Petrofield line heaters.
Pressure and vacuum thief hatches are also standard on all units, as is a Camlok hose connector for filling or draining the bath. All of our standard coil designs are certified registered.
Petrofield can custom design any size package to suit your needs, or choose from one of our stock equipment packages. Please contact Petrofield for assistance with sizing, price and availability.
