❖ Why Feed water heating is required

❖ Understanding the Rankine cycles

❖ Description of Regenerative Feed Water Heating System
❖ Schematic diagram of Feed water heaters
❖ Heat balance diagram (HBD)
❖ Pressure classification of heaters
❖ Construction of heaters
❖ Different heat transfer zones in Heaters
❖ Performance indicator of heater
❖ Feed water heater Level vs. TTD/DCA
❖ Feed water heater performance deviation
❖ Items Effect Performance Of Feed Water Heater
❖ How we perform maintenance
❖ Tube leakage identification and rectification
❖ Effect of tube plugging
❖ Tube materials
❖ Feed water heater failure causes
 WHY FEED WATER HEATING IS REQUIRED
• A feed water heater is a power plant component used to pre – heat the
water delivered to the steam generated boiler.
• In a steam power plant ( usually modeled as Rankine cycle), feed water
heaters allow the feed water to be brought up to saturated temperature
very gradually.
• Feed water heating serves three purpose in thermal power plant.
1. They provide efficiency gain in the steam cycle by increasing the initial
water temperature to the boiler, so there is less sensible heat addition
which must occur in the boiler.
2. They provide efficiency gain by reducing the heat rejected in the
condenser, and they minimize thermal effect in the boiler.
3. Steam is extracted from selected stages in the turbine to shell and
tube heat exchangers or to open feed water heaters where the steam
and feed water are in direct contact.
 UNDERSTANDING THE RANKINE CYCLES
• For understanding the function and requirement of the feed water heating
system, we have to understand the Rankine cycle first.
• The Rankine cycle is a mechanical cycle commonly used in power plants to
convert the pressure energy of steam into mechanical energy through
steam turbine.
• The Rankine cycle’s major component include a rotating steam turbine, a
boiler feed pump, a stationery condenser and a boiler.
• A boiler is used to heat the water for steam at the required pressure and
temperature as per the turbine’s requirement for the power generation.
The turbine exhaust is directed to the radial or axial flow condenser for
condensing the steam to condensate and recycled back to boiler to the
boiler through boiler feed pumps for heating again.
REHEAT RANKINE CYCLE

REHEAT REGENERATION
RANKINE CYCLE
 REGENERATIVE FEED WATER HEATING SYSTEM
• Increasing the average temperature of heat addition can also be
accomplished by increasing the temperature of the feed water entering
the boiler. To realize a gain in efficiency, heat from within the cycle is used
to elevate the feed water temperature.
• This can be done by extracting a portion of the partially expanded steam
from the turbine and directing it to a heat exchanger that heats the feed
water to the boiler. This process is called regenerative feed water heating.
• Steam bled from a turbine for feed heating will surrender its superheat,
latent heat and, possibly, some sensible heat to the feed water thus
relieving the boiler of a comparable amount of work.
• The device where the feed water heated by regeneration is called a
regeneration or a feed water heaters (FWH).
• If there had been no feed heating the steam would have surrendered a
large quantity of heat to the C.W. system where it is a waste, whereas with
feed heating it is employed usefully.
Schematic diagram of 660MW power plant
HEAT BALANCE DIAGRAM
 PRESSURE CLASSIFICATION OF HEATERS
• Generally In Thermal Power Plant shell and tube type heat exchanger are
used for regeneration process. In shell and tube or closed type feed water
heaters the feed water flows through the tubes and the extracted steam
condenses on shell side.
• The condensed steam from each feed water heater drains successively to
the next lower pressure heater and is return to the feed water through the
heater drain pump or through the condenser.
• Broadly there are two types of heater classified according to the pressure
in thermal power plant.
1. LOW PRESSURE HEATER : A heater located ( with regard to feed water
flow) between the condensate pump and either the boiler feed pump.
It normally extracts steam form the low pressure turbine.
2. HIGH PRESSURE HEATER : A heater located down stream of the boiler
feed pump. Typically the tube side design pressure is at least 100
kg/cm2, and the steam source is the high pressure turbine.
HP CLOSED FEED WATER HEATER
LP CLOSED FEED WATER HEATER 3-4
DUPLEX HEATER LP HEATER 1-2
 DIFFERENT HEATING ZONE IN HEATER
A HP Closed Feed water Heater has three zones:
• Desuperheating zone.
• Condensing Zone.
• Drain cooling Zone.
• Each zone is designed as a separate heat exchanger and heat transfer coefficients
and pressure drops are evaluated separately.
1. DE-SUPERHEATING ZONE (DS): In the de-superheating section, the
superheated steam is cooled in a contact with dry tubes of the U-tube
bundle to the saturation temperature.
2. CONDENSING ZONE (CD): In the condensing zone, the steam condenses in
a contact with tubes where it changes its phase from saturated vapor to
saturated liquid and releases the latent heat of vaporization. The driving
force for condensation is the difference between the temperature of cold
wall surface and the bulk temperature of the saturated vapor.
3. SUB COOLING ZONE (SC): In the sub-cooling zone, the tube side and shell
side fluids are liquids i.e. single phase and the heat exchange occurs in
form of sensible heat transfer. The values of heat transferred, LMTD,
overall heat transfer coefficient, area of zone and length of tube can be
calculated using same equations as that of the de-superheating zone.
 THERMODYNAMIC LAYOUT OF HP CLOSED FEED
WATER HEATER

