ASTM A249 TP304 Welded Extruded Finned Tubes For Petrochemical Plants

Petrochemical plants operate under extreme conditions (high temperature, high pressure, corrosive media), demanding robust and efficient equipment. Such as fired heaters (furnaces), heat exchangers, reactors, distillation columns, storage tanks.Finned tubes are an indispensable part of these highly efficient equipment.

For example, in fired heaters, high-frequency welded (HFW)and extruded finned tubes are used in the convection section to efficiently recover waste heat from the flue gas, preheating the feedstock and improving overall furnace efficiency. In air cooled heat exchangers(fin-fan coolers) also use finned tubes (often HFW) to reject heat to the atmosphere, crucial for cooling products and saving water.

Extruded Finned Tubes are a high-performance heat transfer solution,in the demanding environment of petrochemical plants, their robustness, efficiency, and reliability make them indispensable for key applications, particularly in fired heaters and waste heat recovery units.

ASTM A249 This specification covers nominal-wall-thickness welded tubes and heavily cold worked welded tubes made from the austenitic steels, with various grades intended for such use as boiler, superheater, heat exchanger, or condenser tubes. The following are the chemical composition and mechanical properties of TP304 material.

Chemical Composition (%) max

Mechanical Properties

Key Applications in Petrochemical Plants

Fired Heaters (Furnaces) - The Primary Application - most critical application for extruded finned tubes

In convection section, the flue gas can be dirty (carrying soot/catalyst fines), and temperatures are high. Extruded fins resist fouling, are easy to clean (sootblowing), and their robust construction handles the thermal expansion and gas flow-induced vibrations perfectly.

In radiant section, studded tubes are common, to increase the surface area and shield the tube from direct radiation, helping to manage peak heat flux and prevent coking inside the tube.

Waste Heat Recovery Units (WHRU)

Following Gas Turbines or Process Heaters: These units capture waste heat from hot exhaust gases to produce steam. The exhaust gas is often dirty and at high temperatures, making the durability and fouling resistance of extruded fins highly valuable

Air Cooled Heat Exchangers (Fin-Fan Coolers)