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Boiler Basics
Boiler Basics
Boiler Basics
BOILER-BASICS
What is a Boiler?
Boiler, also called STEAM GENERATOR, is an apparatus designed to convert a liquid to vapor.
In a conventional steam power plant, a boiler consists of a furnace in which fuel is burned, surfaces
to transmit heat from the combustion products to the water, and a space where steam can form and
collect. A conventional boiler has a furnace that burns a fossil fuel or, in some installations, waste
fuels. A nuclear reactor can also serve as a source of heat for generating steam under pressure.
Boilers were built as early as the 1st century AD by Hero of Alexandria but were used only as
toys. Not until the 17th century was serious consideration given to the potential of steam power for
practical work. Denis Papin of France designed the first boiler with a safety valve in 1679; boilers
were made of wrought iron; as the advantages of high pressure and temperature were realized,
manufactures turned to steel. Modern boilers are made of alloy steel to withstand high pressures and
extremely high temperatures.
Most conventional steam boilers are classed as either fire-tube or water tube types. In the fire-tube
type, the water surrounds the steel tubes through which hot gases from the furnace flow. The steam
generated collects above the water level in a cylindrically shaped drum. A safety valve is set to allow
escape of steam at pressures above normal operating pressure; this device is necessary on all boilers,
because continued addition of heat to water in a closed vessel without means of steam escape result
in a rise in pressure and ultimately, in explosion of the boiler. Fire-tube boilers have the advantage of
being easy to install and operate. They are widely used in small installations to heat buildings and to
provide power for factory processes. Fire-tube boilers are also used in steam locomotives.
In the water tube boiler, the water is inside tubes with the hot furnace gases circulating outside the
tubes. When the steam turbo generator was developed early in the 20th century, modern water tube
boilers were developed in response to the demand for large quantities of steam at pressures and
temperatures far exceeding those possible with fire-tube boilers. The tubes are outside the steam
drum, Which has no heating surface and is much smaller than in the fire-tube boiler. For this reason,
the drum of the water tube boiler is better able to withstand higher pressures and temperatures. A
wide variety of sizes and designs of water tube boilers are used in ships and factories. The express
boiler is designed with small water tubes for quick generation of steam. The flash boiler may not
require a steam drum, because the tubes operate at such high temperatures that the feed water flashes
into steam and superheats before leaving the tubes. The largest units are found in the central-station
power plants of public utilities. Units of substantial size are used in steel mills, paper mils, oil
refineries, chemical plants, and other large manufacturing plants.
What is combustion?
The process of combustion is a high speed, high temperature chemical reaction. It is the rapid
union of an element or a compound with oxygen that results in the production of heat-essentially; it
is a controlled explosion.
Combustion occurs when the elements in a fuel combine with oxygen top produce heat. All
fuels, whether they are solid, liquid or in gaseous form, consist primarily of compounds of carbon
and hydrogen called hydrocarbons. Sulfur is also present in these fuels.
What are the products of combustion?
When the hydrogen and oxygen combine, intense heat and water vapor is formed. When carbon
and oxygen combine, intense heat and the compounds of carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide are
formed. When sulfur and oxygen combines, sulfur dioxide and heat are formed.
These chemical reactions take place in a furnace during the burning of fuel, provided there is
sufficient air (oxygen) to completely burn the fuel. Very little of the released carbon is actually
consumed in the combustion reaction because flame temperature seldom reaches the vaporization
point of carbon. Most of it combines with oxygen to form CO2and passes out the vent. Carbon,
which cools before it can combine with oxygen to form CO2, passes out the vent as visible smoke.
The intense yellow color of an oil flame is largely caused by incandescent carbon particles.
Is the combustion process 100% efficient?
Combustion can never be 100% efficient. All fuels contain some moisture and noncombustible:
Perfect
Complete
Incomplete
Perfect combustion is achieved when all the fuel is burned suing only the theoretical amount of
air, But as we said before perfect combustion cannot be achieved in a boiler.
Complete Combustion is achieved when all the fuel is burned using the minimal amount of air
above the theoretical amount of air needed to burn the furl. Complete combustion is always our goal.
With complete combustion, the fuel is burned at the highest combustion efficiency with low
pollution.
Incomplete Combustion occurs when all the fuel s not burned, which result in the formation of
soot and smoke.
