design or operating conditions.

The added value

of having an existing CFD model of the unit is
that it can be readily used to understand the
implication on the flue gas heat distribution for
possible design modifications during upcoming
shutdowns as well as modifications to the unit s
operating conditions (such as: increasing the
burner firing rates, upgrading the fan at the
stack, etc.).
Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
The temperature information obtained from the
CFD analysis was used as input in the Finite
Element Analysis (FEA) to determine the
critically stressed areas, which will be the life
limiting locations. FEA can determine the state
of stress in components, due to external and
internal loads and is invaluable when the
problem to be solved is statically indeterminate.
The front end of the ammonia plant required the
creation of finite element analysis (FEA) global
1D piping-element model of the radiant section.
This was then broken out into detailed FEA 3D
solid-element sub-models of critically high
stressed areas where the simplified global 1D
piping model was unable to satisfactorily
resolve the state of stress in a specific location.
Figure 8 shows an example of the mixed feed
coil outlet manifold.
Figure 8. Maximum von Mises stress location in mixed feed coil outlet manifold p
rior to stress
relaxation of 250.9 MPa (36.4 ksi), units of contour plot in MPa.
Fitness-For-Service (FFS) Assessments
The stress determined from the FEA was used
as input to FFS assessments which were
undertaken to the requirements of
API579/ASME FFS-1. Due to the high metal
temperatures that the radiant section and
associated pipework operates under, creep was
the predominant failure mechanism of concern.
For the example of the mixed feed coil outlet
manifold [6], the high level of stress (250.9 MPa
(36.4 ksi) von Mises stress) was mainly caused
by the system loading and throughout one year
of operation, the initial maximum stress, 250
MPa (36.3 ksi) was predicted to relax to 41 MPa
(5.9 ksi) due to creep. It is worth noting that the
stress had already relaxed below 50 MPa (7.3
ksi) after 3000 hours. The evolution of the stress
at the peak stress location from start-up has been
shown over an uninterrupted 40,000 hour time
period of operation in Figure 9 and the
evolutionary changes in the stress was used in
the remnant life calculations.
Figure 9. Maximum von Mises stress location
in mixed feed coil outlet manifold
during stress relaxation during
operation.
This component has operated for 231,108 hours
and has undergone 46 thermal cycles. Installed
in 1982, its first 18 years of life were at an

operating and design temperature of 560C

(1040 F). Operating conditions changed in the
year 2000. Based on thermocouple
measurements its remaining 11 years in service
have been at an average operating temperature
of 573.6C (1064.5 F) a temperature well
above the original design
temperature. These thermocouples are located in
the mixed feed coil outlet manifold and inlet
header. It was assumed that the average
operating hours between each thermal cycle as
represented by a start-up and shut-down
sequence of 5522 hours (7.5 months), with 29
thermal cycles occurring prior to the year 2000
and 17 thermal cycles occurring post the year
2000. This has been
summarized in Table 1.
Operation
Temperature
(C)
Pressure
(MPa)
Number of
Start
(thermal
cycles)
occurred
Duration
of
operating
hours
between
starts,
hours
pre 2000
(18 yrs.)
560
(1040 F)
2.93
(0.4 ksi)
29 5522
post 2000
(11 yrs.)
573.6
(1064.5 F)
2.93
(0.4 ksi)
17 5522
Table 1. Assumed historic use for start
frequency (thermal cycles) and time
between starts.
Analysis assuming mean creep properties
Using mean Omega creep parameters from
API579 under the historic conditions specified
in Table 1, the critical location in the mixed feed
outlet manifold was assessed to have already
reached 85% of its life. With the 15% life
remaining, various scenarios of pressure and
temperature were considered. This has been
summarized in Table 2. The future on-line time

for the unit was assumed high, close to 8760

hours of operation are obtained each year. This
means that even if the operating temperature
and pressures were reduced to design
conditions, the mixed feed coil would have a
remaining life of approximately 6 more years
(52,540/8760) before failure is predicted.