Boiler Operation

& Maintenance
Essentials

21-23 February 2022

Presented by James
Malloy
 TRAINING AGENDA

Module Day Duration (hrs)

Boiler & Steam Generation Systems 1 2.5

Boiler & Steam Generation Systems (cont.) 2 2.5

Boiler & Steam Plant Operations 3 2.5

Boiler and Steam Plant Failure Modes and Mechanisms 4 1.5

Safety in Boiler Operations 4 0.5

Q&A, Short Quiz 4 0.5

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 Boiler & Steam Generation System Overview

• Thermal Power Basic Concepts

• Boiler Designs
• Focus on CFB Boilers
• Utility Boiler Components
• Boiler and Power Plant Auxiliary Systems

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 Thermal Power

Money -> Capital and Operating

Air
Expense
Emissions
Air

Fuel Power Plant Power

Water
Emission
Water
Solid
Wastes

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 Power Plant Configuration
• Set Overall Power Output Requirement
• Ultimate Heat Sink
• Grid Requirements/Part Load/Ramp Rates/Capacity Factors
• Emissions and Environmental Limits
• Fuel?
• Steam Generator
‒ Heat Source (Gas turbine, Other Waste Heat, Direct Combustion…)
‒ Number of Boilers
‒ Reheat/No Reheat
‒ Steam Turbine Model Options
‒ Fuel Handling
‒ Other?

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 External Design Constraints
• Air and Water Permits
‒ NOX, SOX, CO, PM are all air
emissions considered for plants
‒ Emissions vary with fuels (Coal,
Natural Gas, Distillate Fuels, Other)
‒ Water source availability affects
choice of heat sink (ACC, Cooling
Tower)
‒ Heat Discharge Limits affect heat
sink type (i.e. once through lake,
river or ocean heat discharge)
‒ Zero discharge or other requirements
affect choices in blowdown and other
systems
‒ PM Limits affected by fuels and post-
combustion emission systems
(ammonia slip)

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 A “Cycle” to Power
• Cycle: A thermodynamic cycle is a process
where a working fluid is used with a heat
engine to produce working power
• “Conventional” Power Plant (CPP)
‒ Boiler or “steam generator” to make steam to
drive a turbine
‒ Rankine Cycle, our working fluid is water
• Combined Cycle (CCGT)
‒ A cycle with a gas turbine generator as heat
engine (Brayton Cycle) is combined with a cycle
with a steam turbine generator (Rankine Cycle)
‒ Brayton Cycle has gas (air + fuel) as the working
fluid and the Rankine cycle has water as the
working fluid
‒ Steam generated from waste heated of turbine
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 The Boiler
• A boiler converts energy
in fuel to heat. The heat Flue gases, CO2, H2O etc

is carried away and used

to drive a process or Fuel
Hot medium for
Boiler
engine (such as a steam Air heating or for a
thermodynamic cycle
turbine)
• Water is the most
common heat “carrier”

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 Firetube Boiler

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 Types of Fired Water-tube Boilers
• Vary from industrial and small power
boilers (1-10 MW) to large (>500 MW)
• Variety of Fuels
‒ Pulverized Coal (PC)
‒ natural gas
‒ Liquid fuels (distillate, heavy oil)
‒ Biomass, municipal waste
• A wide variety of external steam/heat
customers or pure electric power
production
• We will focus on large utility boilers

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 Industrial “D” Type Boiler

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 D-Type Boiler Cutaway

The combustion
chamber, the furnace Heat exchangers

The combustion
device (burners)
Gas exit

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 Conventional Utility Power Plant (CPP)
• Elements
‒ Water-tube boiler
‒ Steam Turbine/Generator, Condenser, Heat Sink,
‒ Air/Exhaust System
‒ Fuel Handling
• Configurations
‒ Number of Power Blocks (Boiler/Air/Exhaust)
‒ Number of Steam Turbine/Generators/Condensers
‒ External Steam Export or import
‒ Coal, Oil, Gas, Biomass, Municipal Waste
‒ Operating Modes (Cyclic, Seasonal, Base Load)
• Efficiency: 35-45%

