RESARCH ON BOILER

A boiler is a pressure vessel that provides a heat transfer surface (generally a set of tubes)
between the combustion products and the water. This report aims on the types of boilers,
systems and parts in a boiler, water circulation in a boiler, failures in a boiler and safety
measures to follow when operating a boiler.

There basically two types of boilers namely firetube boiler and water tube boiler.
A fire tube boiler is a boiler in which fire or hot gases are inside the tubes and water
surrounds the tubes. On the other hand, a water tube boiler is a boiler that contains water in
the tubes and fire surrounds the tubes.

Boilers comprise of different systems for them to function properly. These systems include
the feedwater system, fuel system, draft system and the steam system which are explained
below.

The first system is the feedwater system which comprises of the parts that bring in water in to
the boiler which include pipes, a pump and return lines which bring back steam that has
condensed to water for reheating.

Another system is the fuel system which deals with the how fuel is administered to the boiler
and how the fuel burns. boilers use different kinds of fuel such as coal, natural gas and other
liquid fuels. These fuels require a burner and a firebox to provide heat to the system for
proper operation.

Another system is the draft system which deals with the movement of air in the system. They
are two types of draft system that are used and these are natural draft system and forced draft
system. Natural draft is where by air moves naturally in the boiler coming from the
environment to the boiler and out through the exhaust of the boiler. Forced draft requires fans
that pump in air into the system, most forced draft systems have heat exchangers that transfer
heat from exhaust gases to air entering the fire box for more efficient burning of the fuel.
The steam system comprises of all the channels that transfers the steam to a load which may
be used for power generation or be used in different manufacturing operation. It also
comprises of different connection that are present inside the boiler shell which are
responsible for circulation of water in the boiler.

Another important point about boilers involves the conversion of water to steam and how
water circulates inside the boiler. Water in the boiler moves according to natural circulation
and forced circulation. In natural circulation the water moves in the boiler due to the
difference in density of the hot and cold water. In the natural circulation water is heated in the
mud drum and as the water temperature begins to rise the water rises up to the steam drum
using a series of connections called risers, the hot water in the steam drum is a composition of
water and steam, the steam drum collects the steam from the hot water and delivers the steam
to pipes which deliver the steam to a load while the remaining water moves back to the mud
drum using a downcomer as the water begins to cool in the steam drum. Under forced
circulation a pump is placed between the steam and mud drum, the pump creates circulation
of water in the system as such it is called forced circulation.

During operation boilers may fail and they may get damaged. They are four main types of
catastrophic failure and these include melt down, thermal shock, combustion explosion and
steam pressure which are explained below.

Melt down is a result of the heating surface metal reaching its melting point. This is due to
operating a boiler on very low water which may cause major damage to the boiler and create
a dangerous situation which could lead to an explosion.

Thermal Shock is a condition where low water causes the heating surfaces to become
overheated and then cooler water is added. The water then flashes to steam which expands
1600 times its volume as water and causes the explosion since there is not enough room for
the steam to expand.

Combustion explosions can be a result of gases which build up and an ignition source ignites
the gases. This can happen inside the boiler or outside. This form of failure deals the most of
the damage as it results in great outburst of flames which a very hot and cause a lot of
destruction.

Steam Pressure is another form that results to failure of a boiler. Excessive steam builds up
which exceeds the design pressures of the vessel. When the steam pressure is greater than the
designed pressure the boiler develops leaks in the system and may lead to serious damage of
boiler and the people working with it.

In order to reduce the risks of failure that may happen in the boiler, a number of safety
measures are employed. The safety measures when operating a boiler are as follows:

1. Maintaining the normal operating water level.

2. Never adding cold water to a hot boiler when the water level cannot be
determined.
3. Testing safety and relief valves regularly.
4. Following standard operating procedures and all instructions from supervisor
or chief engineer.
5. Maintain proper steam pressure or water temperature.
6. Routinely testing the low water fuel cut-offs and fed water pump controls.
7. Routinely blowing down the water column, water gauge glass and try cocks to
prevent in wrong reading of water levels in the boiler.
8. Maintaining proper fuel oil temperature or gas pressure.
9. Recording fuel consumption regularly.
10. Maintaining the burner according to manufacturer’s recommendations.
11. Maintaining optimum feedwater temperatures.