Boiler Efficiency Improvement: Best Practices & Case Studies

Learning Objectives

• Introduction
• Factors influencing Boiler performance
• Understanding Boiler operating Mechanisms
• Understanding coal characteristics & it‟s impact on Boiler
• Combustion performance
• Best practices for Boiler Combustion optimization
• Strategies & practices for combustion optimization with different Coal & blended Coals
• Understanding ash characteristics & it‟s impact on Boiler pressure part heat transfer
• Best practices for efficient Boiler Pressure Parts heat transfer
• Best practices for APH performance improvement
• Boiler efficiency improvement: Case studies
• Conclusion
How Boiler Efficiency Impact?

First start with “appetizer "Question……………………

Q1. What is importance of Boiler efficiency improvement?
Q2. What is financial implication of 1% Boiler efficiency improvement say for 660 MW unit? How many
crores / annum?
………………Put your answer in Chat box
Introduction

How Boiler Efficiency impact plant performance?

• Boiler efficiency improvement key to:

 Improve Power plant performance significantly
 Commercial viability & remaining cost-competitive
 Better environmental compliance
 Conservation of precise natural resources

What are challenges in achieving good Boiler efficiency?

• Challenges in Efficient Boiler operations:

 Coal poor quality & variation,
 Real time flexible operation,
 New Govt. guidelines &
 Boiler ageing
 Ignorance of related best practices
Case Study: Impact of Boiler Efficiency Improvement

Financial impact of 1% Boiler Efficiency loss in 270 MW set of XYZ Power Plant

Parameter Rated value Parameter value with 1%

Boiler Efficiency reduction
Boiler Efficiency 86.7 % 85.7 %
Turbine Heat rate 1943 Kcal/KWH 1943 Kcal/KWH
SHR 2242 Kcal/KWH 2267.21 Kcal/KWH
Increase in SHR - 25.21 Kcal/KWH
GCV 3450 Kcal/Kg 3450 Kcal/kg
Generation 6.48 MU 6.48 MU
Increase in Coal -
Consumption /day 47.35 T
Coal Cost per ton Rs 3200 Rs 3200
Monetary Loss in Lac/day - 1.5152

• Financial impact : Just 1 % Boiler efficiency loss in 270 MW power plant at 80% PLF in
a year lead to financial loss of Indian Rs 4.42 crore.
• Financial impact : Just 1 % Boiler efficiency loss in 660 MW non-pit head power plant
in a year lead to financial loss of Indian Rs 15.4 crore
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Understanding Boiler Performance

Efficiency is a common word indicating relationship between the

input and output resulting from some activity

Boiler ή by “Heat loss method”

• Boiler Efficiency ( ή )
= 100% - Boiler Losses
= 100% - Sum of 08 types of Boiler loss
• Boiler Efficiency ~85-87.5 %
• 08 types of losses lead to 12.5-15% losses in Boiler efficiency
Prudent practice for Boiler efficiency improvement
 Concentrate only on controllable losses
 Real time corrective measures for Controllable Boiler losses
› Dry flue gas loss
› Un-burnt C in ash loss
› CO in flue gas loss
Pre-requisite for Boiler Efficiency Improvement

• Boiler efficiency improvement require concerted effort in “ periodically quantifying losses &
timely corrective actions”
• Improvement is a continuing process….with incremental improvements
Is this corrective measures enough…………? No….Time to look outside.
What can be corrective & preventive measures?
• Indian power organization has improvised their Boiler O&M practices in association with
world‟s best power organization
• Adopting matured & time tested “Best world class practices” give sustained excellent results.

What is needed? Think how Boiler works………

• Understanding how different Boiler working mechanisms work impacting Boiler efficiency
• Understanding & identifying factor affecting Boiler performance in all Boiler working
mechanisms
• Adopting best practices in each mechanism to sustain performance
Corrective actions based on Boiler efficiency monitoring & adopting best practices yield best
results
Boiler Working Mechanism?

Question …..

• Observe closely RHS view of “Boiler in operation ". Based on energy

exchanges in Boiler operation, what are Boiler working mechanism?
………………Put your answer in Chat box
Boiler Operating Mechanisms & Optimization Measures

Boiler operating mechanisms

• Boiler combustion mechanism

• Boiler pressure part heat transfer mechanism
• APH heat transfer mechanism

Effective measures for Boiler performance improvement

• Boiler Combustion Optimization

• Effective Boiler pressure part heat transfer
• APH performance enhancement

We need to understand all 3 Boiler operating mechanisms, their

improvement measures & potential & related best practices.

• Let us start with understanding Boiler combustion.

• Do we know how Boiler combustion take place ?
Understanding Boiler Combustion?

Question……..
• What is Boiler combustion?
………..Put your thoughts in Chat box
Understanding Boiler Combustion: Chemical Reactions & much
more…

What is Boiler combustion?

