PROCEDURE FOR BOILER ALKALI BOIL OUT

Project: 2 x 600 TPD WASTE TO ENERGY POWER PLANT HYDERABAD

Customer: MUNICIPAL ENERGY SOLUTIONS PVT LTD. AVANT-GARDE

Consultant: ENGINEERS AND CONCULTANTS PVT LTD.

Objective of Alkali Boil-out

During manufacturing of seamless steel tubes, mill scales are bound to be formed, and
some of these can remain inside. During fabrication and erection of the pressure parts,
some amount of oil and lubricants can also get into the tube surface apart from the weld
slag and other materials. Alkali boil out is carried out to remove material such as
lubricants, oil and rust.

Before commencing alkali boil-out, the boiler is flushed with hot and cold water to
remove loose debris and sand. During this process, the drum internals should not be in
position and care should be taken to avoid water into the super heaters system.

In order to commence alkali boil out of the boiler, the following pre requisites /inputs
have to be ensured.

- Mechanical completion of boiler including auxiliaries and piping.

- Completion of hydraulic test activities and refractory dry out.

- Readiness of electrical and instrumentation controls and adequate illumination in

and around boiler house. (Electrical power for motorized valves and gauge glass
illuminator.)

- Availability of DM water through boiler feed pumps.

- Readiness of sample collection system and availability of required chemicals for

the alkali boil out.

- Boiler ready for light up with thermal expansion provisions.

- Availability of lab facilities to test the water. (pH and oil detection)

- Readiness of chemical dosing system.

- All the debris is removed from Boiler and all the access doors in the boiler should be
closed.

- Good working drum level gauge glass with illuminator assembly, Boiler drum
pressure gauge, safety /relief valves with gags or hydrostatic plugs are removed, IBD
and all drain valves in good working conditions, water level control and associated
alarms, cooling water piping and air piping, furnace pressure gauge and Temperature
indications for flue gas, feed water and steam line.

- During alkali boil out, transmitters connected to steam drum and steam piping is
isolated to avoid any damages to transmitters due to alkali.

- Blow down and drain connections are terminated to safe location.

Alkali boil out Chemical quantity per boiling.

1. Tri sodium phosphate – 260kgs.

2. Caustic soda - 260 kgs.
3. Detergent - 50 kgs.

Procedure for 1st Stage boil-out

- Fill the specified quality feed water 50mm below the steam drum manhole rim.

- Exact quantity of chemicals is to be dissolved in DM water externally in a

container, and the concentrated solutions so prepared are to be poured in to the
drum through the manholes. The entire quantity of chemical has been dissolved
and poured in to the drum. Close the manhole and fill the drum to the normal
level.
- Increase slowly the heat input to boiler to raise pressure to 30psi (2.1
kg/cm²(g)). A good flow of steam from air release valves will be noticed. Up
on seeing this, close the air release valve.

- Continue increasing the pressure to 10kg/cm²(g). Maintain pressure at

10kg/cm²(g) for a period of 16 hours. This will ensure rapid circulation of
water through boiler.

- Give blow down at every 2 hours interval from water wall drains for one minute
each. Extinguish the fire and blow down the water from the boiler manifolds
individually for a period of 2-3 minutes each.

- Allow boiler to cool down naturally. When pressure comes to 2.5kg/cm²(g) with
manifolds closed, blow down steam drum water, until water level falls below
gauge glass.

- Following this, the entire boiler water can be blown down as quickly as possible
using all manifold drains and drum blow down drains. This way evacuate the water
before any dirt or oil has time to settle down.

- When pressure falls to 30 psi (2.1 kg/cm²) open air release valves.

- With blow down and drain valves open wash the drum, Manifolds, and tubes
with high pressure clean water to wash out any remaining sediment.

Procedure for 2nd Stage boil-out

- Follow the above procedure, and increase the pressure up 20kg/cm²(g) and carry
boil-out operation by maintaining this pressure for a period of 12 hours.
- The pressure of 20kg/cm²(g) is to be maintained by controlling the fuel firing and
modulation of the start -up vent. During this process normal water level in drum is to
be ensured.