HP Turbine

Tbi, pbi, Tbsi

Condensing Shell Drain Cooler

Desuperheater
Tfi Tfi+1

TRAP
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS OF HEATERS
• For calculating the performance of heater we should know the three term
generally.
1. FEED WATER TEMPERATURE RISE (TR) : Is the difference between the
feed water outlet temperature and the feed water inlet temperature.
TR = Tfeed outlet - Tfeed inlet
2. TERMINAL TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE (TTD) : Provide feedback on
the feed water heaters performance relative to heat transfer and is
defined as the difference between saturation temperature of the
extraction steam and the feed water outlet temperature. An increase
in TTD indicates a reduction heat transfer and decrease indicates rise
in heat transfer.
TTD = Tsat - Tfeed outlet
3. DRAIN COOLER APPROACH (DCA) : Is a method used to infer feed
water heater levels based on the temperature difference between the
drain cooler outlet t and feed water inlet. An increase in DCA
temperature indicates the level is decreasing; where as decreasing
DCA indicates rise in level.
DCA = Tdrains - Tfeed inlet
ITD Design U#1 U#2 U#3 U#4 U#5 U#6
HPH-8 21.28 24.77 24.76 20.88 23.94 24.12 25.31
HPH-7 43.18 41.18 45.04 40.21 41.43 44.80 42.90
HPH-6 26.57 27.34 27.73 27.25 28.10 29.41 27.98
D/A 38.35 44.99 44.73 45.01 43.85 44.17 45.68
TTD Design U#1 U#2 U#3 U#4 U#5 U#6
HPH-8 -1.7 0.59 3.26 0.07 -1.63 2.02 2.47
HPH-7 0 2.18 3.24 -1.99 1.77 3.57 3.86
HPH-6 2.8 0.24 4.71 -1.23 0.41 4.51 0.64
D/A 0 2.55 2.07 4.75 3.20 3.24 7.35
DCA Design U#1 U#2 U#3 U#4 U#5 U#6
HPH-8 5.5 10.50 3.93 9.56 10.81 3.92 9.81
HPH-7 5.5 6.37 6.16 4.44 11.10 3.75 4.43
HPH-6 5.5 6.80 6.91 5.86 7.56 5.87 5.19
D/A NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
TR Design U#1 U#2 U#3 U#4 U#5 U#6
HPH-8 22.9 24 21 21 26 22 23
HPH-7 43.2 39 42 42 40 41 39
HPH-6 26.6 27 23 28 28 25 27
D/A 38.4 42 43 40 41 41 38
Total 131.1 133 129 132 134 129 128
HEATER PERFORMANCE DEVIATION

1. HIGH DRAIN COOLER APPROACH

• Drain cooler inlet not submerged.
• Low drain water level (improper setting, excessive feed water heater drain
bypass- bypass valve left open, bypass valve malfunctioning)
• Excessive tube bundle pressure drop ( excessive number of tubes plugged,
tubes folded internally)
• Feed water heater bypassed
• Feed water bypass valve passing
2. HIGH TERMINAL TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE
• Excessive venting ( worn vents, altered set point, vent malfunctioning)
• Excessive make up
• High water level ( tube leaks, improper setting)
• Header partition leaks
• Non condensable gases on shell side
• Excessive tube bundle pressure drop ( excessive number of tubes plugged,
tubes folded internally)
ITEMS EFFECT PERFORMANCE OF FEED WATER HEATER
IMPROPER HEATER LEVEL: Can cause flashing in the drain cooler section
and tube may damaged.
o Check operation of automatic controls and level instrumentation.
o Check for possible tube leakage in feed water heater.
o Vent valves may not be set up properly.

IMPROPER EXTRACTION LINE PRESSURE DROP :

o Possible problem with extraction line check valve.