• Chemical process between fuel and oxidizer air/O2
• Heterogeneous surface reaction of coal & air
• Exothermic reaction & releases heat
• Energy conversion : Coal chemical energy converted to mostly thermal/heat energy
How combustion sustain?
• PF heat up with hot gases
 Evaporisation of moisture & separation & ignition of VM With temp. rise, Coal
decomposes in combustible & non-combustible gases
 Coal particle ignited as ignition temperature reaches
 Char residue burns slowly
 Gasifying medium penetrate into coal pores & react with combustible substance
 PF coal explode under internal pressure & disintegrate into several finer fragments coal
burning continue
Combustion equation for Hydrogen Combustion equation for Sulphur
Combustion equation for coal
H2 + 1/2 O2 = H2O + 28922 kcal / kg of H2 S + O2= SO2+ 2224 kcal / kg of S
C + O2 =CO2 +8084 kcal / kg of C 11
2C+ O2 =2CO +2430 kcal / kg of C
Learning from Combustion Mechanism

On further analysis, our learning from understanding combustion mechanism

• For sustained combustion flame temperature > ignition temperature

• Coal devolatilization vital for sustained combustion
• Understanding of complex organic & inorganic mix up of coal is must
• Coal particle surface area dictates rate of gasification of coal
• The low reaction rate of organic compound in Indian coal makes require higher residence time in furnace
• Coal quality play key role in coal combustion
• Significant difference from design coal can lead to Incomplete combustion & higher un burnt coal in ash
For better Boiler combustion, understanding required for

• Coal characteristic & coal constituents

• Coal quality indicators & how are they reported
• Impact of all above on Boiler performance
First Best practice for Boiler combustion optimization
• Understanding Coal being fired & factors affecting Boiler Combustion
Understanding Coal Characteristic & Quality Indicators

• Fuels are mixtures of Hydrocarbons - Hydrogen (H₂) and Carbon (C)

• Coal is not a pure fuel but complex & associated with moisture & mineral matter
• Broadly coal is composed of two part
Coal → Organic (Macerals) + Inorganic (Minerals+ Moisture )
(Combustible) (Non Combustible)

Coal quality indicators

Essential Coal analysis Need based Analysis

• Proximate analysis --Hard-grove Grindability Index (HGI)

• Ultimate Analysis
• Calorific Value
--Coal burning profile
--Initial Deformation Temperature/
Ash Fusion Temperature
--Maceral Composition
--Base/acid ratio
--Slagging index 13

--Fouling index
Understanding Essential Coal Analysis Indicators

Calorific Value
• Heat content in per unit of coal expresses as Kcal/Kg

Proximate analysis
• Simplest & rapid means of assessing coal quality
• Provide approximate idea of coal quality
• Analysis of Moisture, Ash, Volatile matter & Fixed Carbon is determined by
subtracting from 100

Ultimate analysis:
• More comprehensive analysis than proximate analysis
• Known as elemental analysis.
• Analysis provide: Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Sulphur, Oxygen & Mineral
matter present in coal
• Apart from oxygen, we can measure all (C, H, N etc.) directly & oxygen
measure by subtracting manner

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Understanding Impact of Coal Constituents on Combustion

Question……..

• Now we know VM ,Moisture ,Ash ,Fixed C & Sulphur are coal constituents But what is role of each
constituent in Boiler combustion ?
………Put your thoughts in Chat box
Best Practice: Understanding Coal Constituent VM for Combustion

What is Volatile matter?

• VM : Variety of organic gases driven off when coal is heated

• VM : Methane, hydrocarbons, hydrogen ,CO & incombustible gases like CO2 & nitrogen in coal
• VM : Index of the gaseous fuels present in fuel
• Typical range : 17 - 35% or may be on lower

Role of Volatile matter in combustion

• Initiate & facilitates combustion & gives combustion stability.

• Higher VM : Better Coal combustion & burn nearer to burner
• Proportionately increases flame length & helps in easier ignition of coal
• Sets minimum limit on furnace height & volume (FC/VM ratio)
• Influences secondary air requirement & air distribution aspects
• Minimizes incidences of secondary oil support

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Best Practice: Understanding Coal Constituent VM for Combustion

Volatile matter affects

• Coal mill inlet & outlet temperature

• Coal fineness requirement
• Burner & air damper settings
• Combustion ignition
• Flame shape and stability
• Burnout & carbon content of fly ash

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Best Practice: Understanding Coal Constituent Moisture for
Combustion

• Total moisture: Inherent moisture + surface moisture

• Coal Mill designed for: Remove total surface moisture +up to half of inherent moisture from design coal

Types of Moisture
Surface moisture Hygroscopic moisture Decomposition moisture Mineral moisture

Water held on coal Water held by capillary Water held within coal's Water which comprises part of
surface action within coal micro decomposed organic crystal structure of hydrous
fractures compounds silicates such as clays