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 Utility Watertube Boiler

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 Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) Boiler

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 Sub or Super Critical

• Subcritical – up to 705 °F (374 °C) and 3,208 psi

(221.2 bar) (the critical point of water)
• Supercritical – up to the 1,000–1,050 °F (538–566 °C);
turbine speed increases dramatically, requires advanced
materials
• Ultra-supercritical – up to 1,400 °F (760 °C) and pressure
levels of 5,000 psi (340 bar) (additional innovations, not
specified, would allow even more efficiency)

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 Typical Utility Boiler Power Plant

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 Steam Turbine

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 Combined Heat and Power

• CHP involves the recovery of heat that would otherwise be

wasted
• Metrics
‒ Total system efficiency
‒ Effective electric efficiency
• Total Efficiency: 70-80%

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 CCGT (or CTCC or CCPP or GTCC….)
• Elements
‒ Brayton Cycle: Gas Turbine/Generator, Inlet Cooling/Fogging, Power
Augmentation, recuperation/cooling/fuel heating
‒ Rankine Cycle: HRSG, Supplemental Firing, Steam
Turbine/Generator, Condenser, Heat Sink
• Configurations
‒ Number of Power Blocks (GT/HRSG)
‒ Number of Steam Turbine/Generators/Condensers
‒ Amount of Supplemental Firing, Type
‒ External Steam Export or import
‒ Alternate Fuels
‒ Operating Modes (Cyclic, Seasonal, Base Load)
• Efficiency: 50-60%

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 Gas Turbine
Combined Cycle

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 Heat Rate

• The heat rate is the amount of energy used by a power plant to

generate one kilowatthour (kWh) of electricity.
• Heat content of 1 kWh of electricity is 3412 Btu

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 Efficiency
• Conventional
‒ Utility Boilers (LHV net)
• 919 MW RDK8 USC plant in Germany: 47.5%
• 1,000-MW USC Guodian Taizhou II Unit 3: 47.82% (double
reheat)
• 1,100-MW USC Maasvlakte Power Plant 3 in the
Netherlands: 47%
• USA: 665-MW John Turk Jr.: 42%
• HELE – High Efficiency Low Emission Coal
• Boiler Fleet Averages (LHV net)
‒ Japan: 41.6%; China: 38.6%, EU: 38%, U.S: 37.4%
• CCGT (current champion?)
‒ Nishi-Nagoya Block-1 – powered by GE 7HA gas turbine:
63.08% percent gross efficiency
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 Fundamental Design Considerations

• Combustion
• Thermodynamics & Heat Transfer
• Materials Used in HRSG/Boiler Construction
• Pressure Part Component Design Rules

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 Combustion

• Theory
‒ Conservation of Mass
‒ Stoichiometric reactions
‒ Excess amounts (usually air) provided in real world
• Heat of Combustion
‒ Energy Released by oxidizing the fuel
‒ Reported as BTU/lb (J/kg) on a High or
Low heating value basis (HHV, LHV)
‒ Typical Values (HHV)
• Natural Gas: 22-25 kBtu/lb (50-55 MJ/kg)
• Hard Coal: 12-14 Kbtu/lb (29-33 MJ/kg)
• Lignite: 5-7 kBtu/lb (12-15 KJ/kg)
• Distillates and other Liquid Fuels: 18-20 kBtu/lb (41-46 MJ/kg)

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 Flames and Combustion
• Two General Types
‒ Diffusion (air/fuel unmixed with
combustion on edge of flame)
‒ Pre-Mixed: Air/Fuel mixed prior to
combustion
• Flames lose heat by radiation
(especially from soot),
convection/mixing
• Flame temperatures depend on heat
release of combustion.
• Typical Adiabatic flame
temperatures:
‒ Hydrogen 3800 F/2097 C
‒ Methane 3542 F/1950 C
‒ Carbon Monoxide 3826 F/2108 C
• Flame quench is where heat loss
stops combustion before all the fuel
is burned (increases CO for example)

