Ways to Improve Boiler

Efficiency
SESSION OBJECTIVES
AT THE END OF THE SESSION EACH
PARTICIPANT WILL BE ABLE TO

List out different losses in a Boiler.

Understand the reasons / factors which influence efficient
operation of Boiler.

MAJOR LOSSES IN A BOILER
Stack loss
Losses due to poor insulation
Losses due to poor Boiler sealing.
Losses due to leakages.
Blow-down loss.
Loss due to improper combustion.
Losses due to poor heat transfer in heating surfaces.
Losses due to part load operation.

COMMON BOILER OPERATIONAL
PROBLEM
IMPROPER FUEL STORAGE, HANDLING AND
PREPARATION
[Wet Coal, Size, Poor Pulveriser/ Classifier, Less inventory/
More Inventory]

OPERATION AT NON-OPTIMUM EXCESS AIR LEVEL
Unavailability of O
2
Analyser
Air In-Leakage Upstream of the Plant O
2
Analyser
Incorrect O
2
Analyser Calibration
Improper Location of O
2
Analyser
COMMON BOILER OPERATIONAL PROBLEM
IMPROPER COMBUSTION CONTROL

Poor Control of Mixture of Fuel and Air
Excessive Air-Rich Combustion for Safety and Stability
Improper Combustion Because Of Less Air i.e. Combustible
Loss
Basic Ingredients [Change in Viscosity, Temperature,
Pressure Or Calorific Value of Fuel ] and Ambient
Conditions
Worned, Damaged and Dirty Burner.
Soot deposits on Boiler Tubes.


COMMON BOILER OPERATIONAL PROBLEM
LACK OF COMBUSTION UNIFORMITY

Maladjustment of Air Dampers.
Partially Plugged Air Heater.
Poor Wind-box Design.
Unsteady Coal Flow From the Pulveriser.
Partially Plugged /Cracked Oil Gun Atomiser Tip.
Broken / Poorly Positioned Oil Gun Diffuser.

Different common abnormality that
requires maintenance
Malfunctioning of steam Trap
Inadequate Insulation
Poor sealing in APH
Erratic behaviour of combustion air fans
Steam leak
Abnormal power consumption by auxiliaries

Different common abnormality that
requires maintenance

Combustion control:

Periodically check the combustion efficiency of a boiler
with a combustion gas analyzer. Reduce the excess air if it
is taking more air. If it is air starved, supply sufficient air for
complete combustion. For small to medium boilers,
recommended for portable combustion analyzer for a
weekly to monthly check. Proper air / fuel ratio is a must
and it is to be monitored /adjusted depending upon fuel
quality, season and load. The analyzer should not only
check excess air but also check carbon monoxide, because
burner may become fouled even in the presence of proper
air / fuel ratio.
CLEAN HEAT TRANSFER SURFACES TO
REDUCE FOULING AND SCALE
A higher stack temperature is generally an indication of
fouling or scale on boiler heat transfer. Poor firing
conditions at the burner is one of the major cause for gas
side tube deposit. A loss of 1% efficiency is with the rise of
4
0
C in stack temperature. Poor feed water quality can cause
scale on the water side heat transfer surface. A build up of
1/32 inch of normal scale composed of Ca and Mg salts or
iron and silica decreases 2% or 7 % of efficiency
respectively.

CLEAN HEAT TRANSFER SURFACES TO
REDUCE FOULING AND SCALE
Gas-Side Fouling:
Solid deposits in the form of soot or slag on the gas side
surfaces of boiler tubes reduces the heat transfer of the
boiler water thereby reducing the efficiency of the boiler. The
loss of boiler efficiency is approximately 1% for every 5
0
C
increase in stack temperature above baseline conditions.
Use of high pressure blast/ soot blowing will definitely
improve the situation.