Role of coal moisture in combustion

• Reduces coal heat content for combustion

• Mill loading adjustment to maintain min. mill outlet temp. & affect
Pulverizer capacity
• Lowers thermal efficiency of boiler (energy loss due to the latent heat of
moisture vaporization)
• Increases flue gas volume flow rate
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Best Practice: Understanding Coal Constituent Ash Content for
Combustion

• Ash : Impurity which will not burn & is incombustible residue left after coal is burnt
• Ash : Bulk mineral matter after C,O2, S & water has been driven off during combustion
• Increases weight of coal & affect the burning characteristics
• Indian coal has high ash % (up to 45% & more)

Role of Ash in Coal

• Increases coal & ash handling costs

• Increases Unburnt C in ash
• Affects flame stability, combustion & boiler efficiency
• Causes clinkering & slagging
• Affect Ash handling system & ESP Performance
• Affects Pulverizes performance (abrasion)
• Affects Soot blowing intervals (slagging and fouling, erosion)

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Best Practice: Understanding Coal Constituent Fixed C for Combustion

• Fixed carbon : Solid combustible fuel left in furnace after VM is distilled off
• Consists mostly of C but also contains some H2, O2, S & N2 not driven off with gases
• Fixed carbon is part of the total carbon that remains when coal is heated in a closed vessel until all
volatile matter is driven off
 It is calculated as: 100 - (%moisture + %volatile matter + % ash)
• Fixed carbon gives a rough estimate of the heating value of coal

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Best Practice : Understanding Coal Constituent Sulphur Content for
Combustion

• Sulphur causes corrosive acids during combustion & environmental degradation

• Occur in three forms
 Organic Sulphur - Chemically combined with C of pure coal
 Pyritic Sulphur - Combined with iron as iron pyrites
 Sulfate Sulphur - Combined as a sulphate
• Typical range 0.3 to 0.8% in Indian coal. In imported coal Sulphur content may be high

How Sulphur affect Boiler performance?

• Affects clinkering and slagging tendencies

• Corrodes air heaters & ESP
• Limits minimum Boiler exit flue gas temperature

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Best Practice: Understanding Coal Burning Profile
DSC Heat Flow (MW)
Typical burning profile of Indian non cocking coal
DSC : Differential thermal calorimetry
DSC burning profiles of blended coals
Burning profile analysis
• Coal burning profile give illustration of how coal burn in
furnace
Burning profile temp. ( ITvm, ITfc, PT, BT)
• ITvm : Volatile ignition temp., temp. where combustion of
VM just sets in
• ITfc : Ignition temp., where ignition of char takes place
• PT : peak temp., where rate of heat release is maximum
due to char combustion
• BT : Burn out temp., where burning of coal is complete &
exothermic heat release becomes zero
• These temperatures gives indication of possible delayed
burning of coal and two stage burning of char, which is one
of the reason for combustible losses as un burnt carbon
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Three “Ts” of Boiler Combustion

Question…………………………….
Q What are the 3 “Ts ” of combustion ?

Q How 3 “T” of combustion can be used for Boiler combustion improvement?

…………………..Put your thoughts in Chat box

Factors Affecting Combustion Performance: Role of 3 Ts

“Three T’s” of Combustion

The objective of good combustion is to release all the heat content in the fuel
This can be accomplished by controlling the “Three Ts” of combustion which are as under
• Temperature high enough to ignite & maintain ignition of the fuel
• Adequate Turbulence for mixing fuel & oxygen
• Time in furnace : sufficient for complete combustion

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3 Ts: Factors Affecting Combustion Performance

Factors affecting Combustion performance correlating 3 Ts

• Surface contact area of fuel with air / Coal fineness

• Excess air
• Turbulence in combustion chamber
• Coal mill primary air flow
• Coal mill outlet temperature
• Coal burner imbalance
• Furnace temperature & Ignition temperature
• Air in-leakage in Boiler

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Case Study: Boiler Excess Air Optimization with CO Monitoring

Case study: Combo of Excess O2 & CO monitoring for Optimum

excess air
• Identify air ingress points & take corrective action for mitigation
• Using multiple port O2/Co2 analyzer, find out average value of O2 in Eco
O/L duct & if required locate online O2/CO2 measurement at that location
• By nos. of trial of Excess O2 variation, achieve minimum possible excess
O2 at which CO at lower value preferably in lower two digit
• High CO in combustion may be reflection of localized poor combustion or
high air ingress.
• Absence of CO can be indicative of higher excess air

Best practice for proper air distribution in Combustion

• Optimize SA to PA ratio
• Optimum distribution of SA in furnace thru SADC. SADC effective control
with operator to respond to change in coal quality
• Equal distribution of air in all four corners & at different elevations to avoid
starvation
Case Study: Analysis of High Excess Air

