AIR PREHEATER

SYNOPSIS
• Introduction

• Importance of Air Preheater

• Types of Air Preheater

• Construction of Air Preheater

• APH Performance Indicator

• Operation and Maintenance practices

 INTRODUCTION
⚫ Air Preheaters are important components in modern
fossil fuel fired power stations. By preheating the
combustion air with the hot flue gases leaving the
boiler, a considerable increase in efficiency is
obtained
⚫ APH is the last heat exchanger in the boiler flue gas
circuit.
⚫ To achieve maximum boiler efficiency, maximum
possible useful heat must be removed from the flue
gas before it leaves the STACK (However certain
minimum temperature has to be maintained in the
flue gas to prevent cold end corrosion)
 INTRODUCTION
⚫ Air Preheaters are located in the flue gas path
between economizer and ESP.
 Importance of APH
AIR PRE HEATER IS AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT
CONTRIBUTORS TO A PLANTS THERMAL EFFICIENCY.
Improvement in combustion rates & combustion efficiency by
use of hot secondary air.
Drying the pulverized coal(take out moisture) in pulveriser.
Helps in achieving ignition temperature of primary fuel faster
and thereby accelerates combustion.
 Importance of APH
REGENERATIVE APH CAPTURE AND RECYCLE ABOUT
60% OF THE ENERGY EXITING BOILER.
UP TO 20% OF THE TOTAL HEAT TRANSFER IN THE
BOILER PROCESS IS PROVIDED BY AIR PREHEATER
WHILE REPRESENTING ONLY 2% OF THE TOTAL
INVESTMENT.
FOR EVERY 200C INCREASE IN FLUE GAS EXIT GAS
TEMP, BOILER EFFICIENCY WILL DECREASE BY 1%.
FOR EVERY 1 °C DROP IN EXIT FLUE GAS TEMP,THE
HEAT RATE WILL REDUCE BY 1 KCAL / KWH.
1 KCAL / KWH REDUCTION OF HEAT RATE HAS
YEARLY SAVING POTENTIAL OF RS 8.7 LACS
Heating combustion air can raise boiler efficiency about
1% for every 4.5deg in temperature increase.
Types of APH
 Tubular APH (Recuperative)

Tubular APH are Shell and tube type Heat [Link], Gas flows
inside the tubes & Air over the tubes with cross flow arrangement. Based on
the performance requirement Air will have single pass or multi-pass
arrangement. Guide Vanes shall be provided particularly in the air ducts to
ensure even distribution of air over the cross section of the APH
Plate type APH (Recuperative)

It consists of rectangular flat plates from 1.25 cm to 25cm apart formed

alternate flue gases and air passages as shown in [Link] type of APH is
more expensive for installation and maintenance compared to tubular type.
 Recuperative – Design
Parameters
Tubular recuperators-
Tubes are generally arranged in staggered pattern.
Steel tubes of Dia: 37 – 63 mm.
Transverse pitch: S1/d = 1.5 – 1.9
Longitudinal pitch: S2/d = 1.0 – 1.2
The height of air chamber:1.4 – 4.5 m.
Gas and Air flow velocity : 10 – 16 m/s.

Plate Recuperators:
Instead of tube, parallel plates are used.
The gas passage is 12 – 16 mm wide.
The air passage is 12 mm wide.
Ljunstrom(Regenerative type)
 Ljunstrom(Regenerative type)
⚫ THE HEAT TRANSFER ELEMENTS ARE ROTATED AT A
CONSTANT SPEED AND THEY PASS ALTERNATELY THROUGH
GAS AND AIRPASSES.

⚫ The rotor is the heart of the equipment radially divided open

ended cylinder which contains the heating surface elements. The
center shaft of the rotor is called the post. Diaphragm plates
extend out ward from the post dividing the rotor into 12 or 24
sectors which are further divided to form compartments into
which the element baskets are packed

⚫ THE ROTOR IS DRIVEN THROUGH REDUCTION GEAR BY

ELECTRICAL OPERATED MOTOR, WITH COMPRESSED AIR
MOTOR AS STAND-BY.