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 Boiler Fuel Options

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 Coal Fuels

4 Types
‒ Anthracitic
‒ Bituminous
‒ Subbituminous
‒ Lignite

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 Other Boiler Fuels

• Wood, Bark, Bagasse, Municipal and Industrial Waste

‒ Variable composition and
• Example: moisture content of Wood
• Fresh: 30-50%,
• dried (one year): 18-25%
• Gas
‒ Natural, coke oven, LNG, BFG
‒ Blast Furnace Gas has low(!) HHV
• 1-2 kBtu/lb (0.4-0.9 MJ/kg)

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 Coal Combustion

Coal can be burned in a number of ways

‒ Cyclone
‒ Stoker
‒ Fluidized-bed
‒ Pulverized coal firing (most common)

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 Flue Gas Properties – Coal Boiler
• Composition
‒ Variable depending on coal composition, excess air etc.
• 12-16 vol% CO2, 8-12 vol% H2O, 2-6 vol % O2
• Ash
• 60-80% of ash leaves furnace with exhaust gas
• Mineral constituents in coals, fixed carbon, volatile
matter
• Pollutant emissions
• Heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Hg….)
• NOx: 100-700 ppmv , SOx: 1000-2500 ppmv, CO: 5-
>1000 ppmv,
• Flyash and other particulates: trace -25ppmv
‒ Slag and deposits can drive corrosion on tubes

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 Water/Steam Refresher

• Subcooled water: Water with temperatures below boiling point at

a specific pressure
• Saturated Water/Steam: Water /Steam with temperature at the
boiling point for a specific pressure can be anywhere from all
water to all steam.
• Superheated Steam: Steam with temperatures (enthalpy) greater
than saturation for a specific pressure (no moisture content)
• Critical Pressure: 3208 psia/705.5 F (220 bar(a)/374° C) saturation
temperature – Properties of steam and water are identical
• Heat of vaporization: (hfg) Enthalpy difference between saturated
water and steam. Energy required to evaporate water at
saturation (or condense steam)

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 Fundamentals of What We’re Doing

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 Thermodynamic Efficiency
• Theoretical:
‒ “Carnot cycle” is the best
you can possibly achieve
with 100% efficient
components
• Real:
‒ Less efficient than theoretical
cycles due to losses of two
kinds
‒ Heat Losses: (Energetic) I.E.
up the stack, through the
casing, pipe insulation etc. Output T
µ= = 1− a
‒ Irreversibility Losses: Input Tc
(Exergetic) Second Law of
Thermodynamics - Use of
real world machines

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 Effect of Evaporator Pressure on Steam Conditions
800 1400
Water Properties

700
1200 Saturation
Temp
hf

600 hg
1000
hfg

500
Saturation Temperature (F)

800

Enthalpy (BTU/lb)
400

600

300

400
200

200
100

0 0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500
Pressure (PSIA)

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 Thermodynamics - Vapor Power Cycle
• Rankine Steam Cycle (plus Superheat)
‒ 1` - 2` - 3 -4 Carnot cycle
‒ 1 – 2 - 3 – 4 Rankine cycle (saturated)
‒ 1- 2 – 3` - 4` Rankine cycle (superheat)

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 Thermodynamics - Vapor Power Cycle
• Rankine Steam Cycle (with reheat)

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 Basic Heat Transfer Concepts
Q = kA∆T / t
• Conductive Heat Transfer
‒ Heat Transfer by direct contact where : t = thickness of material
of two bodies (either solids or fluids)

• Convective Heat Transfer

‒ Heat Transfer from one body to another by fluid Q = hA∆T
flow between them (hot gas, steam, liquid)

• Radiative Heat Transfer

‒ Heat Transfer by thermal radiation between two
bodies
Q = σε T14 − T24 ( )
where : σ = Stefan - Boltzmann Constant, ε = emissivity

