Fired Heater Learning Center

Tube Wall Temperature Calculation


The temperature of the tube wall may be calculated using the following equations. This method does not take coking into account.

Tw = Flux*do/di*Rfi+Flux*do/di*1/hi+Flux*do/(do-tw)*tw/(kw*12)+Tf
Where,
Tw = Tube wall temperature, F
Flux = Flux rate, Btu/hr-ft2 of bare tube
do = Outside tube diameter, in
di = Inside tube diameter, in
tw = Tube wall thickness, in
Rfi = Inside fouling factor, hr-ft2-F/Btu
hi = Fluid film coefficient, Btu/hr-ft2-F
kw = Thermal conductivity of tube wall, Btu/hr-ft-F
Tf = Bulk process fluid temperature, F

We can try this calculation using the following script.

Flux rate, Btu/hr-ft2:
Tube outside diameter, in:
Tube inside diameter, in:
Inside fouling factor, hr-ft2-F/Btu:
Inside film coefficient, Btu/hr-ft2-F:
Tube wall conductivity, Btu/hr-ft-F:
Bulk process temperature, F:

Tube wall temperature, F:

Disclaimer:

The formulas and correlations presented herein are all in the public domain and are to be used only as a learning tool. Note that any product, process, or technology in this document may be the subject of other intellectual property rights reserved by sponsors or contributors to this site. This publication is provided as is, without any warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

The formulas, correlations, and methods presented herein should not be considered as being recommended by or used by the sponsors of this site. The purpose of this site is educational and the methods may or may not be suitable for actual design of equipment. Only a fired heater design engineer is qualified to decide if a calculation or procedure is correct for an application.