⚫ THE PLATES FORMING THE ELEMENTS (MATRIX) MAY BE

VARIED IN SPACING AND THICKNESS.
 Ljunstrom(Regenerative type)

⚫AS THE ROTOR REVOLVES, WASTE HEAT IS ABSORBED FROM

THE HOT EXHAUST GAS PASSING THROUGH ONE HALF OF THE
[Link] ACCUMULATED HEAT IS RELEASED TO THE
INCOMING AIR AS THE SAME SURFACES PASS THROUGH THE
OTHER HALF OF THE STRUCTURE

⚫THEIR SIMPLIFIED DESIGN AND OPERATING INTEGRITY ASSURE

CONTINUOUS RELIABLE SERVICE THROUGHOUT THE LIFE OF
THE PLANT

⚫THISTYPE OF APH IS VERY COMPACT AND LENDS EASILY FOR

DUCTING ARRANGEMENT
 Rothemuhle (Regenerative type)

⚫ The heating plate elements in this type of regenerative air

pre-heater are also installed in a casing, but the heating
plate elements are stationary rather than rotating.

⚫ Instead the air ducts in the pre-heater are rotated so as

to alternatively expose sections of the heating plate
elements to the up flowing cool air.

⚫ As indicated in the adjacent drawing, there are rotating

inlet air ducts at the bottom of the stationary plates similar
to the rotating outlet air ducts at the top of the stationary
plates.
Rothemuhle (Regenerative type)
Difference between RECUPERATIVE and REGENRATIVE Type APH
 Ljunstrom
(Regenerative type)
Design Parameters
STAGE-2 500MW APH
DESCRIPTION
Design Parameters
27/27.5/30/30.5-
INDICATES THE SIZE OF
AIR HEATER
VI- INDICATES
VERTICAL SHAFT,
INVERTED GAS FLOW
M- INDICATES
MODULAR ROTOR
2000 -INDICATES HT. OF
HEATING ELEMENTS IN
mm
 Construction
GUIDE BEARING

RADIAL SEAL
BYPASS SEAL

HOT END BASKET AXIAL

SEAL

COG RIM PIN

ELECTRICAL DRIVE

HOT INTERMEDIATE BASKET

COLD END BASKET

SUPPORT BEARING
 MAJOR COMPONENT OF
REGENERATIVE TYPE APH
⚫ Heating element(Basket
segments)
⚫ Bearings and lube oil pumps
⚫ Soot blower system
⚫ Rotor drive unit & auxiliary
drive unit
⚫ Sealing(types)
⚫ APH washing system
⚫ Fire detection and protection
system
⚫ APH oil carry over probe
 Heating Elements
⚫ Each element pair consists of a combination
of flat, corrugated or undulated plate profiles.
⚫ On the basis of temperature, these heating
elements can be sub-divided into three
different regions.
⚫ Hot end : Carbon steel

⚫ Hot intermediate end : Carbon steel

⚫ Cold end: Corten Steel

⚫ Cold end plates are made of special

corrosion resistance alloy such as Corten
or Enamelled to prevent cold end corrosion.
 Heating Elements

DOUBLE UNDULATED PROFILE NOTCHED FLAT PROFILE

 Heating Elements

DU PROFILE – 0.8 MM THICK

NF PROFILE – 1.2 MM THICK

 Profile Performance
PARAMETERS NF PROFILE DU PROFILE

HEAT TRANSFER PER LOW HIGH

UNIT LENGTH
PRESSURE DROP PER LOW HIGH
UNIT LENGTH
HEATING SURFACE LOW HIGH
AREA PER UNIT
VOLUME
RESISTANCE TO HIGH LOW
FOULING
CLEANABILITY HIGH LOW
INTERNAL LOW HIGH
VELOCITY(EROSION)
Heating Elements
 Positioning of Basket
Correct Positioning of Basket -
Improves the heat transfer rate of APH