CLEAN HEAT TRANSFER SURFACES TO
REDUCE FOULING AND SCALE

Water-Side Fouling:

Chemical deposits or scaling on the water side retard the
transfer of heat energy to boiler water making a significant
loss in efficiency. As a result, a premature tube failure
occurs due to increase in gas side metal temperature and
operating problems like foaming and the consequent
moisture carryover into the steam line causes fouling of
downstream steam heating equipment. An active water
treatment program can solve this and improves the
efficiency.
STANDBY LOSSES:

It accounts to 1.5 - 2.0 % of the rated boiler fuel input. This
loss is small when boilers operate at or near their rated
capacity, but significant where boilers operate frequently at
low loads.

INSULATION:
First inch of insulation reduces heat loss by 90 %. It is
recommended that valves, flanges, steam traps and other
fittings should be insulated more than regular pipe with
removable insulation jackets because of the extended
surface area on the fittings.
STEAM DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM LOSS
STEAM LEAKS:
A major threat to efficiency because of ; fuel loss, make up water
loss, mechanical & chemical loss, more makeup water needs
more blow down i.e. again wastage of more water, chemicals and
energy. Arresting leaks have a short payback (two months or less)
and preserve the life of surrounding insulation.

STEAM TRAP:
It is not a matter of "Will it fail ?" but it is a matter of "When will it
fail?" Malfunction in steam traps are : stick open or closed. But
from the energy manager's perspectives, traps designed to fail
open are acceptable rather than closed. The identification of failed
traps are : high amount of flash steam through vent lines of
condensate and feed water tank. A routine schedule in an active
preventive maintenance programme is required.
STEAM DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM LOSS
INTERNAL STEAM LEAKS:
Valves in bypass around steam trap are prime source for
internal steam leak. If the bypass loss amounts to 500
pounds of steam per hour loss is around 1.9%.

EXTERNAL STEAM LOSS:
If the loss amounts to 700 pounds of steam per hour loss is
around 2.7%
TRAP FLASH LOSS:
Steam Trap returning condensate to vent condenser, around
17% of condensate mass will flash to steam carrying away
around 47% of the condensate remaining energy. Capture
flash steam which is typically vented to the atmosphere and
lost carrying away significant amount of energy.
CONDENSATE MANAGEMENT

Return condensate saves a significant energy as compared
to makeup water with higher conductivity and concentration
of dissolved solids which also require more blow down
means wastage of energy.
BLOWDOWN MANAGEMENT

BOTTOM BLOWDOWN [ for removing mud or sludge]
SKIMMING BLOWDOWN [CBD]
Removing top layer of water at steam/water interface to
remove light particles, dissolved solids, particles that
cause foaming and high conductivity.
Use of frequent shot blow down is better than frequent
long blow down. However, continuous blow down is
even better if it allows for the use heat recovery
devices.
WASTE HEAT ENERGY IN STACK GAS
Heat carried away by the dry flue gases, moisture loss
[latent and sensible heat in water vapor by combustion of
hydrogen in fuel, humidity of combustion air and water
content of the fuel]
Because of :
Operate with high stack gas temperature, not being operate
with heat recovery equipment.
No sophisticated combustion control, necessitates high
excess air level [ 20 % to 60 %.
No means to condense water vapor before flue gas leaves
boiler.
To avoid corrosion and sulfuric acid condensation.
Soot deposits on heating elements of APH.
Contamination around seal.
WASTE HEAT ENERGY IN STACK GAS
ECONOMISER:
Located in exhaust duct that absorbs heat energy from flue
gas which would otherwise be wasted to provide additional
heat to feed water reducing boiler firing rate. It is preferred
over APH in retrofit addition because of low initial cost,
lower draft loss and minimal auxiliary power requirement. An
increase in feed water temperature of 1
0
C results a fuel
saving approx. 1%. And a 3
0
decrease in flue gas temp. will
rise the feed water temperature by 1
0
. Heat transfer rate are
highest when the temperature difference between flue gas
and feed water is the highest.
WASTE HEAT ENERGY IN STACK GAS
Oxygen Trim:
Burner Setting.
Burner air Resister Flap Position / Orientation
Oil Gun Tip Position.
Oil Gun Diffuser Position.
Fuel Oil Temperature & Pressure.
Fuel Oil Atomising Pressure.
Coal Particle Size.
Installation of an on-line analysis device to automatically
adjust the air/fuel ratio to minimize excess air while avoiding
incomplete combustion.
Retrofit of any boiler should also, consider burner change
(which may be able to provide complete combustion at lower
excess air level).
Efficiency Related Boiler Maintenance
Procedure
Performance degradation that resulted in an increase in
stack gas temperature, excess air requirement, carbon
monoxide / smoke or unburned carbon in ash, convection /
radiation losses from the boiler exterior / ductwork and
piping, auxiliary power consumption by fans / pumps or
pulverisers need immediate preventive maintenance which
would definitely lead a best achievable boiler efficiency.
Using a boiler room log book for
evaluating & increasing boiler efficiency
Performance monitoring through boiler logs help in
identifying the deviations from desired performance and to
take corrective measures to increase the boiler efficiency.
By this, it is easy to determine when to:

Clean the boiler (fireside or waterside).
Adjust the combustion regime.
Repair or maintain the refractory or insulation works.
Replace safety devices, fuel filters or gaskets.
Ensure water treatment & quality as per design norm.
Blow down quantity.
Efficiency Related Items That Need To Be
Included In The Boiler Operators Log
General data:
Steam Flow, Pressure and Superheated Temperature, Feed
water temperature.

Firing System data:
Fuel type, flow rate, temperature, oil / gas supply pressure,
pressure at burners, burner damper settings, windbox to
furnace air-pressure differential.

Air Flow Indication
Air preheater inlet & outlet gas O
2
, Stack gas O
2
, FD damper
position / amperes as well as flow.
Efficiency Related Items That Need To Be
Included In The Boiler Operators Log
Flue Gas and Air Temperature
Boiler outlet flue Gas, Economiser/Air Heater Inlet & Outlet
gas, air temperature to Air heater (before & after).

Unburned Combustible indication
CO measurement, Stack appearance, Flame appearance &
Flue gas analysis.

Air and Flue Gas pressure
FD discharge, Furnace, Boiler outlet, economiser differential,
air heater air and gas side differential.

Unusual Conditions
Steam leak, abnormal vibration/noise, equipment malfunction
and excessive makeup water demand.
Efficiency Related Items That Need To Be
Included In The Boiler Operators Log
Blow Down Operation

Soot Blower Operation
Reduces the fuel consumption by removing soot, non-
combustible materials, mineral scales, and other deposits.
Scale that is only 1/16 thick will cause the boiler to use 15%
more fuel, 1/8 of scale requires 20% more fuel, and of
scale increases fuel consumption by 39%. Soot blowing may
preferably be done once in a day as per designers
programmable sequences.

Status of idle burners:
In a multi-fuel firing boiler, ensure the smooth functioning of
firing equipment which are not in service by taking them into
service at least for a day in a month.
INCREASE BOILER EFFICIENCY
Reduce excess air to boiler(s).
Install low excess air burner(s).
Replace or repair faulty burner(s).
Replace natural draft burner(s) with force draft burner(s).
Install condensing boiler / water heater.
Clean boiler(s) through soot blowing to eliminate fouling on
fire side.
Ensure quality boiler water from water treatment Plant to
reduce water side scaling.
Blow down as per requirement.
Improve feed water chemical treatment to reduce scaling.
Optimize boiler loading when using multiple boilers.
WASTE HEAT RECOVERY
Install economizer to preheat feed water (if economical).
Install heat exchanger to preheat feed water.
Install heat exchanger to preheat boiler makeup water.
Install heat exchanger to recover blow down heat.
Preheat combustion air with recuperator.
Recover waste heat to supplement hot water demand.
Recover heat from boiler flue gas to supplement building
heat.
Direct contact condensation heat recovery.
Indirect contact condensation heat recovery.
Repair steam and condensate leak(s).
Repair failed steam trap(s) & eliminate steam leakages.
WASTE HEAT RECOVERY
Return condensate to boiler.
Shut off steam tracer during summer.
Pressurize condensate return system.
Replace On/Off control system with variable firing rate
control system.

Other Opportunities
Install back pressure turbine for co-generation.
Install variable frequency drives on feed water pump and
combustion air fan.
Install regenerative feed water heating system.
Modify to combined cycle system.