Case study
• If high excess air required for achieving proper combustion & CO increases with reduction of excess air
Possible causes of excess air deviation
• Fuel / air flow defective control /measurement
• Poor coal mill fineness
• Boiler air ingress
• Burner malfunction
• FD fan inlet vane mis-positioning
Operation controllable
• Set right inlet vane position
Maintenance controllable
• Repair/replace burners
• Attend air-in leakages
• Calibrate fuel/air flow control
• Adjust Pulveriser classifier vanes
• Replace pulverizer grinding wheels, balls or rings
Factor Affecting Combustion Performance: Retention Time in Furnace

• Combustion reaction needs sufficient time to complete in furnace with ignition

energy available to the fuel-air mixture
• Retention Time required/available depends on
 Fuel type & quality
 Fuel fineness
 Furnace size
 Fuel-air & flue gas velocity
 Furnace draught
• If coal used in boiler deviate widely from design coal, all precautions to be taken to
avoid secondary combustion

Best practice for combustion optimization

• Optimize PA header pressure & PA flow through each mill to the extent minimum
possible & optimize furnace draft.

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Factor Affecting Combustion Performance: Coal Mill Primary Air
Flow

• Primary Air Flow should be

 Low enough to avoid ignition instability
 High enough to avoid settling and drifting in the coal pipes
 High air fuel ratio become explosive mixture may result. Ratio of 3-5: 1 is regarded as the safe limit
 Normally minimum velocity of the coal/air mixture is about 18-20 m/s.
• Unform fuel to air ratio in all coal pipes is pre-requisite for good combustion
• A higher PA flow affects the PF fineness by reducing primary classification as it lifts the coarser particles

Best practice for combustion optimization

• Coal pipe temperature monitoring for early detection of coal pipe choking
 Running mill with choked coal pipe / pipes is not advisable
• PA flow to be adjusted w.r.t. coal flow as per the „Coal Vs PA flow‟ curve

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Factor affecting Combustion Performance: Coal Mill Outlet
Temperature

• Good pulverizer and combustion performance depend upon coal mill outlet temperature

Best practice for combustion optimization

• Coal/PA temperature is important as it influences rate of ignition & flame length

• Mill outlet temperature should be maintained as high as possible within safe temperature limit of
particular coal
Thumb Rule: Mill Outlet temp. Max. = 100 – VM %
- Precaution : Mill O/L temp. should not cause spontaneous combustion of PF in coal pipes
- Mill O/L temp. 80-85 ºC is best for coals with normal VM
- Mill outlet temp. below 65 ºC with moist coal may not dry the coal sufficiently & cause coal pipe
choking due to presence of moisture as air may reach its dew point
- With high VM coal Mill O/L temp <= 65 ºC

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Best Practice: Primary Air Flow Calibration & Clean Air Flow Test for
Coal Burner flow balance

• Primary airflow calibration through pulverizers is first step in balancing fuel/air to burners.
• Calibrate station flow indication against the flow measured in a grid using standard pitot or a calibrated „S‟
type pitot
• Balanced PA flows in all coal pipes are essential pre-requisite to optimized combustion.
• Same method is used for carrying out clean air flow test
• Clean air flow test done to check each coal pipe is receiving same amount of primary air.
• Clean air flow through each coal pipe should be within +/- 2 % of average clean air flow.
• Adjust/replace coal pipe orifices if required.

Frequency of clean air flow test

• During Boiler re-commissioning after overhaul

• After evidence of coal settling in horizontal coal pipe
• High pressure drop across Coal mill
• Poor coal fineness / Excessive mill spillage of coal

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Best Practice: Dirty Air / Coal Flow Test

Dirty air/coal flow test done to detect imbalance in air/coal flows between discharge
pipes of Pulverizer

• When to perform?
 During Boiler re-commissioning after overhaul.
 If slag formation around certain coal burner/CO imbalance at furnace exit/Temperature unbalance at
Furnace exit/ Large O2 spread at Economizer outlet/High unburnt C in ash/Poor flame appearance
• Test procedure
 Collect a representative, ISO - kinetic sample of PF from different pipes
 Crosscheck readings of station instrumentation e.g. Primary air
flow through mill, mill outlet temperature, coal flow through feeder etc.
• Acceptance criteria for dirty air/coal flow test :
 Coal pipe to pipe dirty air flow variation +/- 5%.
 Minimum dirty air flow velocity 17-18 m/sec
 A/F ratio 1.8+ but less than 2.5
 A/F minimum temperature 60 °C
 % Retention on 50 mesh < 1% % (Preferably 0.1-0.5 %) 32

 Through from – 200mesh > 70 %

Case Study: Boiler Performance Improvement by Dirty Air/ Coal Flow
Test

Plant condition

• Plant having MPS-89 Pulverizer with Eight Coal Pipes.