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 Convective Heat Transfer
• Heat Transfer Coefficient
‒ h is a function of velocity, fluid,
roughness of surfaces, geometry,
Heat Transfer Heat Transfer
phase of fluid (vapor/liquid), boiling 2 2
Coeff. Btu/hr-ft -F Coeff. W/m - K
(or no boiling), fouling of
surfaces……. Gases (natural 0.9 -5 5 - 28
‒ Hot gas in GT, HRSG boiler backpass convection)
is convective heat transfer
Flowing gases 2-50 10 - 280
‒ Hot gas in furnace is radiative
‒ Steam and Water in HRSG and ST is
convective heat transfer Flowing Liquids 30-1000 170 - 5700

Boiling Liquids 200-50,000 1100 - 284,000

Condensing 500-5000 2840 - 28,400

Vapors

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 Utility Boiler Designs

• Conventional Radiant Sub- and Supercritical

• CFB

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 Conventional Radiant Boiler

• Typically Pulverized Coal as Fuel

‒ but HFO/Gas/Lighter Oils also used

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 Biomass Boilers

• Shown
‒ Moving Grate
‒ Wood Chips
‒ Three -Pass

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 Boiler Passes

1st Pass
2nd Pass

Combustion
chamber

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 Water-Steam Circuit

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 Model of Water Circuit

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 Evaporator Section

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 Flue Gas Section

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 Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB)

• Typically for lower

grade or hard to burn
fuels
• Improved SOx and
NOx emission control
• Sub or Supercritical

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 CFB Recirculation

• At higher air
velocities,
particles are blown
out of the bed and
are recirculated
around a loop
back to the bed
• Particles are
separated in
cyclone and
returned to bed
• Flue gas
continues along
gas path from top
of cyclone

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 Focus On CFB Boilers

 CFB Concepts and History

 CFB Design
 CFB Operation

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 Definition of a Circulating Fluidized Bed Boiler :
‒ The circulating fluidized bed (CFB) is a type of fluidized bed
combustion that utilizes a recirculating loop for even greater
efficiency of combustion.
– The bed is a thermal fly-wheel that maintains stable combustion
conditions
Combustion gases and off gases
Fuel

Air
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 BFB and CFB
• The bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) is a type of fluidized bed combustion that
utilizes a recirculating loop for even greater efficiency of combustion.
• The BFB is suitable for fuel with low fuel ratio and/or low heating value such
as biomass fuel or waste fuel, whereas the the CFB is suitable for fuel with high
fuel ratio such as anthracite, or for waste fuel firing in utility applications

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 Typical Data for Fluidized Bed Boilers
Parameter BFB CFB
Bed temperature, oC 850-900 850-900
Fluidisation velocity, m/s 1-2 5-6
Bed material size, mm 1 0.1-0.3
Bed height (m), pressure drop (kPa) 1, 10 Extended, 10-15
Air excess, % 20-30 20
Ratio of primary to secondary air,- 50:50, 60:40 50:50, 60:40
Size, MWth 10-100 50-2000

BFB CFB
Height

Bed density

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 History
CFB Utility &
large industrial

BFB Small industrial,

waste & biomass
1970-1985 1985-now

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 CFB Early Design

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 Lurgi Design
THE ORIGINAL LURGI CFB COMBUSTOR

Proposed 1976 for

combustion of oil shale in
Sweden and South Africa.

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 Examples of CFB boilers
General layout—Puerto Rico 2x250 MWe
A 235 MWe CFB boiler for lignite seen from the short side (Alstom)

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 Welding process

• AWS • EN
• Welding Procedure • ASME • ISO
Specification (WPS)
‒ Directs the welder
• Procedure Qualification
Record (PQR or WPQR)
‒ Supports the WPS
• Welder Qualification Test
Record (WQTR)
‒ Shows they can work with
a WPS

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 Economizers
• Heat feedwater before
entering steam drum (or
furnace surfaces for once-
through designs)
• In radiant boilers, most
reliable design is bare
tube, in-line cross flow
arrangement
‒ Minimizes erosion and
trapping of ash. Also easy
to keep clean with soot
blowers
• Fins added in some
designs to increase heat
transfer