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Radiant Heating Surface- (also called direct or primary) including all water-back surface
that are directly exposed to the radiant heat of the combustion flame.
Converted Heating Surfaces (also called indirect or secondary) including all those
water-backed surfaces exposed only to hot combustion gases.
Extended Heating Surface referring to the surface of economizers and super heaters
used in certain types of water tube boilers. This term is not used with fire tube boilers.
What is a pass for a boiler?
Boilers are called one-pass, two-pass, three-pass or four-pass, according to the number
of times the heat released in combustion is conducted through the boiler before the gases exit the vent.
The furnace in which the combustion takes place is counted as one pass, If the tubes are arranged so
that they are actually an extension of the combustion chamber, as in a vertical tube unit, then they are
not considered as a separate pass and the unit is then called a one pass boiler.
If the tubes are arranged so that the combustion gases must make a 1800 turn to enter them, then
each group of flue passages requiring a reversal of gas direction is referred to as a separate pass. For
examples: a three-pass boiler consists of a furnace (first pass) from which the gases exit with a 1800
turn in to a course of flue tubes (second pass) from which they exit with a 1800 turn into another
course of flue tubes (third pass) before exiting into the vent.
How are boilers rated?
Commercial boiler ratings may be stated in several ways, but are always directly related to the
amount of heat that will be produced when the boiler is fired ar a specified fuel input under specified
conditions.
The basic factor governing boiler output is the rate of heat release that can be maintained in the
furnace as determined by the type of firing equipment used:
The heat release rate of a boiler is an expression of the rate at which the combustion of the fuel
liberates heat energy based on the fuel input in Joules per hour. Heat release rate may be defined as
either Joules per hour per cubic meter of furnace volume or as Joules per hour square meter of radiant
heating surface. Gross output rating is the total amount of heat available at the boiler outlet for a
specific fuel input. Gross output is usually expressed in:
One boiler horsepower is defined as the evaporation of 15.7 Kilograms of water at 1000 C into steam
1000 C. At 0 gauge pressure, or 1000 C heat of the vaporization of steam is 2252 KJ/Kg. Therefore:
One Boiler Horsepower is equal to 35356 KJ
Note: In order to avoid combustion, the gross output for any steam pressure s always shown at the
standard condition from and at 1000C. Although more heat input per kilogram of steam is actually
required as steam pressure increases, the work equivalent per kilogram of steam also increases as
steam pressure increases, so the rating stated at standard condition are valid regardless of the
pressure at which the boiler is operated.
Which boiler designs are more common?
Fire tube Boiler- Here the combustion products from the burning fuel are conducted to the boiler
flue outlet through flue passages (tubes) that are surrounded by water. The tubes may be arranged
horizontally or vertically above the furnace. Sometimes baffles to tabulators are inserted in the tubes to
control gas velocity and improve the heat transfer by forcing the hot gases into more intimate contact
with the tube walls.
Water tube Boiler- Here the hot combustion gases are directed over the tunes in which the boiler
water circulates. Metal or refractory baffles direct the gas flow to improve heat transfer.
Hoe do I select a boiler?
There are five points of concern that should be applied when selecting the appropriate boiler
design for a specific installation. They are:
Design pressure is the maximum pressure used in the design of the boiler for purpose of
calculating the minimum permissible thickness or physical characteristics of the pressure vessel part of
the boiler. Typically, the safety relief valves are set at or below design pressure. Operating pressure is
the pressure of the boiler at which it normally operates. The operating pressure is set at a suitable level
below the setting of the pressure relieving valves to prevent their frequent opening during normal
operation.
Steam boilers are designed for low pressure of high-pressure application. Low-pressure boilers are
limited to 15-psig design and are typically used for heating applications only. High-pressure boilers
have operating pressures typically from 75 psig to 300 psig and are typically used for process loads
and/or heating requirements.
Hot water boilers are commonly used for heating applications with the boilers supplying water to
the system at 820C to 1040 C. Typical operating pressures for these systems are from 30 psig to 125
psig. If a system requires hot water of more than 1160 C, a high temperature water boiler should be
used.
What is a system Load?
