Abstract: The article gives a brief introduction to the heaters used in oil pipelines and their problems, Linking with the technical improvement made recently of these old types of heaters, it raises the target for future technical reform, and some problems still waiting to be solved for reference in this direction of work. The author ascertains that the purpose of improving the old heaters must: (1) make the heat efficiency higher than 85% and the reform cost as low as about 50% of the heater's cost of construction; (2) make the improved heater work as well as the original design for heat load, better to be 5% overloadable; (3) make the pressure drop in heater pipes overtake the original design value so as to run in parallel with the unimproved pump stations; (4) equip the improved pump station with one more boiler, transfering step by step to"TW0 FIRES"; (5) make big heaters match with small ones. The author voices his views in regards to the prospect and make comment on the lesson we have learnt.