Heating Basket
elements

Diaphragm
 Rotor Bearings
⚫ A thrust bearing supports the complete
[Link] load is transmitted to the thrust
bearing by a trunnion, bolted to the lower end
of the rotor post or by an extension to the rotor
post.
⚫ To guide the upper end of the rotor, a guide
trunnion is bolted to the face of the rotor post. A
radial guide bearing assembly maintains the
position of this trunnion.
⚫ Both the support and guide bearings are
lubricated by an oil bath.
Support Bearing Assly
Guide Bearing Assly
 Oil Circulation System
• Each of the Support & Guide Bearing is provided with an Oil
Circulation Unit having 100% standby. Since the Bearing Housings
are large in size, they are treated as Oil Sump. The Oil Circulation
Unit supplied by us is as shown in the Scheme. The Oil Circulation
Unit is not to be kept operating continuously. It is only required to
operate whenever the Bearing Oil Temperature exceeds a Set Point
(40°C for SB & GB).

• The oil circulation system is designed to supply the bearing with a

bath of continuously cleaned oil

• The bearing oil is circulated by means of a motor driven pump through

an external filtering system.

• The system components are a pump(driven by AC motor),

thermometer, pressure gauge, flow indicators, coolers and filters.
Oil Circulation System

TH – Thermostat
RTD – Platinum resistance temp
detector
FS – Flow indicator with switch
P – Pump
SP – Stand by Pump
M – Motor
RV – Relief valve
PG – Pressure gauge
TI – Temperature indicator
F – Filter
C – Cooler
IV – Isolation valve
NRV – Non return valve
 Rotor Drive System
• The drive system envisaged is of peripheral Pin Rack - Pinion Type.
• It consists of a two input Speed Reducer with built-in Over-Running
Clutch
• One Electric Motor as main drive and an Air Motor which is used as
emergency drive.
• Main drive(motor) is coupled through Fluid Coupling / Flexible Coupling
and a Pinion for meshing with the Pin Rack of the rotor.
• In the event of electrical trip out, the Air Motor comes into operation
automatically, compressed air being admitted through solenoid valve.
The air line is fitted with necessary Filter Lubricator for lubrication.

• It is not advisable to allow the Air Heater Rotor to be stopped when

high Temperature Gases are flowing through it, since this may cause
abnormal rise in basket temperatures, Unequal Expansion and pose
problems for restarting the Rotor. A Rotor Stoppage Alarm is
provided in the Air Heater to annunciate the slowing down or
stoppage of the Rotor at DDCMIS panel.
Rotor Drive System
Rotor Drive System

1 – High speed coupling

2 – Motor (Main)
3 - Pin Rack
4 - Rotor Housing
5 - Support Bracket
6 – Pinion
7 – Pinion Cover
8 – Speed Reducer
9 – Air Motor (Auxiliary)
Auxiliary Drive System
 Sootblowing/Cleaning Device
•Deposits would affect APH performance as it reduces heat transfer
•Soot Deposits/choking of basket elements would lead to an increase in pressure
drop across APH.
•Cleaning device is provided at the cold end gas side to remove soot deposits on
the heating elements. From the past experience, it is seen that hot end
elements are clean due to erosive action of the fly ash and do not need
cleaning.
EFFECTIVE CLEANING OF HEAT-TRANSFER SURFACE BY SOOT
BLOWING IS POSSIBLE.
 APH fire Detection system