TUBE FOULING : Due to corrosion effects the heat transfer in the heater.
o Clean tube bundle.

CHANNEL PASS PARTITION/GASKET LEAKAGE : Due to gasket damaged in

partition plane or channel pass eroded
o Gasket replacement or do welding if plate eroded.
HOW WE PERFORM MAINTENANCE OF REGENERATION
SYSTEM

Normally we check all the associated equipments attached with regeneration

system periodically during running as well as during opportunities. Major work
carried out during overhauling.
We do follow 1. Predictive maintenance
2. Break down maintenance
3. Overhauling maintenance

1. PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE : We do perform periodic temperature

across the heaters drain line to condenser for any passing
observation through control valves, and maintaining the
temperature records for any deviation.
We also check the associated drain and vent valves including safety
valve on shell side and PRV on feed water side and temperature
after the valve for any passing observation. Also we check the
condition of extraction NRVs and MOV during running condition,
was is fully opened or not, is there any abnormalities etc.
3. BREAK DOWN MAINTENANCE : During break down of unit we check the
all extraction NRVs stroke from out side; the flap is intact or Broken
inside, if kit is then we overhaul the same. Also take the valves under
maintenance or replacement which was earlier predicted. Joints leakage
attending if any persist, replacement of gaskets, glands, Control valve
inlet cage condition based on percentage of opening.

4. OVERHAULING MAINTENANCE : The major activities are carried out

during unit overhauling period.
• All the associated valves overhauling done.
• All the heaters taken into overhaul. We do perform DPT of all the
associated joints of the heaters, inside inspection.
• Air leak test of the tubes, air supplied through shell side and soap
bubble test on the tube sheets.
• Partition plate joint DPT for any internal water leakages.
TUBE PLUGGING
• The majority o f the feed water heater are U – tube type.
Consequently, it is very difficult to replace damaged tubes unless
they are located on the periphery of the tube bundle (called
tube sheet).
• The most common practice is to plug both the inlet and outlets
of damaged tube.
• If a heater is not isolated promptly more tube may be damaged
resulting a higher flow into the shell than safety can relieve.
Obviously as the heater become more susceptible to tube leaks,
the risk of scenario increases.
• We generally assume if a tube leakage occurs, it will hit near by
tube as well and may or may not be fail, so we plug the
surrounding tubes as well on both side inlet as well as outlet.
 EFFECT OF TUBE PLUGGING

• Tube Plugging In Hp & LP Feed Water Heaters will increase the

pumping power requirements.
• On a unit that has a steam driven boiler feed pump, the turbine
extracts more steam which is typically exhausted into the condenser.
• These turbines are generally less efficient than main turbine, add extra
heat loading to the condenser and therefore decrease efficiency.
• A motor driven feed pump will use more power, again increasing heat
rate.
• In some cases, these extra power is not available so maximum
generation will be reduce.
TUBE LEAKAGE IDENTIFICATION AND RECTIFICATION
 TUBE MATERIAL

• Both copper alloys & non ferrous alloy are used for LP heaters and LP
heaters tubes.
• Copper alloys are used extensively in the LP heaters tube. These alloys
have got excellent thermal conductivity but on the other hand these
alloys have problem of copper carry over and ammonia attack, which may
require a complex boiler cleaning after short intervals.
• To avoid all the above problems, the stainless steel tubes are invariably
used for LP heaters. Stainless steel is unaffected at all operating
conditions.
• Most common material s used for heaters are carbon steel, stainless steel
& monel metal.
 FEED WATER HEATER FAILURE CAUSED

1. TUBE OUTSIDE DIAMETER ERROSION:

• Impingement by high velocity wet steam.

• Insufficient drain cooler zone end plate thickness.
• High shell side steam flow
• Control valves instability.
• Flashing of condensate at drains cooling zone entrance

2. TUBE PITTING:
• Chloride Contamination
• Fabrication sensitization
• Improper layout
• Excessive caustic feed
3. TUBE VIBERATION
• High shell side steam flow
• Control valve instability
• Improper support spacing
• Excessive tube hole clearance

4. TUBE CRACKING:
• High tensile stress in chloride and/ or caustic on stainless steel
• High tensile stress of Ammonia and Oxygen for copper alloys

5. DRAIN COOLER ZONES ERROSION:

• End plate thickness insufficient
• high average shell side flow
• Level control valve instability
• Large number of tube plugged in a group
6. SHELL CORROSION:
• Improper venting
• Improper layup
• Improper shell size

7. INLET TUBE ERROSION:

• High tube side velocity
• High oxygen content
• Low PH