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 Boiling Fundamentals

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 Design of Evaporators

• Make steam at specified

pressure
• Rate depends on heat transfer
area, heat transfer coefficient,
and pinch point.
• Steam production =UA(ΔT)/hfg
• Key design variables:
‒ Circulation type
‒ Steam drum size, elevations,
separator technology
‒ Downcomer number and size

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 Natural Circulation

• Circulation driven by density

differences
• Flow should increase naturally
with increased heat input
• Frictional resistance = density
driving head.
• Circulation ratio = Flow Rate in
Circuit/Flow of Steam out.
• Typical Circulation Ratios:
‒ Natural <34 bar: 15-30
‒ Natural 34-97 bar: 5-15
‒ Natural >97 bar: 5-10
‒ Forced Circulation: 3 to 5

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 Forced Circulation

• Forced Circulation Advantages

‒ Allows use of smaller
tubes/downcomers
‒ Allows use of orifices for flow balancing
‒ Assures circulation during startups in
small head units
• Forced Circulation Disadvantages
‒ Active Components (pumps) required
‒ Most Configurations use 2 x 100%
pumps increasing cost and maintenance

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 Waterwalls

• Membrane wall consisting of tubes

in such a way as to be
impenetrable to gas
• Waterwall tubes line the
combustion chamber and often the
first pass
• Typically evaporator tubes at sub-
critical pressures
‒ Or high velocity supercritical water
• Heat transfer by direct furnace
radiation, intertube radiation and
convection

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 Screen Tubes

• Tubes lining the transition

from furnace to 1st pass
• Arranged to allow gas flow
past tubes
• Subject to direct furnace
radiation, intertube
radiation and convection
• Rifling used to improve
heat transfer
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 Superheaters

• Increase steam temperature

• See high metal temperatures.
• Heat transfer lower than for
evaporators or economizers (low
metal-to-gas heat transfer
coefficients).
• See largest thermal expansion

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 Superheaters
• Two types in radiant boilers:
‒ Radiant superheater: majority of heat transfer comes from furnace
radiative heat transfer
‒ Convection superheater: located in 1st pass so heat transfer from hot
gas convection only
• Self supported or supported on hanger tubes
‒ Pendant superheaters carry own weight in tension
‒ Horizontal bundles supported by hangers

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 Reheaters

• Similar sign to
superheaters, but operate
at lower pressures.
• Act as part of the turbine
system
• Take HP turbine exit
steam and superheat for
return to IP turbine
• Higher turbine
performance due to less
moisture in final stages.

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 Thermal Expansion

Linear Expansion, (mm/m)

Temperatur Carbon &

e range Low Alloy SA 335 P91 15-17Cr St
20°C to: Steels

100 1 0.9 0.8

200 2.3 2 1.9
300 3.7 3.3 3
350 4.5 3.9 3.6
400 5.2 4.6 4.2
450 6.1 5.2 4.8
500 6.9 5.9 5.4
550 7.7 6.6 6
600 8.6 7.3 6.7
650 9.4 8.1 7.3

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 Boiler Interal Supports and Structures

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 Hanger Tubes

• Superheaters and reheaters located in areas

of high gas temperature. It is preferable to
have the major support loads carried by tubes
• Horizontal bundles rest on support hooks on
tubes

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 Boiler Enclosure/Casing

• Larger Units Casing

Enclosure is Usually Top
Supported From Pressure
Parts
‒ Except Certain Sections
(Penthouse) that may be
set to structural steel
• “Buckstays” maintain rigidity
against internal and
external pressure
fluctuations

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 Wall Construction

• Need to consider
1. Expansion
2. Vibration
3. Seal gases to avoid
corrosion
• Usually hot casing design to
achieve N° 3

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 Structural Steel

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 Casing Penetrations
• Seal around pipes etc. that
come through casing.
• May be fixed or required to
allow movement (axial and
radial).