- Operate IBD for 10 seconds every one hour. Blow down through low point drains
by opening the valves, one by one but one at a time for one minute interval each
mean while ensure the drum level.

- Blow down the water wall drains every two hours for one minute. Blow down the
system at an interval of every 2 hours.

- After every blow down operation collect drum water sample and analyze for
phosphate and oil content. Replenish phosphate concentration through HP dosing
system as and when the residual value goes less than half of the concentration
maintained at the start of the process.

- Samples are taken from the blow down and analyzed for pH, alkalinity, oil content
and conductivity. The quantity of oil and grease found in the boiler water
determines the duration of the boil-out.

- Continue the boil-out operation till the oil content in the sample collected show
less than 5ppm.

Completion of Boil-out.

- When analysis confirms the oil presence in the samples is equal to or less than
5ppm the boil out operations treated as completed.

- For confirmation it is suggested to collect 3 samples within 5 minutes of each

other and check the consistency of the results.
Post Boil-out Operation

- Operate each blow down and drain valve successively for a few seconds to
discharge any accumulated sludge. Repeat several times, meanwhile maintain
drum level. Allow the boiler to cool down naturally.

- When the drum pressure comes to 2kg/cm²(g) open all air release valves. When the
drum pressure drops to atmospheric, drain the boiler by opening all valves on drain
headers.

- Fill the boiler up to the drum to the required level and back flush the super heaters
into the drum till the sample collected from super heater off take tube mouth in the
drum shows a low conductivity and high clarity.

- After completion of Alkali boil out and boiler is considerably cooled, flush the
boiler with DM water till the system is free from alkali solution (i.e.) pH value of
effluent should be equal to that the DM water used for flushing.
Final Inspection

- After boiler has cooled down completely, open all manhole doors and
remove all manifold inspection caps to inspect the internal surfaces.

- Re-weld the end caps on headers as per recommended procedures and carry out
necessary NDT and stress reliving as applicable.

- Accumulated dirt and sludge should be scrapped out in drum, manifolds and tubes
washed through high pressure clean water.

- Examine all heating surfaces and gas passes of boiler for excessive soot deposits
resulting from low firing rates employed in Boil out. Clean manually the soot
deposits.

- Check all refractory for any cracks.

- Check for any ash accumulation in any area.

- Check that expansion joints are set correctly and that expansion clearances
are adequate.

NOTE - Boiler water contains chemicals, which are hazardous for human safety and hence safe
disposal is necessary.
 Passivation

Objective

Passivation is the treatment applied to the cleaned steel parts to produce a continuous,
coherent and corrosion resistant layer of magnetite on the surface. A combination of
hydrazine and ammonia is used to form a magnetite layer.

Procedure

• After completion of 2 stage alkali boil out flush the generating section pressure parts
by fill and dump method. This should be done number of times to rid -off all iron oxide
loose debris in the system.

• Ensure that drum internals are in position

• After completion of fill and dump method, fill the Boiler with DM water and add
required quantities of hydrazine hydrate and ammonia to get hydrazine content of
200 ppm and pH of 10.(Hydrazine hydrate – 20 Kgs with 1kg of Ammonia liquid)

• Light up the boiler and raise the pressure to 40 kg/cm².

• Continue Boil out for 20 hours and collect the samples at every one hour and analyze the
hydrazine content and pH.

• During this period add chemicals whenever necessary to maintain hydrazine content and
pH value of 200 ppm and 10 respectively.

• Ensure the positive flow through super heaters for effective passivation of super heaters.

• After 20 hours of operation at 40 kg/cm², the Boiler should be drained hot, till the pressure
reaches to 1-2 kg/cm², maintaining the drum water level at 50%.

• All the bottom drains should be opened while draining.

• Open the drum vent when drum pressure reaches to 2 kg/cm²

• Now the boiler is ready for steam blowing.