• Fly ash loss on ignition (LOI) was in the double digits & repeated slagging observed in the upper furnace
at the finishing superheater pendants.
• Coal fineness taken from one of eight pipes, as conventional method, always show 70%+ passing a 200-
mesh sieve.
• Isokinetic sampling of each coal pipe revealed worst pipe ~ 60% & best pipe~ 68% passing 200 mesh
,short of our standard of 75% minimum passing 200 mesh
• Test facilitate to obtain relative pipe-to-pipe fuel balance, airflow balance, and air/fuel ratios, which are
critically important in identifying underlying performance problems and pulverizer deterioration.
• After corrective actions in Pulverizer, Coal pipe & Coal burner performance improved.

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Best Practice: High Velocity Thermocouple (HVT) Test

• High Velocity Thermocouple probe: To measure temperature & composition of gases

leaving furnace or at any point in convection pass
• Normally traverses are conducted at furnace exit near gooseneck.
• HVT traverses are performed to check amount of air infiltration in convection pass or
to determine flue gas temperature, O2 and CO levels or profiles entering convection
pass.
• Probe can perform temperature measurement as high as 1320 degree C.

When to perform HVT Test

• With boiler optimization test

• Before & after boiler overhaul
• If high unburnt C in fly ash
• If slag formation around certain burners
• If high CO at the furnace exit
• If CO and temperature imbalance at the furnace exit
• If large O2 spread at AH inlet
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Case Study: Combustion Optimization Through HVT Test Analysis

HVT test analysis

• Case 1: Considerable increase in O2 between furnace outlet & economizer outlet AH inlet
 Indicates excessive air in leakage in convection pass.
 Risk to run unit with less O2 in the furnace than indicated
 Can increase LOI
• Case 2: CO levels above 50-100 indicates incomplete combustion in furnace Probable reason: Overall
insufficient O2, air/fuel imbalances at one/more burners, poor fineness etc.
• Case 3 :Temperature /CO /O2 non-uniform profile at furnace outlet
 Indicates either air/fuel imbalance at one/more burners
 or problem with burner tilts/dampers in one or more corners

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Factor Affecting Combustion Performance: Air In-Leakage

Air in leakage into boiler Air Ingress Points – Furnace Roof , Expansion joints, Air
heaters, Ducts, ESP Hoppers, Peep Holes, Manholes,
• Adverse impact depends upon location of air ingress Furnace Bottom
Air-in-
• Air leakage causes : leakage

 Increase ID Fan loading

 Boiler efficiency reduction Furnace
Outlet
Zirconia

 Combustion chamber cooling & interference with

O2 Probe
Expansion Joints

AH ESP
combustion if in leakage at bottom hopper Seal
Lkg

 Acidic deposition in gas ducts, precipitators, and ID fans, if

in leakage occurs after APH gas outlet ID fan amperages should be trended and tracked from OH
 Affect automatic boiler control to OH. (R)

Best practice for Boiler air ingress identification

• O2 measurement at different Boiler points like Goose neck ,
APH I/L & O/L,ESP I/L & O/ L, Chimney I/L to quantify air
ingress
• Trending of ID fan power from O/H to O/H
Operational Strategy While Firing Different Coals to Achieve
Combustion Optimization

Question…………………………….

We know ………………
• Coal constituent for our coal & their role in combustion
• We know all factor which affect Boiler combustion
• Using this knowledge, how we can fine tune our strategy to achieve combustion optimization?
………………..Put your thoughts in Chat box
Operational Strategy / Best Practices While Firing Different Coals to
Achieve Combustion Optimization

Combustion optimization in furnace

• Fuel & air distribution fine turned such that they mix thoroughly & complete carbon burn out achieved

Best practice for Coal mill optimization

• Mill outlet temperature

• Coal fineness,
• Coal pipe velocity
• Coal-air mixture distribution

Best practice for Coal mill outlet temperature

• Mill O/L maintain on higher side i.e.80-85 °C for normal coal

• Mill O/L temp. should be > 65 °C even with high Moisture coal
• To be maintain low i.e.65 °C for high VM coal

Unacceptable combustion

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Combustion Optimization: Operational Strategy for Different Coals

Best practice for Coal fineness

• Pulverized coal fineness: higher the better keeping Coal mill capacity & mill power under control
• -200 mesh PF fineness : Higher the better (>70%)
• +50 mesh PF fineness: Lower the better (preferably 0.1-0.5 %)
• Isokinetic coal sampling from “each individual” coal pipe of running Coal mill for coal fineness to be done

Case study: Coal fineness analysis

Case 1:
 If -200 mesh coal fineness is good & +50 mesh fineness high
 It causes high C in bottom ash & slagging problem around coal burner
Case 2:
 If +50 mesh coal fineness is good & 200 mesh is fineness is low
 --This will end up in high C in fly ash.
• Poor 50 mesh fineness is frequently indication of problem inside mill, allowing coal to bypass the
classifier (hole in the classifier skirt, etc.).
• Poor 200 mesh frequently requires adjustment to classifier
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Combustion Optimization: Operational Strategy for Different Coals