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 Other Boiler Steam/Water Cycle Components

• Steam Drums
• Feedwater Heaters
• Feedwater Tank
• Deaerators
• Attemperator
• Drains and Vents
• Bypass System
• Power Piping

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 Steam Drums
• Primary Function to
provide steam/water
separation.
• Additional functions
‒ Mixing feedwater with
Saturated Liquid
‒ Mixing Chemical Additives
‒ Purifying steam of
impurities and residual
moisture
‒ Blowdown for Boiler Water
Chemistry Control
‒ Providing limited water
storage to accommodate
some changes in boiler
load level

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 HP Drums

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 Drum Sizing

• Primary size governed by

separation equipment to
meet maximum steam flow
rate.

• Allow sufficient volume to

meet required load swings
without flooding or dryout.

• Allow sufficient volume to

provide adequate time from
normal level to low-low trip at
full load (2-4 minutes
typically).

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 Steam/Water Separation

• Drum Units
‒ Remove Moisture to prevent thermal damage to Superheater
‒ Remove Steam from Water entering downcomer to ensure good
driving head
‒ Prevention of carry over of solids and contaminants to turbine
• Once-Through HRSG or Supercritical Boiler
‒ During start-up prior to superheated steam generation
• OTSG not requiring superheated steam
‒ Raise quality of steam used for process

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 Drum Steam Separators
• Primary Separators
‒ Remove bulk of moisture from
steam
‒ Use centrifugal force to separate
moisture
‒ Cyclones, Turbine, or Vortex
Separators
• Secondary Separators
‒ Remove Residual Moisture from
Steam.
‒ Use large surface area-to-volume
geometries for droplet impaction.
‒ Chevron or Wire Mesh separators
used.
‒ Limited by critical mass flow
velocity

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 Separator Performance

• Dependent on
‒ Flow Rate, Pressure, length, aperture size, water level, inlet steam quality, interior
finish and drum arrangement.
• Moisture Carry Over with Steam:
‒ Increases with steam flow, increases with water level, increases with steam quality.
• Pressure Drop increases with mass flow and steam quality.

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 Feedwater Heaters

• Typically uses heat

from steam
extracted between
the stages of the
steam turbine
• Feedwater heaters
can be open or
closed heat
exchangers
• Shell and tube is
closed
• Open is usually for
deaeration

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 Feedwater Tank

• Store Deaerated Feedwater

• Can be combined with
deaerator
• Typically low pressure, high
volume

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 De-aerators

• Reduces oxygen and other

dissolved gas levels.
• Performed at temperatures
and pressures where oxygen
is less soluble.
• Sprays and trays give max
surface area.
• Steam can be used to
« strip » the oxygen and
carry it away.

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 De-aerator Sprays

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 Attemperation
• Lower The Superheated Steam Temperature
‒ While Remaining Superheated!

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 Desuperheater / Attemperator

• Avoid spray water contact on pipe walls (liners)

• Develop good steam flow profile.
• Drain pots upstream / downstream
• Spray mass flow < 15% of total mass flow.
• Temperature downstream 5°C > saturation temperature.
• Spray water goes downstream (no contaminants!)
• Wsh1 + Wfhf=(Ws+Wf)h2

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 Drains and Vents

• Ideally all sections in bust must be drainable, but not practical for some
components (SH/RH pendants for example)
• Most drains are operated only during longer shutdowns or layups (except
SH/RH drains in HRSGs on startup)
• Vents needed in certain modules to allow clearing of air during boiler filling and
to allow smooth draining

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 Power Piping Systems
• Power Piping includes feedwater, HP, Cold and Hot Reheat steam and
all bypass lines; and IP and/or LP steam circuits in HRSG systems
• In GTCC applications bypass systems are often more complex than in
conventional boilers

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 Piping System Components

• Piping and Insulation

• Supports and Restraints
• Drains and vents
• Safety and Power Relief Valves
• Stop, Control and Block Valves
• Keepwarm and Freeze
protection systems.

