PROCESSES FOR REDISTRIBUTING HEAT FLUX ON PROCESS TUBES WITHIN PROCESS HEATERS, AND PROCESS HEATERS INCLUDING THE SAME

摘要

Process tubes (14) of a fired process heater (12) are provided with a more equal heat flux distribution about an exterior circumferential surface region thereof. More specifically, according to the present invention, there is provided on at least one circumferential segment of the exterior circumferential surface region of the process tube (14), a coating (22) of a material having a selected thermal emissivity and/or thermal conductivity which is different from the thermal emissivity and/or thermal conductivity of another circumferential segment of the exterior circumferential surface of the process tube (14). In such a manner, a more equal heat flux distribution about an entirety of the exterior circumferential surface region of the process tube (14) is established as compared to the heat flux distribution thereabout in the absence of the coating.