System Load is measured in either KJ or Kilograms of Steam(at a specific pressure and
temperature). To determine system load, you will need to know the following information:
Heating Load
Process Load
Combination Load
A Heating Load is typically low-pressure steam or hot water and s relatively easy to define. The
Heating load will include large seasonal variations but no large instantaneous demand changes. A
heating boiler should be sized to the worst probable weather conditions, which means that true
capacity will rarely be reached. Once a heating load is computed, the number can easily be
transferred into equipment size requirements.
Seasonal Variations
Daily Variations
M.I.D. Variations
To accurately determine the load of any system. Load tracking is recommended. The ability of a
boiler to answer variable load demands depends on the boiler type, feed water valve control and
combustion controls. If the analysis of a load show a highly variable situation, a more complex control
package may be required. Below is an illustration of a load tracking collection form.
Minimum
Average
Maximum
Heating Load 1
Heating Load 2
Heating Load 3
Total Heating Load
Process load 1
Process load 2
Total Process Load
Instantaneous
Load
Total Load
Utilize a load demand matrix to analyze each load and determine minimum, average, and maximum
load requirements.
What are the considerations in selecting the ideal number of boilers?
The important criteria in selecting the ideal number of boilers are:
When selecting boiler consideration should be given to future expansion, emergency repairs
and maintenance situations.
Often, especially in a heating/process mixed load situation, a section of a large winter boiler
and a smaller summer boiler will provide the best and most cost effective solution when measured
on a lowest yearly operating cost basis.
Scale Formation
Corrosion
Fouling
Foaming
Embitterment
Scale is an extremely hard substance created when mineral salts come out of solution as their
solubility drops with a rise in water temperature. Scale forming salts adhere directly to heating
surfaces forming layers of insulation on the metal substantially decreasing its heat transfer
efficiency.
Corrosion occurs when metals (by acid or electrolytic action) attack metals. The metals is eaten
away similar to the generalized rusting of an automobile fender. Corrosion increases
maintenance costs, results in premature replacement of equipment and causes unnecessary safety
risks. Corrosion occurs where levels of oxygen or carbon dioxide are high, where pH values are
low, where contact occurs between dissimilar metals and in damp environments or corrosive
atmospheres. Fouling occurs when restriction develops in piping and equipment passages,
creating inefficient water flow. The major consequences of fouling to boiler room equipment are
energy waste and increased operating/ maintenance costs.
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When fouling is allowed to continue and proliferate in a system, cooling towers, heat exchangers
and other critical devices could give rise to the emergence of health-related issues such a Legionnaires
Disease. Foaming is a condition in which concentrations of soluble salts (aggravated by grease,
suspended solids or organic material) create frothy bubbles (resembling the foam in a beer mug) in the
steam space of a boiler. Foaming can cause priming- in which the bubbles break and create a liquid
that combines to form slugs of water that are carried over into the steam system. Pressure from the
steam can create velocities as high as 125-160 km per hour for slugs of water discharged into steam
lines. These slugs can wreak havoc with turbine blades, actuating devices and piping downstream of
the boiler. Caustic Embitterment occurs when hairline crakes appear in highly stressed areas due to
high concentrations of alkaline salts that liberate hydrogen, which is then absorbed by the iron in steel,
effectively changing its physical properties. This condition is caused largely by boiler water with pH
values 11 + and manifests itself in high-temperature areas of the boiler.
Unless Embitterment problems are constantly monitored and controlled, they will take their toll
in higher fuel costs, increased safety risks, unnecessary downtime and equipment replacement.
How do I improve the input water quality for my boiler?
There are three tools that can be used to improve water quality:
Desecration- the removal of dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide by heating and
bombarding the water with steam.
While demineralization and desecration can be accomplished easily by investment in the appropriate
support equipment, internal treatment calls for a more concerted effort. However, most organizations
large enough to have in-house maintenance will find that the combination of these three tools will
more than pay for themselves in defrayed operating costs. By-products of a well-implemented
program are:
Chemical treatment is simply thee addition of chemicals to the feed water to accomplish one of
two things:
Chemical treatment programs that are mot accompanied by effective blow down monitoring are
one of the leading causes of excessive boiler operating inefficiencies and/or failure.
Most organizations with an in house staff will be able to perform water treatment duties
themselves. Maintenance departments that dont have the in-house time or expertise ought to consider
contracting these duties out to a reputable vendor.
How do I maintain optimum efficiency of my system?
