BOILER AND AUXILIARIES PRESSURE PARTS
CHAPTER 5
PRESSURE PARTS
5.1 ECONOMISER
Economisers are provided in the boilers to improve the efficiency of the boiler by
extracting the heat from flue gases and add it as either sensible heat alone or sensible
heat and latent heat to the feed water enters the evaporating surface of the boiler.
The economiser in the present day power boilers have tubes made of low carbon steel
with tube outside diameters ranging from 38 mm to 52 mm with spacing about 90 to
140 mm, Both horizontally and vertically.
Fig. Arrangement of Boiler Pressure Parts
Provision of economiser in a boiler brings in two major advantages:
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a) As the economiser recover the heat in flue gas that leaves the boiler and transfer to
working fluid there will be savings in fuel consumption.
b) As the feed water is preheated in the economiser and enters the boiler tubes at an
elevated temperature the heat transfer area required for the evaporation surface
required will be reduced considerably. As such size of the boiler will be reduced.
5.1.1 TYPES OF ECONOMISER
A. Steaming economiser
When the heat available in the flue gas is sufficiently high after super heaters especially
in small capacity non re-heat boilers, it would be advantageous in producing part of the
steam in economiser itself. In such a case sensible heat and part of latent heat is added
to the feed water at the economiser and the economiser is termed as steaming
economiser. The evaporation to steam in the economiser is generally limited to 20% at
full boiler output and less as the load decreases.
B. Non steaming economiser
In this type of economiser only sensible heat is added to feed water thereby after
heating by flue gas, the feed water leaves the economiser at a temperature lower than
the saturation temperature corresponding to the operating pressure.
5.1.2 LOCATION AND ARRANGEMENT
Location of economiser will vary with the overall design of the boiler. It is usual to
locate the economiser ahead of air heaters and following the primary super heater of re
heater in the convective pass of the gas stream. In some cases where very low exit gas
temperature and high air temperatures are desired it may be necessary to divide the
economiser and the air heater and place the cooler section of the economiser between
the air heater sections.
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5.2 BOILER DRUM
5.2.1 DRUM AND DRUM INTERNALS
In a re-circulation type boiler the evaporating
tubes supply only a steam-water mixture to the
drum. From this, the steam of high purity
acceptable to the super heaters and turbine is to
be separated.
As shown in figure drum is supported from the
top, hanging with the help of U rods.
Fig. Drum Internals
5.2.2 FUNCTIONS OF THE DRUM
1. Separation of saturated steam from the steam-water mixture produced by the
evaporating tubes.
2. Mixing feed water from economiser and water separated from steam-water
mixture, and re-circulate through the evaporating tubes.
3. Carrying out blow down for reduction of boiler water salt concentration.
4. Treatment of boiler water by chemicals.
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5.2.3 METHODS OF STEAM SEPARATION
1. Simple gravity separation
2. Gravity separation with baffles to supplement gravity separation
3. Centrifugal and gravity separation.
4. Screen drier
Fig. Turbo Separator and Screen Drier
5.2.4 CHEMICAL TREATMENT OF BOILER WATER
a) Any scale forming salt in the boiler water is converted into sludge facilitating its
removal through low point drains.
b) The pH value of the boiler water is maintained at the desired level to prevent
corrosion as wall to avoid silica carry over by steam.
Tri-sodium phosphate does two functions.
• It reacts with scale forming salts like calcium chloride, calcium sulphate etc. If any
present in boiler water and convert them into sludge. This process is called
periodical blow down.
3CaCl2 + 2Na3PO4 → Ca3(PO4)2 + 6NaCl
• The phosphate dozing maintain the pH value which controls the silica carry over. It
may be noted that any excess pH value more than recommended results in free
caustic deposits in boiler causing gauging type of attack called caustic em-
brittlement in boiler tubes.
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5.2.5 BLOWDOWNS
The removal of a portion of water from the boiler drum is termed as blow down. Two
types of blow downs are adopted from the boiler drum.
a) Continuous blow down
Staged evaporation of water in the boiler tubes of re circulation type boiler results, in
the increase in concentration of impurities in the boiler water over a period of time. To
keep this concentration within limits so that no scaling occurs in the boiler tubes, it is
necessary to drain a portion of this water from drum continuously and compensate the
same with fresh make up water which is having low amount of impurities. This process
is called continuous blow down.
CBD % of feed flow = (TDS in make up water in PPM / TDS allowed in
boiler water in PPM) x (% makeup)
Fig. Continuous Blow Down
b) Emergency blow down
Operating conditions may cause the water level in the drum to raise. A high level of
water above the normal level may lead to the carry over of water by steam and at times
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the separators may be submerged in water. In such a situation to bring the water level to
normal, this blow down provision is made in the drum.
5.2.6 CONNECTIONS TO BOILER DRUM
MAIN CONNECTIONS
a) Feed lines
b) Down comers
c) Up risers
d) Super heater supply tubes
Fig. Main Connections to Boiler Drum
AUXILIARY CONNECTIONS
a) Blow down lines
b) Chemical dozing lines
c) Instrumentation tapings
d) Air vents
e) Safety valves
f) Nitrogen filling line
g) High and low level trips
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5.3 WATER WALL TUBES
Any boiler needs primarily an evaporating surface for the conversion of water into
steam. In the early periods of boiler development the evaporating surfaces are formed
by placing many coils of tubes or tube banks across the flow path of the hot gases from
the furnace and circulating water through these tubes. With the need for increase in
steaming capacity of boilers and to minimise the furnace heat losses by radiation, in
modern boilers the evaporating surface is made of water walls, which form the major
part, if no all, of the furnace enclosure.
Usually carbon steel especially low carbon steel is used for the water wall tubes as the
tube metal temperature normally will be within 4000C. However some prefer to use ½
% molybdenum steel also for water wall tubes to have better stress value.
5.3.1 ADVANTAGES OF WATER WALLED FURNACE
a) In furnace not only combustion but also heat transfer is taking place
simultaneously.
b) The maintenance work involved in repairing the firebricks is completely
eliminated.
c) Due to heat transfer in the furnace, temperature of the flue gas leaving the furnace
is reduced to the acceptable level of the superheating surfaces.
d) Higher heat loading in the furnace is possible, as heat is being simultaneously
removed by heat transfer, and hence economy in surfacing.
e) Providing a gas tight seal to the combustion chamber to prevent air infiltration.
5.3.2 TYPE OF WATER WALLED FURNACE
A. TANGENT TUBE WALL
Closely pitched tubes form the panel and some times a tube of smaller diameter is
placed in between two larger diameter tubes, which touch each other. The adjacent
tubes are welded together to form the panel. The wall will be backed firebricks or
mouldable refractory.
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B. MEMBRANE WALL
In this type the tubes are welded together by means of flat metal strips approximately
12 mm wide. This type of construction enables furnace wall tube panels to be
prefabricated in a factory and facilitate the erection of the wall at site. With membrane
wall construction the furnace walls are airtight. The membrane walls will be insulated
at the non firing side by mineral wool blankets and covered by metal lagging called
skin casing.
5.3.3 BUCK STAY AND FURNACE GUIDE
To provide rigidity to the water wall system, on all four side of different elevation
beams called buck stays are attached on non firing side. These buck stays keep the
water wall from blowing inward or outward. Since the buck stays are out side the
insulation corner connection are required that will allow the wall to expand and at the
same time tie together where the force of an the explosion is concentrated. These corner
connections must be tight during starting up periods when the walls have not fully
expanded as well as the normal operating fully expanded position.
The tube span between the buckstays act as a beam to resist the internal furnace
pressure. The larger the tube diameter and heavier the tube wall the farther apart the
buck stays may be changed.
Fig. Buckstay Beam and Furnace Guides
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The water wall system is subjected to the many forces such as furnace operating
pressure, wind, furnace puffing, seismic disturbances etc. All these forces must be
suitably absorbed and transferred to the boiler structure and foundation.
Pair of I section beams called furnace guides are welded perpendicular to the buck stay
beams in such away that there will be a structural member in between to furnace
guides. There will be a small gap between the guide and the structural member when
the downward expansion of water wall system takes place. Any force acting on the
water wall system is transmitted to the structural member through the furnace guides.
5.4 SUPER HEATER
Super heaters are provided in the boiler to raise the steam temperature above the
saturation temperature by absorbing heat from flue gas. Use of superheated steam by a
steam turbine brings in number of advantages.
5.4.1 ADVANTAGES
a) By increasing the temperature of the steam, the useful energy that can be recovered
economically increases thus the efficiency of the cycle also.
b) Superheating of steam eliminates the condensation of steam during transporting of
steam in pipelines and inside the early stages of turbines which is harmful to the
turbine blades and pipe lines.
c) Limits the work done by turbine stages to avoid excessive erosion of blades.
Maximum temperature rise in super heater is not constrained thermodynamically but it
is constrained by metallurgy. Only ferrite, pearlite and very limited amount of austenite
steels can be chosen for super heater and re heater tubes. Because of this reason higher
temperature limit is 5800C.
5.4.2 TYPES OF SUPERHEATERS
A) Radiant super heaters
B) Convective super heaters
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Fig. Temperature Characteristic Curve
5.5 RE HEATER
Development of large capacity steam turbines with more number of stages posed a
problem of retaining the steam within vapour phase till the last stage. It is because even
with a larger steam turbine the inlet steam temperature is kept at 5400C only due to the
super heater limitations. To overcome this problem it becomes necessary to raise the
temperature of steam after part of the energy is extracted from it in the steam turbine.
Fig. Rankine Cycle with and without Reheat
Normal practice is to use single reheat for capacity above 100 MW and two re-heat for
capacity above 500 MW.
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