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 Pipe Support Design Methods

• External piping under ASME B31.1 and

Boiler/HRSG Piping under Section 1
• Tools
‒ Support spacing tables.
‒ Computer analysis
• AutoPipe
• ADLPIPE
• Caesar
• ROHR2
• Pipe Flow Expert

without prior written consent. 142

Tetra Engineering Group, Inc. - Confidential Not to be distributed in any format
All presentations are copyright of Tetra Engineering and cannot be reproduced in any format without prior written consent.
 Support Spacing Criteria

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 Pipe Support Types

Support Type Function

Rigid Hanger Supports gravity load of pipe, insulation & fluid
Variable Support Supports gravity load while permitting thermal
Hanger displacement
Constant Force Same as Variable, except usually provides for
Hanger larger thermal movements
Snubber Resists dynamic loads while permitting thermal
displacements
Vibration Damper Controls vibration
(sway brace)
Limit Stop Reacts to dynamic loads while permitting some
thermal displacement

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 Boiler Combustion and Exhaust Systems
• Ducting and Casing
• Burners
• Air and Exhaust Systems
• Emissions Controls

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 Pulverized Coal Burners

• In combustion chamber
(waterwall area)
‒ Wall fired
• Burners on front wall only, or front and
rear wall
• Fuel mixed with air in burners
‒ Corner fired
• Fuel and combustion air introduced in
corners of furnace
• Cyclonic fireball produced, where
furnace acts like a large burner and
swirling of fireball stabilizes flame

Babcock and Wilcox (2005)

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 Typical Burner Configuration
• Primary air with pulverized coal to nozzle
• Secondary Air in air annulus around burner
tip
• Auxiliary air ports between burners
• “Overfire air” (ports located above burners)
to reduce NOx

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 Cyclone Furnaces
• Used for burning coal grades
not suitable for pulverized
coal combustion
• Heavier, less volatile
particles require higher
temperatures and continuous
oxygen supply
• Combustion air injected
tangentially at high velocities
to create swirling motion
‒ Large coal particles thrown
against Cyclone surface
where they are burnt to
completion

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 Gas/Fuel Oil Burners

• Burners can be located on front wall or corner like coal furnace

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 Fluidized Bed Combustion

• Involves flowing air

through a bed of Fuel

particles such that the

particles become Combustion gases and off gases
“fluidized”
• Bed acts as a thermal
fly-wheel that
maintains stable
combustion conditions Air

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 Bubbling Fluidized Bed (BFB)

• When air velocity from below

sufficiently high, bed starts to
bubble
• Good at burning fuels that are
difficult to pulverize or less
combustible

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 Fans for Combustion & Exhaust

• Forced Draft
‒ Push air through ducting and
windbox into furnace
‒ Account for leakages
• Induced Draft
‒ Account for leakages
‒ High temperature and potential
ash erosion are design factors
• Primary Air on PC units
‒ Dry and transport coal to boiler
‒ Hot or Cold Designs (pre or
post air heater)

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 Flue Gas Recirculation

• Introduces flue gas from economizer outlet into furnace

• FGR alters heat absorption pattern within steam
generating unit
• Means of controlling superheat and reheat temperature

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 Air Heaters
• Used in plants to heat combustion air
• Flue gas from after economizers at the back of the boiler used to heat air to
enhance combustion
‒ Recuperative
‒ Regenerativea

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 Regenerative

• Ljungström Type
‒ Dual and Tri-sector
• Rothemühle Type

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 Air Heater

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 Emission Controls

• NOx
‒ SCR
• SOx
‒ Wet or Dry Flue Gas
Desulfurization
• Particulates
‒ Baghouse Filters,
Electrostatic Precipitators

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 Additional Plant Systems

• Fuel Handling
• Ash Handling (for Coal Plants)
• Water Treatment
• Plant Cooling
• Support Systems
‒ Air
‒ Communications
‒ Firefighting
‒ ……………….etc.

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 Questions

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