The StaBlox options for a reformer that has to do more with a smaller turnaround budget.
Not every reformer gets a full revamp.
The tunnel work can be scaled to the budget.
StaBlox can be used in steps: one collapsed tunnel rebuilt on its own, failing lids replaced alone, or a full set of tunnels with sized openings. The full set is what spreads the flue gas evenly, so tube temperatures come closer together and tubes age more evenly. The smaller steps keep a damaged furnace from losing heat distribution until the next large turnaround.
| Format | Presentation by Blasch Precision Ceramics |
| Topic | StaBlox options for operators under budget pressure |
One tunnel: a collapsed or damaged brick tunnel is rebuilt by itself with stocked blocks and common sizes of lids and bases, without mortar or curing, and can stand next to the brick tunnels that remain. See compromised tunnel replacement.
Lids only: lids are the parts most prone to failure, and they can be replaced without rebuilding the walls.
A full set: all tunnels rebuilt with an opening in every block and an insert sized for each position. This is the step that changes the flow pattern for the whole furnace.
The fuel and tube life gains come from heat going where it is meant to go, so the step that changes them is the one that evens out the flow.
Catalyst tubes are typically designed for 100,000 hours, yet some fail long before others. Uneven flue gas flow heats some tubes harder than the rest, and those age first. In published data from one ammonia reformer, the spread between coolest and hottest tube was roughly halved after the tunnels were replaced, summarized in a new kind of tunnel vision.
A tunnel without buttresses also has more flow area for the same footprint and a lower pressure drop. How much fuel a given plant saves depends on how it uses the margin, which is a question for your own furnace data.
Yes. A single replaced tunnel can stand beside the remaining brick tunnels.
Mainly the full set, because the even flow comes from sizing the openings along every tunnel.
A single rebuilt tunnel stays in place when the rest are replaced at a later revamp, and inserts can be changed if the firing pattern changes.
Tell us what has failed and what your outage allows. A Blasch engineer will suggest the smallest step that solves it.