What is required to insure that your system is operating as its optimum efficiency is a staff or
vendor who can regularly perform the following functions:
Will be familiar with all of your water treatment/boiler room equipment and its frequency
of operation.
Will keep a written analysis of yur water, indicating constituents found and in what
amounts.
Will interpret results of in- house tests and make appropriate corrections to your
treatment program.
Will establish parameters for the use of chemicals and method for introduction/removal
for the system.
Will see to it that equipment is fed, bled and blown down as per equipment
manufacturers instructions.
fed with the smallest amount of chemical treatment required to provide your customer with
optimum treatment and payback results.
A water softener System is another investment that should be made no matter how large the
facility you are dealing with. These units are available in a wide range of sizes for anything from a
light commercial to a heavy industrial application.
Fed from a raw water source, it is the water softener that produces the conditioned water for a
system up front that will reduce the undesirable minerals that produce detrimental scale on heat
transfer surfaces. Use of water softener will also reduce the need for expensive chemical scale control
additives. Blow down Systems eliminate the mineral build-up that causes boiler scale and corrosion.
Bottom blow down units forcibly remove the sludge, that is the result of a precipitating chemical
program, from the bottom of the boiler.
A surface blow down/heat recovery unit produces an ongoing process that removes dissolved
solids from the top level of water in the boiler while recovering a good deal of heat which is returned
to the feed water at the same time.
As mentioned before: chemicals treatment is performed either to causes compounds to stay in
solution to be removed by continuous or surface blow down or to cause compounds to precipitate out
of solution to be removed by bottom blow down. Both systems work well to lower operating.
A feed water System is necessary to help maintain peak efficiency and prolong the life of the
boiler where investment in a dearerator cannot be justified. A water feeding system of some type is
necessary to make-up for the system loss of water.
These systems consist of a tank, stand, pumps, control panel and float device driven by demand
of a feed water float switch located on the boiler. Feed water systems have the dual function of storing
and returning hot condensate and supplying make-up water in combination to meet the water demands
of the boiler. Condensate is water which has condensed from steam in the system. This is very
valuable water both for its chemical and heat content.
Make-up is water that must be brought in to add to the condensate to equal the amount of water
demanded by the boiler. Make-up should not be raw water that has already gone through a softening
and filtering process for best results.
Often feed water systems come fitted with a pre-heater tube (often referred to a spare tube
assembly) to function well as a poor mans deaerator in some causes. Use of feed water systems also
accounts for large fuel saving and lower chemical costs.
A Deaerator is a mechanical device designed to remove non-condensable gases from boiler feed
water. Through a process of heating and bombarding water with steam, oxygen and carbon dioxide
will cause pitting and corrosion- a rusting of the tubes from within and under the water. This is the
major cause of boiler replacement.
Condensate Return units can be one of systems best cost/benefit investments. These are often
simple devices consisting of a small rectangular steel or cast iron tank, pump and motor assemble and
a float device to turn on the pump to move the condensate to a boiler feed water or deaerator.
Capturing and reusing treated condensate will result in large energy and water treatment savings.
Small tanks with small pumps are your best investment producing the best first costs and insuring tat
condensate is returned to the system as quickly and as hot as possible.
What procedures are recommended while starting the boiler for the first time?
Hot water systems are closed systems and are often the systems that will be replacing old lowpressure steam systems for heating in most new construction. If you are dealing with a new system, it
is important to be aware that three are many harmful substances, which remain in the boiler and piping
after construction. It is common to find oils, greases, weld slag and other contaminates within the
system. It is important that a good initial cleaning or boil out of the entire system be conducted before
filling.
It is recommended that chemical treatment be provided for the initial fill of the system.
Generally, Chemicals will be required to prevent scale formation, promote elimination of dissolved
gases and control pH. While many experts will tell you that closed systems require little or no
attention to water treatment, experience has shown that few systems can actually be considered
completely closed.
Especially in older hot water systems, you will encounter losses from pump packing, glands, air
venting devices and threaded or flanged pipe connections. Make-up is generally provided by an
automatic fill device.
Make-up water provided by the fill device should have some means attached to provided
chemicals treatment to the raw prior to being introduced to the system. This is generally accomplished
through a shot-type chemical feeder. These device are used for batch feeding of chemicals into closed
loop or low make-up water systems manually without the aid of pumps.
It is also recommended that a water meter be installed to monitor the make-up water required by
the system to: