AN

ININTERNSHIP REPORT

ON

PROCESS-BOILERS STEAM AND CONDENSATE LOOP

AND INTRODUCTION TO ULTRA SUPER-CRITICAL
BOILER
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the award MSBTE Program of
Diploma
in

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
by
Tejas Sunil Hambir

(Enrollment No. :2017340035)

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

PROF. PRABHAKAR SHINDE SIR

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

KJEI’s

Trinity Polytechnic Pune

PUNE-411048

(2022 - 2023)

1
 KJEI’s

Trinity Polytechnic Pune

Sr. No. 25 &27, Near Bopdeo Ghat, Kondhawa Saswad Road,
Dist. Pune

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Mr. Tejas Sunil Hambir Enrollment No.2017340035 of Fifth Semester of
Diploma in Mechanical Engineering of Institute KJEI’s Trinity Polytechnic Pune (Institute
Code : 1734) has completed term work satisfactorily in Course Emerging trends in mechanical
engineering (Course Code : 22652 ) for the academic year 2022 to 2023 as prescribed in the
curriculum of Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education (MSBTE).

Place : Pune Enrollment No.: 2017340035

Date :

Course Teacher Head of Department Principal

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am thankful to my guide and mentor Prof. Prabhakar shinde sir for giving me an opportunity to
work under him and guide in automobile Engineering.

I am thankful to Prof. PRABHAKAR SHINDE Head of Department of Mechanical

Engineering, for his motivating and valuable support throughout the course.

Mr. Tejas Sunil Hambir

(Enrollment No. 2017340035)

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 CONTENTS Page No.
1. process boilers 5
1.1 Process Boilers used in various Industries 5
1.2 Working of Process Boiler 6
1.3 The use of process boiler systems in practice Food 6
industry
2. Steam condensate 7
2.1 Difference between steam and condensate 7
2.2 Steam Loop 8
2.3 Steam Trap 8
2.4 Working of Steam Trap 8
2.5 Types of Steam Traps 9
3. Introduction to Ultra Super Critical Boilers 9
3.1 Difference between supercritical and ultra 10
supercritical
4. Conclusion 12

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1. Process Boilers

Overview

A process boiler is a type of boiler with a capacity (rated maximum input) of 90KW or more,
that serves a process. A process is an activity or treatment that is not related to the space
conditioning, service water heating, or ventilating of building as it relates to human occupancy.

1.1 Process Boilers used in various Industries

Process boilers are used in various industries such as dairy, sugarcane, pulp & paper, chemical,
beverages and textile industries also in thermal power station etc. Process boilers are having
application in following areas.

Agriculture Electrical industry Refineries

Animal food Food packing industry Spinning mills
Industry automotive Fruit processing Tobacco industry
Industry bakeries Glass fibre production Tyre manufacturing
Ceramic industry Metal-working industry Weaving mills
Cheese and dairies Pharmaceutical industry Wood processing
distilleries Dyeing factories Plastic manufacturing

Fig 1.1 Process boiler

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1.2 Working of Process Boiler
Figure 1 shows Basic features of process boiler. A process boiler system is a hot water or steam
boiler operated with a certain kind of fuel. The boiler heats up or evaporates the water inside it,
which is then transported to the consumers via pipe systems. In case of hot water, the transport
energy is generated by pumps, in case of steam the transport is based on inherent pressure. The
cooled water or the condensed steam returns to the boiler where it can be heated again. Loss of
water is compensated by makeup water pump. Flue gases created by combustion are discharged
into the atmosphere through a chimney. In process boilers steam generation capacity ranges from
175 kg/h to 55 000 kg/h are available for industrial applications. High-quality equipment with
intelligent control systems, modern burner technology and efficient heat recovery devices ensure
environmentally friendly, economic and fully automatic boiler operation. These boilers are
welded from thick steel plates that are up to35 mm thick, making pressures of 30 bar and more
possible. A thermal output of up to 38MW is possible from a single boiler.

1.3 The use of process boiler systems in practice Food industry

Food must often be heated or boiled during processing. Thus, this industrial sector obviously
needs plenty of thermal energy. However, some steam applications are still stunning; a good
example is potato processing. Cold potatoes are filled in a big pressure vessel and hot steam is
abruptly injected. The abrupt heat supply causes the potato peels to fall off so they do not have to
be peeled by hand anymore
Breweries
In complex production process of breweries, malt has to be ground coarsely and mixed with
water. The brewer calls this mashing. The mash must be heated to various temperatures in two to
four hours for which the steam previously generated with the steam boiler is used. Subsequently,
hops are added and the mixture has to cool down. Then yeast is added and triggers the
fermentation so that the breweries get the desired effect. Depending on the type the breweries
still has to mature for up to three months until it can be filled in bottles or barrels.
Dairy
Process Boilers are mostly used in dairy industry for milk pasteurization and Until Boiler ensures
good shelf life and destroys disease-causing microorganisms. This emphasizes the requirement
for flexible and reliable heat sources, which may keep the dairy milk systems running without
any hurdle. Dairy Industry use steam for various purposes, Such as Heat Treatment of dairy

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products & Dairy Processing Industrial milk boiler used to generate steam for following
processes in dairy Industry.
1. Milk powder
2. Cheese
3. Liquid milk pasteurization
4. Ultra-heat treatment (UHT) Milk

Fig. process boiler used in dairy industry

2 Steam condensate
Condensate is the liquid formed when steam passes from the vapor to the liquid state. In a
heating process, condensate is the result of steam transferring a portion of its heat energy, known
as latent heat, to the product, line, or equipment being heated.

2.1 Difference between steam and condensate

Flash steam is released from hot condensate when its pressure is reduced. Because both types of
steam are produced in the boiler, it is impossible to differentiate between them. Only when
flashing takes place at relatively low pressure, such as at the discharge side of steam traps, is the
term flash steam widely used.

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2.2 Steam Loop
An arrangement of pipes by which water of condensation can be returned to the boiler without a
pump or injector as a result of condensation of boiler steam in a loop of two vertical pipes
connected by a horizontal one.
2.3 Steam Trap
A steam trap is a valve designed to sense the difference between steam and condensate, and drain
the condensate from the line. Steam traps allow only condensate and gases to drain and “traps”
the steam in to provide heat and power.

2.4 Working of Steam Trap

In industrial and commercial facilities and plants, as well as the marine industry, steam is still
used commonly as a source of energy-for heating, processing, and power. Steam traps are used
anywhere there is a steam-powered system to discharge condensate, that is, the liquid that builds
up in the pipelines, along with other non-condensable gases, to relieve the pressure in the lines
and regulate the flow of steam within in it. To do this effectively, steam traps are placed at
intervals along the pipelines. A steam trap is a valve designed to sense the difference between
steam and condensate, and drain the condensate from the line. Steam traps allow only condensate
and gases to drain and “traps” the steam in to provide heat and power. Too much condensate will
lead to a build-up in pressure, causing hammering inside the pipeline, blown seals, work
stoppages, etc. A proper functioning steam trap removes condensate and non-condensable gases
without losing any live steam. Figure shows cross sectional view of steam trap.

Fig. steam trap

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2.5 Types of Steam Traps
Depending on the methods the steam trap uses to differentiate between steam and the
condensate, steam traps can be divided into 4 different types:
 Mechanical
 Temperature
 Thermodynamic
 Venturi nozzle

3. Introduction to Ultra Super Critical Boilers

  A supercritical steam generator is a type of boiler that operates at supercritical pressure,
frequently used in the production of electric power. In contrast to a subcritical boiler in
which bubbles can form, a supercritical steam generator operates at pressures above the critical
pressure 22 Parboilers are closed vessels in which a fluid is heated, most of the times, it is
water. The key difference between a Subcritical and Supercritical boiler is that Subcritical boilers
work at subcritical pressure of the fluid whereas Supercritical boilers work at Supercritical
pressure of the fluid. The Rankine Cycle can be greatly improved by operating in the
supercritical region of the coolant. Most modern fossil plants employ the supercritical Rankine
Steam cycle which pushes the thermal efficiency of plant as per equation shown below into the
low to mid 40% range.
Efficiency of supercritical ƞ = (h2-h1) -(h3-h4)/(h2-h1).

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Fig diagram of ultra supercritical Rankine cycle
For water, this cycle corresponds to pressure above 221.2 bar and temperature above374.15C
(647.3 K). With the use of reheat and regeneration technique point 3 in the figure which
corresponds to T-S vapour state of the coolant after it has expanded through the turbine, can be
pushed to the right such that coolant remains in the gas phase. This simplifies the system by
eliminating the need for steam separators, dryers and turbine specially designed for low quality
steam.

3.1 Difference between supercritical and ultra supercritical

Virtually all coal plants in current operation employ pulverized coal combustion technology,
which involves grinding coal into talcum-powder fineness and then burning it to heat water into
high-pressure steam to drive an electrical generator. The difference between subcritical,
supercritical, and ultra-supercritical versions of pulverized coal combustion technology has to do
with the steam pressure within the boiler.
In a subcritical plant, steam pressure is below 200 bar and temperature are below 550 degrees
Celsius. Subcritical units have efficiencies of between 33% and 37%; i.e., between 33% and 37%
of the energy in the coal is converted into electricity. In the late 1960s, supercritical combustion
technology was commercialized, after advances in materials technology made it possible to build
boilers that could operate at higher pressures. In supercritical units, the pressure of the boiler is
about 240 bar and temperatures are 565 degrees Celsius.
At this higher pressure and temperature, water can be maintained as a fluid despite being above
the atmospheric boiling plant, allowing greater efficiency. Efficiency ratings for supercritical
coal plants range from37% to 40%. In ultra-supercritical units, pressures are at 315 bar and
temperatures of 600-610degrees Celsius, and current research and development is targeting
pressures of 380 bar and temperatures of 700-720 degrees Celsius, with the possibility of raising
generating efficiency to the 44-46% range. Based on the differences in temperature and pressure,
the technology is categorized into three tiers: subcritical, supercritical (SC) and ultra supercritical
(USC) (Table 1).

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 Table 1. Approximate pressure and temperature ranges
Main steam pressure bar Main steam temperature deg. C
Sub critical Less than 220 Up to 565
Super critical Between 220 to 250 Between 540 to 580
Ultra super critical Above 250 Above 580

SC and USC technologies achieve high efficiency and consequently use less coal and result in
reduced CO2 emissions.
Table 2. Estimated costs and thermal efficiencies
Average efficiency Co2 emission Power generation cost
% Gm/kWh Rs/kW
Sub critical Up to 36 766-789 300-350
Super critical Up to 45 722 260-280
Ultra super critical Less than 45 More than 722 350-400

Although SC/USC is a mature technology, the majority of existing coal-fired power plants
worldwide are still using subcritical technology. The barriers to the diffusion of SC/USC
technologies are not technical but largely economic and regulatory.

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 CONCLUSION

A steam boiler is a steam producing heating system; it produces energy by heating water to
create steam. A steam boiler burns fuel to heat water. The combination of heat and water
produces steam.
Super Critical Boilers are the boilers which operate at steam pressure higher than critical point.
Critical point is 22.064 Mpa, 373.946 deg cen. at this point latent heat of evaporation is zero &
there is no difference in density of steam & water.
Steam temperature at the inlet and outlet of the reheater is nearly constant over a wide load
range. The boiler feedwater pump power is significantly reduced at lower loads. Short startup
times. Higher plant efficiency over the entire load range.

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