Best practice for Coal pipe velocity & coal-air mixture

distribution

• Maintain PA header pressure as low as possible with adequate PA

flow through each Mill
• Coal Mill outlet coal pipe velocity to be restricted at design.
• Monitor & record Coal pipe temperatures to find out choking at early
stage
• Coal burner flow unbalance: Clean air / Dirty air test for proper fuel-
air distribution
• Frequent flexible operation: Variable orifices adjustment

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Combustion Optimization: Operational Strategy for Different Coals

Case study: SADC operation optimization as per Coal quality

• Fuel air dampers modulation as per fuel quality

 For VM < 20 % - dampers opening as low as 10-15%
 For Indonesian coal having high VM - Fuel Air damper opening 30%
• AA dampers to kept open > 50%
• Over fire dampers may be adjusted as per NOx.
-- Based on Furnace temp profile Over fire dampers can be adjusted
• SA air WB DP to be kept 60-100 mmWC
Best practice for combustion optimization

• To match SADC opening position from local with control room position in each shift/day. corrective action
should be taken immediately if damper position is uneven or if any damper is not responding to command
• In each available shutdown opportunity, SADC position to be checked from furnace inside to match with
CCR position

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Combustion Optimization: Operational Strategy for Different Coal

Best practice for Furnace monitoring

• Flame scanner intensity & frequency to be monitored regularly

• Measure Furnace temperature at different elevations by portable pyrometer/Temp
gun every day & take corrective actions accordingly
It reveal :
 Burner tilt mismatch
 SADC damper opening mismatch
 Coal flow mismatch
 Fireball mismatch

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Combustion Optimization: Operational Strategy for Coal Blending

Best practice for coal blending

• 1.Selection of coal for blending to be done after studying their compatibility w.r.t.
 Combustion characteristic: Maceral composition & burning profile
 Ash fusion characteristic
 Coal hardness
 Swelling behavior
• Blending ratio to be optimized based on above characteristics initially starting from low value
• Choose blending method where uniform blending can be achieved like blending by silo or blending on
moving belt.

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Blending by Silos
Case Study: High Un-burnt Carbon Loss

• Un-burnt C in ash is measure of

 Effectiveness of combustion process in general
 Mills / burners performance in particular
• Unburnt carbon: Un-burnt C in (fly ash + bottom ash) (~80:20)

Measures to minimize high Unburnt C in ash

• Isokinetic coal sampling from “each individual” coal pipe of running Coal mill for coal fineness to be done
• Optimize PF fineness by addressing Pulverizer problems based on +50 & -200 mesh results
( Classifier setting, grinding wheel/ball/rings etc.)
• Corrective operational actions as per Coal ratio (FC /VM), Coal reactivity
• Corrective measures to address Burners condition /Burner flow unbalance / Worn out orifices
• Optimum excess air in combustion zone
• Proper Air damper settings as per coal quality & quantity. Calibrate if required.
• Optimum Primary Air Flow / Pressure in Coal mill / Fuel-air ratio
• Corrective actions for Secondary APH blockage
Case Study: High CO Loss

• CO in flue gas is measure of

 Degree of Combustion optimization
 Can be result of localized imperfect combustion or high air ingress
• CO Loss: 5654 kcal Heat loss for each kg of CO formed

Measures to minimize high CO in flue gas

• Optimize excess air

• Address non-representative excess air measurement
• Corrective measures for uneven distribution of excess air/malfunction of SADC
• Corrective measures for Burner flow unbalance /defective burner/poor fineness
• Corrective measures for high air ingress in Boiler
• Furnace temp. mapping to identify any problem related to burner/damper/Burner tilt
Efficient Heat transfer in Boiler Pressure Parts

Question…………………………….
For efficient heat transfer in Boiler pressure parts:
Q. What are poor heat transfer indicators ?
Q. What are ash deposition mechanisms?

…………………..Put your thoughts in Chat box

Efficient Heat transfer in Boiler Pressure Parts

Poor heat transfer indicators

 Higher SH/RH spray
 High Eco outlet flue gas temperature
• Accumulation of ash deposits on Boiler pressure parts
 Heat transfer hindrance
 Increase flue gas temp. leaving the furnace & Boiler efficiency loss
• Flue gas flow pattern distortion can also cause inefficient heat transfer in
boiler pressure parts Boiler slagging
Ash deposition mechanism
• Location of ash deposition in a boiler depends mainly on amount & type
of inorganic materials present in coal
• Type: 2 types
 Slagging: Formation of molten on furnace walls & other sur-faces
exposed to radiant heat
 Fouling : Formation of high tempera-ture bonded deposits on
convection heat absorbing surfaces (SH & RH)
Understanding Ash Characteristics

