Induced Draft Fan and Stack. Until the 1970s, many olefins furnaces were built
with a natural draft stack to move the flue gas. In order to minimize stack height, the
convection section was built with reduced tube surface for lower flue gas resistance, which
led to reduced heat recovery. A convection section height of 15–20 ft was not uncommon.
Since the late 1970s, olefins furnaces have been built with an induced draft fan to
move the flue gases, providing the means for higher efficiency heat recovery. A modern
convection section could be as tall as 40 ft and a best-in-class furnace will have a thermal
efficiency of 94% or higher.
The choice of natural or induced draft in boilers and process furnaces is a tradeoff
between equipment costs and heat recovery benefit. Large utility boilers typically use a
balanced draft system to maintain a slightly negative draft in the boilers with a
combination of a forced draft fan and an induced draft fan. An air damper is used to
control the airflow and the draft.