ABSTRACT
Diagnosing and solving problems with burners on heaters in the hydrocarbon and petrochemical industries often seems to be as much an art as a science. It is a basic scienti“c assumption that the principles of physics, chemistry, ˆuidics, hydraulics, and combustion (see Volume 1) do not change. Yet the myriad variables in a typical re“nery or petrochemical operation sometimes make it appear that the equipment has a personality. The complexity of the sciences, multiplied by the manystaged processes in a typical plant, causes problems to occur that were not, and could not have been, anticipated by the design engineers. Moreover, although scienti“c principles remain the same, equipment changes with use. Parameters that may have been designed correctly may change with time.