Best practice for efficient pressure parts heat transfer

• Understanding ash before firing coal

• Understand effect of various ash characteristics on ash deposition mechanism

Understanding ash characteristics

• Coal ash mineralogical composition

• Role of iron & Sulphur
• Ash initial deformation & fusion temperature
• Ash base to acid ratio index
• Slagging & fouling index
Understanding Ash Deposition Mechanism: Coal Ash Mineralogical
Composition

• Ash mineralogical composition: Silicon, aluminum, iron & calcium with smaller amounts of magnesium,
titanium, sodium & potassium. Mainly mixture of silicates, oxides & sulfates
• Ash constituents % vary over wide range for different coals
• Compounds formed by these interactions are materials that cause deposition problems

Role of Iron in ash

• Iron has dominating influence on slagging characteristics of coals

• Pyrite (FeS2), is major form of iron present in coal which converted to Fe2O3 & SO2
• In reducing atmosphere, FeS is formed which have significantly lower melting temperatures than oxidized
forms
• The effect of iron show that as amount of iron in ash increases, there is a greater difference in ash
fusibility between oxidizing and reducing conditions

Role of Sulphur in ash

• Affects clinkering & slagging tendencies

Understanding Ash Deposition Mechanism: Ash Initial Deformation &
Fusion Temp

Initial deformation temperature

• When ash IDT < temp. in furnace, ash becomes plastic in nature & potential to stick to heating surfaces
• Lower IDT can cause
 High slagging potential
 Medium fouling potential
High fusion temperature

• AFT depends on composition of ash & increased by presence of elements as SiO2 and/or Al2O3
• Low AFT indicate: ash will remain in molten or plastic state longer, exposing more of furnace sur-face or
convective surface to potential deposition
Understanding Ash Deposition Mechanism : Ratio & Indexes

Base/acid ratio: Fe2O3 + CaO + MgO + Na2O + K2O / SiO2 + Al2O3 + TiO2
• Minimum fusion temperatures occur at approx. 40- 45% base which equates to base to acid ratios in
range of 0.7 to 0.8. Ratios in the range of 0.5 to 1.2 consid-ered to high slagging potential
Slagging index

• Slagging index: Multiplication base to acid ratio & the weight % of sulfur in the coal
• The base to acid ratio indicates tendency to form compounds with low melting temperatures.
Sulphur indication of amount of iron present as pyrite
• Classification of slagging potential using Rs
Rs < 0.6 = low, 0.6 < Rs < 2.0 = medium
2.0 < Rs < 2.6 = high, 2.6 < Rs = severe
Fouling index

• Fouling index for ash derived from sintering strength characteristics

using the sodium content of ash & base to acid ratio
• Classification of fouling potential using Rf
Rf < 0.2 = low, 0.2 < Rf < 0.5 = medium
0.5 < Rf < 1.0 = high, 1.0 < Rf = severe
Case Study: Effect of Operating Condition on Ash Deposition

• Operating variables have significant impact on slagging & fouling besides ash characteristics & boiler
design
• How operating variable impact on slagging & fouling:
 Air and fuel imbalances result in < theoretical air at some burners. Results in localized reduc-ing
conditions which aggra-vate slagging with coals having high iron content
 High coal/air ratios delay combus-tion & upset heat distribution, resulting in elevated temperatures in
upper furnace & furnace exit
 Long burnout times increase potential for burning particles to contact furnace walls & heat transfer
surfaces
Best Practices to Reduce Ash Deposition

Best practices to reduce ash deposition

• Secondary air imbalances minimization by correcting individual burner flows by clean air flow test
• Burner line resistances balancing to maintain uni-form coal flow to each burner by dirty air flow test
• Ensure burner adjustments to avoid flame im-pingement on furnace walls
• Avoid low pulverizer coal fineness as it can cause delayed combustion & require longer residence times
for burnout & cause slagging in lower furnace.
• Maintain & adjust excess air to reduce potential for lo-calized reducing conditions in furnace
• Monitor & arrest air infiltration into the furnace or convection pass
• Cold Air velocity test (CAVT) - proper velocity distribution at different boiler planes
Effective Soot Blowing as Preventive Measures for Ash Deposition

• Soot blowers : Primary means of directly dealing with slagging & fouling
• Fun-damental requirement : Use soot blowing in preventive manner, rather than corrective
• Most effective in controlling dry, loosely bonded deposits which occur in early stages of deposition

Soot blowing optimization

• Optimize soot blowing by observing parameters:

 Coal flow, Excess O2, L & R spray, Flue Gas exit temperature, L & R SH & RH Steam
temperature, Metal temperature & particularly how fast SH/RH steam temp.& Metal temp.
recovers
• LRSB to be operated at regular frequency.(weekly/fortnightly as per experience)

During long shutdown/Overhaul

• Cleaning of water wall, platen superheaters & radiant roof assemblies

• Soot deposition can be removed through fire hydrant pressure of 4 to 5 kg/cm2 during unit
overhauling
APH Performance Indicators

Question…………………………….
Q. What are APH performance indicators?

