Revamping Fired Heaters
Improve the performance of the fired heaters you already have
Most engineering firms are organized to specify new equipment. FIS is organized to make existing equipment do more. Revamping fired heaters has been our core business since 1996, and we have engineered hundreds of them — radiant section redesigns, convection section replacements, burner upgrades, draft and damper modifications, full Split Flow conversions — for refining and petrochemical clients.
Our three patented technologies — Split Flow, Inclined Firing, and Smart Stack Damper — were all developed through revamp work, and they exist because the right modification, in the right place, on the right heater, can outperform a new build. A well-scoped revamp delivers step-change capacity, efficiency, and emissions improvements at a fraction of the capex and downtime of replacement.
Revamping provides:
Longer Run Lengths
Increase in Capacity
Efficiency Improvement
Lower NOx Emissions
Lower Tube Metal Temperatures
Lower Capex Than Replacement
Revamp project phases
Phase I: Engineering Study with ± 30% Cost Estimates
This phase establishes the feasibility case: which revamp options will deliver the targeted capacity, efficiency, or emissions improvement, and what each will cost at FEL-1 accuracy.
Phase III: Detailed Engineering and Project Services
Phase III produces fabrication-ready detailed engineering — mechanical drawings, fabrication packages, vendor data review, and procurement support — and continues through commissioning.
Phase II: Project Design Basis Report with ± 10% Cost Estimates
Phase II locks in the design basis selected at the end of Phase I. The deliverable is a complete FEED package — heat and mass balances, equipment data sheets, P&IDs, and long-lead item specifications
Crude Furnace Revamp (Ohio Refinery)
Full revamp of a large 1968-vintage crude heater — new convection section, radiant modifications, 84 burners replaced — eliminating flame impingement and enabling throughput beyond original design.
Original design: 423 MMBtu/hr
Stack temp: 810–850°F → design levels (~550°F)
NOx target: 0.05 lb/MMBtu
Reduced coking rates and tube metal temperatures
Running successfully since 2004
Revamp Success Stories
Platformer Heater
(Corpus Christi, TX)
Split Flow revamp of a 1970s UOP Reformer Heater that dramatically boosted efficiency and capacity while slashing emissions.
Efficiency: 66% → 87%
Capacity: 18,000 → 24,000 BPD
Stack temp: 1,092°F → 478°F
NOx: <0.035 lb/MMBtu
Fuel savings: ~$5.8M/year
Alky Heater H-2
(US Refinery)
Turnkey NOx reduction and efficiency revamp with a sub-2-year payback on a $2.5M investment.
Efficiency: 66% → 86.2%
Firing rate: 62.7 → 48 MMBtu/hr (at same duty)
NOx: 0.018 lb/MMBtu
Energy savings: $780K–$1.07M/year
Payback: 1.72 years
+ many more
NHT & Reformer Heater Complex (Southeast Texas)
Split Flow capacity increase across a six-heater complex, with burner replacement, at one-fourth the cost of conventional alternatives.
Capacity: 12,000 → 18,000 BPD
Process duty: +25% (120 → 150 MMBtu/hr)
Efficiency: 81% → 89%
Stack temp: reduced by 271°F
NOx: 0.02 lb/MMBtu
Fuel savings: $1.46M/year
Our Clients
FIS has served clients such as Citgo, Valero, Phillips 66, Alon USA, Frontier, and Total Energies and many more
Ready to work on a revamp project?
Our team would love to support your revamp project. Please contact us and share a few details and we can provide a free proposal for your project