• Fire Detection System senses an undue Temperature Rise in the Air & Gas
Flow Streams of the Air Heater, and gives an early warning to DDCMIS at
Remote about a possible Fire situation.
• Fire Detection System consists of a Set of Thermocouples located
strategically in the Air Heater Flow Streams, and is connected to DDCMIS
at Remote, which measures at Set Intervals the Temperature of each
Thermocouple & compares it with its Set Point.
• In the event of a measured Value being more than the Set Point for more
than one Rotor revolution time, an Alarm contact is closed in the DDCMIS
Scan System.
• This contact is used in the Plant Annunciation System, to alert the Operator
of a possible Fire Situation demanding immediate attention.
 APH Deluge system
• Air Heater Fires are very rare. In an unfortunate event of such a Fire,
Deluge System is provided to quench the same.
• This consists of Headers with special Nozzles strategically located in the Air
Heater in the Gas Inlet, Gas Outlet & Air outlet.
• Water Supply is provided to these Headers through a set of Valves,
Strainers, and Piping network from the station fire hydrant system.
• In the event of an Alarm from Fire Sensing Device, the Operator has to go
near the Air Heater to check the possible Fire situation. If there is a Fire,
then the Deluge System and the Water Washing system Valves shall be
opened manually.(Note: Deluge System can also be used for Water
Washing purposes. In case of Fire, both Water Washing and Deluge
System shall be used)
 APH Water Washing System
• For off-load Washing of the Air Heaters, a set of Washing Manifolds with
Nozzles are provided in the Cold & Hot ends of the Air Heater.
• Clarified Water Supply is provided to these Headers through a set of
Valves, Strainers, and Piping network. A set of APH wash pumps pressurize
these header taking suction from the service water tank.
• It is recommended to avoid Water going into the Air Heater and causing
Plugging & Fouling problems during normal operation. Pressure Gauges
are also provided to indicate the Water Pressure during Washing.(Note : In
case of Fire, both Water Wash and Deluge System shall be used.)
 APH Oil Carry Over Probe
• An Oil Carry-Over Detector is provided in the Flue Gas Inlet Duct having
Water Inlet & Outlet connections through Flexible Hoses to circulate Cooling
Water of 0.5 m3/Hr at a Pressure of 5 Kg/Cm2(g) maximum.
• Oil Carry-Over Detector is a Water-Cooled Lance to be located in the Gas
Inlet Duct just above the Air Heater.
• Circulation of Cooling Water maintains the Lance Temperature at 90°C or
below, which would cause any unburnt Oil Vapour in the Flue Gas Stream to
condense.
• This Lance should be withdrawn from the Duct by an Operator once in
every 15 minutes during Initial Firing of a Cold Furnace or Restarting after a
Hot stand-by, such that Condensed Oil could be observed and corrections
in Burner Settings made.
 Types of Rotor Seals
RADIAL SEAL (HE & CE)

AXIAL SEAL

CIRCUMFERENTIAL SEAL

ROTOR POST SEAL

SECTOR PLATE STATIC SEAL

Air Leakages
 Air Leakages
CE Radial seal leakage - 11.98%
Axial seal leakage - 08.78%
circumferential seal leakage - 0.87%
Center post seal leakage - 3.17%
HE Radial seal leakage - 62.21%
_________________________________

Total percentage = 87.01%

Entrapped leakage = 12.99%

TOTAL = 100%
 AIR FLUE
OUT GAS IN

BY PASS HOT BY PASS

SEAL END SEAL
LEAKAGES LEAKAGES
RADIAL SEAL LEAKAGES – HOT END

GAS CARRYOVER

AXIAL SEAL LEAKAGES

AIR CARRYOVER

RADIAL SEAL LEAKAGES – COLD END

BY PASS
BY PASS SEAL
SEAL LEAKAGES
LEAKAGES COLD
END FLUE GAS
AIR
OUT
Radial seal & sector plate
RADIAL SEALS AND SECTOR PLATES ARE LOCATED
AT THE HOT AND COLD ENDS OF THE AIR
PREHEATER. THE RADIAL SEALS ARE ATTACHED TO
THE DIAPHRAGMS (WHICH SEPARATE THE
INDIVIDUAL ROTOR COMPARTMENT) and Used to
reduce the area available for leakage between the
diaphragm and the sector plate

PURPOSE: - THE PURPOSE OF THESE SEALS IS

TO REDUCE THE AREA AVAILABLE FOR LEAKAGE
FROM THE AIR TO THE GAS SIDE BETWEEN THE
ROTOR AND THE AIR PREHEATER HOUSING.
Radial seal & sector plate
Sector plate

Heating elements

Radial seal

Sector plate

Radial seal
Radial seal
Soft Seal

A new concept has been

developed to minimize the seal
leak. As an introduction, this ‘Soft
Touch Seal’ is provided for hot
end radial seal only. Soft touch
seal has flexile end that cannot
escape air from one basket to
another basket. That can be
reduces the percentage of air leak
to flue gas. Heat transfer is
effectively utilized from flue gas
to Primary Air and Secondary Air.
Soft Seal
CHANNEL SETTING FOR RADIAL SEAL
FIXING

ALUMINIUM CHANNEL
H.E. RADIAL SOFT SEAL
 Axial seal & sector plate

AXIAL SEALS MINIMIZE LEAKAGE PASSING

RADIALLY AROUND THE ROTOR SHELL. THE AXIAL
SEALS ARE MOUNTED ON THE OUT SIDE OF THE
ROTOR SHELL AND SEAL AGAINST THE AXIAL SEAL
PLATES MOUNTED ON THE AIR PREHEATER
HOUSING.
 Axial seal

AXIAL SEAL

COG RIM PIN

 Axial seal

AXIAL SEAL

COG RIM PIN

 Axial seal arrangement
Curved axial sector plate adjustable
from outside
Seal strips are attached to the rotor.
The thickness of seal strips :
6 MM straight strips in Russian.
2.5 mm thick and bend backward in
BHEL.

BHEL APH has better accessibility of

axial seal adjustment as compared to
Russian design
 Circumferential seal

THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL SEALS PREVENT

AIR AND GAS FROM BYPASSING THE
HEATING SURFACE THROUGH THE SPACE
BETWEEN THE ROTOR AND THE HOUSING
SHELL. THEY ALSO PREVENT AIR AND GAS
FROM FLOWING AXIALLY AROUND THE
ROTOR.
 Circumferential seal

CIRCUMFERENTIAL SEAL

H.E.
DIAPHRAGM 2.5MM RADIAL SEAL H.E. ROTOR FLANGE
Circumferential seal-(Russian design)
ROTOR
FLANGE AXIAL SEAL

CIRCUMFERENTIAL ADJUSTABLE
SEAL BOLT
By pass seal(BHEL)
BY PASS
SEAL

ROTOR
FLANGE

HE RADIAL
SEAL
By pass seal-BHEL
ROTOR FLANGE WITH T-BAR
 Rotor post seal
ROTOR POST SEALS PREVENT LEAKAGE
BETWEEN THE ENDS OF THE ROTOR
POST AND THE AIR PREHEATER
HOUSING.
THE STATIC SEALS PREVENT LEAKAGE
BETWEEN THE HOT AND COLD END
CENTER SECTIONS.
Rotor post seal & Static seal

HE ROTOR POST
SEAL SECTOR PLATE STATIC SEAL
 APH Performance
Boiler efficiency decreases and APC increases with Air
Preheater performance degradation mainly due to seal
leakages, erosion(caused by fly ash abrasiveness and
high ash velocity) & high pressure drop across APH.

