Automating a Triple-Tube Line Heater

Profire delivered a PF2200-powered 3-burner upgrade for uptime and efficiency. Tell us more about your project

Wide view of a green horizontal thermal unit with three black exhaust stacks, flame scanners at the burner end, and a control/piping skid.

Project Highlights

3 PF2200 BMS Controllers (1 per Burner & Valve Train)
New Burners & Orifice Resizing to Match Proper BTU Rating
Load-Sharing Burner Modulation Across 3 Burners
Automatic Re-Light Capability Added
Bullseye Flame Arrestors & Noise Mitigation
3 Independent Tube Temperature Setpoints
PID Control Configuration Across 3 Controllers
Simplified Maintenance Access to Pilots & Burners

Industry Oil & Gas – Midstream
Customer Williams
Application(s) Triple-Tube Line Heater

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The Problem

At Williams’ North Tacoma site, a Triple-Tube Line Heater struggled with frequent downtime due to an outdated pneumatic-driven burner system lacking automation.

Operators had to manually re-light the burners regularly, because the system could not recover on its own after a light-off failure or runtime drop. This stop-and-start behavior disrupted operations and reduced production reliability.

Between operator rounds, there was no reliable way to confirm the heater was running consistently. If the flame went out, the heater would remain offline until someone noticed—wasting fuel gas and valuable uptime.

Combustion challenges further complicated the situation. The customer aimed to operate at lower fuel-gas pressure, but the installed orifices did not align with that operating range.

The resulting fuel-to-air imbalance created a rich condition that the available primary air could not fully correct.

Operators were left choosing between unstable performance at lower pressure or increasing pressure to regain stability—neither delivering the reliability needed for smooth operations.

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Before Profire

Close-up of black exhaust/duct piping and a green valve manifold with pressure gauges; visible corrosion on the vessel surface.

Front view of large screened inlet/outlet openings with heavily rusted flange rings and gauge tubing on the green ductwork.

Wide view of the green horizontal thermal unit with black exhaust stacks and surrounding piping installed outdoors.

The Profire Solution

To enhance uptime, minimize manual intervention, and align the heater with the customer’s existing PF2200 standard, Profire upgraded the system to an automated three-burner platform, utilizing a PF2200 BMS controller for each burner and valve train.

The system uses the PF2200’s traditional PID temperature control, with each controller managing a temperature control valve and burner.

Each controller receives temperature feedback from the bath thermocouple and the process gas outlet thermocouple to run its PID loop and adjust the TCV as needed.

The three controllers also communicate to ensure coordinated operation across the heater.

Previously, the site relied on a single burner running continuously, while the second and third burners activated only when temperatures dropped. This setup was inefficient, causing excessive wear on the primary burner and abrupt on/off cycling of the secondary burners.

To address these issues, Profire reconfigured the system to use all three burners in a load-sharing arrangement. Each burner now modulates to its designated setpoint, enhancing efficiency while evenly distributing wear across all components.

Key elements included:

PF2200-based 3-burner control: 3 PF2200 BMS controllers powering 3 valve trains and 3 burners
Multi-setpoint temperature control: One temperature setpoint per burner tube, using the PF2200’s built-in PID control
Burner & orifice upgrades: New burners & optimally sized orifices to match the desired BTU rating
Flame arrestor replacement: Upgraded to bullseye flame arrestors
Noise mitigation: Mitigated noise concerns during implementation

The Result:

After commissioning, the Triple-Tube Line Heater moved from a manual, pneumatic-driven setup to an automated three-burner PF2200-based control system.

The upgrade eliminated manual re-lights and delivered more consistent runtime. It also gave the site clear visibility into the heater’s status, so downtime was identified sooner. This helped cut fuel gas waste and protect production reliability.

By sharing load across three burners, instead of continuously running one, the system also improved operating efficiency and distributed wear more evenly among components.

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