…………………..Put your thoughts in Chat box

APH Performance Indicators

APH performance indicator

• APH seal leakage,

• Gas side efficiency &
• X-ratio

APH seal leakage

• Indicate condition of air heater‟s seals

• Defined as weight of air leakage from the airside to the gas side of APH
• Air Heater leakage affect FG exit temp & APC of fans
• FG temp. gets affected by APH seal leakages. Corrected FG temp.
should be used for comparison between various conditions
APH Performance Indicator & Enhancement: APH Seal Leakage

• Air Heater Leakage (%) = (% CO2in - % CO2out) * 0.9 * 100 %

CO2out
• If O2 analyzers are used
AH Leakage (%) = (% O2out - % O2in) * 100
(20.95 - % O2 out)
where : % CO2 in - % of CO2 in flue gas entering the air heater
% CO2out - % of CO2 in flue gas exiting the air heater
% O2in - % of O2 in flue gas entering the air heater
% O2out - % of O2 in flue gas exiting the air heater

Best practice for APH performance improvement

• The preferred method is to use CO2 data
• Periodic APH seal leakage measurement & trending
• Online seal leakage adjustment if provided is good option
• Significant increase in air heater leakage require physical inspection of air heater
during shutdown & corrective measures
APH Performance Indicator & Enhancement: Gas Side Efficiency

APH Gas side efficiency

• Indicate efficiency of APH heat transfer from flue gas to air side
• Indicate APH internal condition
• Defined as ratio of temp. drop, corrected for leakage, to temperature head, expressed %
• A change in air heater gas side efficiency is most often result of 3 events, listed in order of their relative
effect on gas side efficiency:
 Change in air or gas flow rate through the air heater (x-ratio)
 Change in cleanliness of air heater (fouled surface)
 Long-term corrosion of APH heat transfer surface (corroded/eroded heat transfer elements)

Best practice for APH performance improvement

• Trend air and gas flow pressure drops over time to get idea of degree of APH pluggage
• Periodic Gas side efficiency measurement & trending
• APH basket inspection : periodic /need based
• Based on inspection & life cycle: Basket cleaning/replacement
APH Performance Indicator & Enhancement: X Ratio

X-ratio

• Indicator of operating condition of APH

• X ratio depend on moisture in coal, Boiler air infiltration, air & gas flow rate etc.
• It is ratio of heat capacity of air passing through APH to heat capacity of flue gas passing through APH
• A low X-ratio indicates airflow is bypassing air heater This is usually due to boiler (furnace or convection pass) air
infiltration. Increased mill tempering air flow could also be the cause
• A lower than design X-ratio leads to higher than design gas outlet temp.

Best practice for APH performance improvement

• Periodic X ratio measurement & trending

• Based on X ratio take corrective measures for
 Excessive tempering air in Coal mill
 Minimization of Boiler combustion air bypassing APH
Case Study: High Dry Flue Gas Loss

• Most significant & controllable ( Normal value 4-4.5%)

 Indicates Un-utilized heat leaving Boiler
 Function of Flue gas quantity & heat content leaving APH
 Typically 20 °C increase in exit gas temperature ~ 1% reduction in boiler efficiency
Measures to minimize Dry flue gas loss

• Boiler operation at optimum excess air using grid measurement & CO monitor
• Eliminate secondary combustion by appropriate measures
• Non - representative temp. & O2 measurement
• Clean Boiler heat transfer surface by optimum Wall/LRSB blowing
• Minimize tempering air to Coal Mill.
• Corrective measures for Fouled/corroded/eroded Air heater heat transfer elements &
APH seal leakage
• Effective APH soot blowing
Case Study: Boiler Efficiency Improvement Impact in Kcal/KWH &
Financial Term for 660 MW Non-Pit Supercritical Unit

Parameter Variation Unit Impact in Impact in Rs

Kcal/KWH Lakh/day
Un-burnt Carbon-Bottom Ash 1 % 3.5 0.84
Un-burnt Carbon-Fly Ash 1 % 13 3.12
Coal Moisture 1 % 3.5 0.84
Coal GCV 100 Kcal/Kg 4.2 1.01
Excess O2 1 % 7 1.68
Boiler Efficiency 1 % 22 5.28

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Conclusion

• Understanding of Combustion optimization, effective heat transfer & APH performance mechanism is
must for improving Boiler performance
• Boiler operation regime is to be dynamically adjusted as per changes in fired coal characteristics
• Key for good combustion: “Right amount of excess air at right place” & “Optimum Coal fineness”
• For efficient heat transfer in boiler pressure parts external ash deposition & flue gas flow distortion to be
minimized.
• For APH performance enhancement periodic measurement of APH seal leakage, Gas side efficiency &
X-ratio to be done & corrective measures to be taken
• Best practices adopted for Boiler O&M play key role in Boiler performance improvement

Best conclusion shall be sharing of your learning from the session !!

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Any Questions Please

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Thank
You
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