Indirect Water Bath Heater

Indirect water bath heaters are designed to heat process fluids like natural gas or hydrocarbons via the indirect transfer of thermal energy.

Indirect water bath heaters are used for various applications in the fields of oil and gas production, processing, and transportation.

The technology

Indirect water bath heaters

The heat is generated by a burner, which heats a water bath containing a tube bundle through which the process fluid flows. This results in the indirect heating of the fluid passing through the tube bundle itself.

Reference standards: ASME VIII dir. 1-2, EN13445, PED, U-STAMP, API12K, NACE.

Main components

The main parts that constitute the indirect water bath heaters are the following:

• The body
• The tube bundle
• The water expansion tank
• The gas train/oil circuit
• The gas burner / oil burner / dual fuel burner
• The flue
• The control panel
• The base and walkways
• The insulation
• The combustion chamber

Control systems

The indirect water bath heaters are equipped with command and control systems designed to regulate the device’s functionality and to implement the necessary protective measures against any possible malfunctions.
The control systems can be:

• Pneumatic: include Venturi pipe burners and regulation and control devices that do not make use of auxiliary energy sources. They are normally used at remote sites where electricity is not available
• Electrical: include forced-air burners and electrical regulation and control devices. These are normally used whenever low atmospheric emissions and high levels of efficiency are required. The use of forced-air burners allows for the size of the combustion chamber, and consequently the size of the entire unit, to be significantly reduced.