Boiler Operation

General description

some basic principle should be followed when servicing and maintenance work on the boiler , the
collection and the comparison of operation data and of others characteristic of the plant ,very
often emergency conditions causing shutdown and expensive repair work .

every steam generator ,either a fire tube boiler or a large boiler as it is used for the up to date sets
of power plant , every boiler is planned to furnish a well determined quantity of steam at the
pressure and at the temperature required by burning particular fuels .

the output of the boiler is measured by means of an orifice plat or flow nozzle connected to a
steam flow rate gauge and it will be necessary to reduce proportionally steam production .the best
conditions for the different operating loads should be determined for each unit

The presence of carbon monoxide (CO)in the flue gas means that combustion is incomplete

It is convenient to check periodically with the orsat apparatus the O2 and CO2 content in the
spots provided on the boiler

Design

All steam generating equipment is designed for specific purpose , each boiler is designed to
deliver a specific quantity of steam at the required pressure when supplied with feed water at the
specified temperature , If a super heater is included in the installation the temprature of the steam
is computed also

Excess air

the temperature and analysis of gases leaving the boiler are invaluable ,combustion should be
completed before entering the first pass of the boiler ,when using only a limited a mount of excess
air ,slightly more than the theoretical quantity necessary to oxidize the combustion in the fuel , of
course the best percentage of excess air to use will depend upon the nature of the fuel , the
presence of carbon monoxide (CO)in the fuel gas indicates incomplete combustion , for
determination of the percentage CO and CO2 , gas samples should be obtained at the boiler outlet
, and the exit gas temperature should be taken at the air heater outlet

fuel consumption and analysis

The amount of fuel consumed is generally measured and recorded ..

An analysis of a representative fuel sample should be obtained periodically . the services of a

In no case should the conditions specified by the boiler as to total dissolved solids ,alkalinity be
ignored

The steam temperature will drop ,suddenly and recover if the boiler is priming , the temperature
fluctuation increase as the total solids

*Steam Temperature

The steam temperature varies with the load ,rising as the load increases and falling as the load
decreases.

With constant load , abnormally superheat steam temperature may be caused by:

1-Too high excess air

2-Too low feed water temperature

3-Slugged up furnace

4-Secodray combustion

Super heater steam temperature below normal for the load may be caused by :

1-Too low excess air

2-Too high feed water temperature

3-Excessive moisture carry over from the boiler

4- Excessive external deposits on super heater tubes

The superheat temperature will drop suddenly and recover if the boiler is priming

and i will attach the shutdown and startup procedures

The successful operation of steam generating equipment depends upon a rigid control of feed
water and operating variables to assure a freedom from scale formation and the corrosion of water
and steam connected surfaces of the boiler ,This control is important in lower pressure

Protection of the boiler against scale formation and corrosion should not be limited to actual
operation of the unit

Scale formation in boilers is prevented by the maintenance of tight condenser and providing a
good make up water to the feed water system .At lower pressure suitable make up may be
attained by cold and hot process softeners, but at higher pressure the makeup must be pure and
provided by efficient evaporators or by demineralization , the eventual traces of hardness are
controlled by chemical additions to the boiler water

Corrosion of metal surface in contact with water and steam constitutes the major maintenance
expense to the power industry ,The condensate and fed water must be free of corrosive dissolved
gases and the alkalinity of the water must be properly adjusted to prevent the attack of metal
surface

The control of boiler water is a prime prerequisite to good operation ,so I will explain some
characteristics for the water and the conditions of the concentrated boiler water

-Total solids do not exceed 2000ppm

-Total suspended solids do not exceed 100ppm

-Total alkalinity ,as NaoH does not exceed 400ppm

-silica content , as Sio2 does not exceed 20ppm

-PH measured at 68f be from 10.5 to 11

-phosphate content ,as PO4 be from 5 to 8 ppm

-hydrazine content , as N2H4 be from 0.1 to 0.2 ppm

Note: The content of ammonia in the condensed steam should never exceed 0.3ppm
Chemical Treatment

The chemical feed plant includes three apparatus for injection of phosphate ,Hydrazine and
morpholine, each apparatuses consist of solution tank ,pump with safety valve and manometer
mixer piping ,overflow and washing line

*Phosphate

The phosphate pump discharged line will be directly connected with the chemical feed
connection provided on the upper or lower boiler drums ,the injection should be such as to ensure
the prescribed phosphate value in the boiler water , the feeding operation may be done
continuously by properly varying the concentration of the regent in the tank

*Hydrazine

The hydrazine pump discharge line will be connected with the hydrazine feed connection
provided on the boiler feed pump suction line or condensate pump discharge line ,the hydrazine
must be fed slightly in excess of the required amount for stoichiometrice removal of the oxygen
,so as to reduce to a minimum the formation of oxide within the boiler cycle

*Morpholine

The morpholine pump discharge line will be connected with the morpholine feed connection
provided on the makeup water line , the morpholine must be fed in the required amount to
increase the PH value up to 9 in the makeup water