Increase in air leakage across the seals of an APH

results in-
•Loss of fan margins leading to inefficient operation and at
times restricting unit loading
•Lower gas exit temperatures due to high AH leakage
•Increased flue gas volume - affects ESP performance
•Boiler operation at less than optimum excess air – Specially
in units where in ID fans are running at maximum loading
 AH Performance Monitoring

Data Collected / Measured

⚫O2 & CO2 in FG at APH Inlet
⚫O2 & CO2 in FG at APH Outlet
⚫Temperature of gas entering/leaving air heater
⚫Temperature of air entering/leaving air heater
⚫Diff. Prs. across APH on air & gas side

(Above data is tracked to monitor AH performance)

 Sampling Location
Expansion
Bellow

Economizer

APH
Sampling
APH Locations
FG

a) Inlet Sampling plane to be as close to AH as possible;

Outlet grid to be a little away to reduce stratification
b) AH hopper / Manhole air ingress can influence test data
 APH Performance

Generally three types of tests are used –

Air Heater(air-in) Leakage: "Weight of air passing from air

side to Flue gas side“ ,the movement of high pressure air
to the low pressure flue gas is due to the Differential
Pressure, increased seal clearances in hot condition, seal
erosion improper seal settings.

Gas Side Efficiency

X-Ratio
[Link] Heater Leakage %- This leakage is assumed to occur entirely
between air inlet and gas outlet(Typically air heater starts with a
baseline leakage of 6 to 10% after an overhaul.)

Calculation - Empirical relationship using the change in

concentration of O2 or CO2 in the flue gas

APH Lkg(AL) = CO2in - CO2out * 0.9 * 100

CO2out

= O2out - O2in * 0.9 * 100 = 5.7 – 2.8 * 90

(21- O2out) (21-5.7)
= 17.1 %

CO2 measurement is preferred due to high absolute

values. In case of any measurement errors, the resultant
influence on leakage calculation is small.
2. Gas Side Efficiency
Ratio of Gas Temperature drop across the air heater, corrected for no
leakage, to the temperature head(expressed as percentage)

= (Temp drop / Temperature head) * 100

where Temp drop = Tgas in -Tgas out (no leakage)

Temp head = Tgas in - Tair in

Tgas out (no leakage) = The temperature at which the gas would
have left the air heater if there were no AH leakage

= AL * Cpa * (Tgas out - Tair in) + Tgas out

Cpg * 100

Say AH leakage – 17.1%, Gas In Temp – 333.5 C, Gas Out Temp –

133.8 C, Air In Temp – 36.1 C

Tgasnl = 17.1 * (133.8 – 36.1) + 133.8 = 150.5 C

100
Gas Side Efficiency = (333.5-150.5) / (333.5-36.1) = 61.5 %
3. X – Ratio
Ratio of heat capacity of air passing through the air heater to the
heat capacity of flue gas passing through the air heater.

= Gas side efficiency = Wair out * Cpa

Air side efficiency Wgas in * Cpg
= Tgas in - Tgas out (no leakage)
Tair out - Tair in

Say AH leakage – 17.1%, Gas In Temp – 333.5 C, Gas Out Temp –

133.8 C , Air In Temp – 36.1 C, Air Out Temp – 288 C

X ratio = (333.5 – 150.5) / (288 –36.1) = 0.73

X-Ratio depends on
• moisture in coal, air infiltration, air & gas mass flow rates
• leakage from the setting
• specific heats of air & flue gas

X-ratio does not provide a measure of thermal performance of

the air heater, but is a measure of the operating conditions.

A low X-ratio indicates either excessive gas weight through the

air heater or that air flow is bypassing the air heater.

A lower than design X-ratio leads to a higher than design gas

outlet temperature & can be used as an indication of excessive
tempering air to the mills or excessive boiler setting infiltration.
 Operation Practices in Sipat
1. Daily trial of AIR motor for at least 02 minutes..
2. Oil level in the drive gearbox and the air line lubricator to air motor to
be checked at every shift..
3. Ensure clean dry compressed air with required pressure into the Air
motor to avoid jamming / failure
4. Guide and support bearing oil level should be checked in each
shift.(CAUTION-DO NOT OVERFILL)
5. Check the bearing oil quality for any wear debris / any other
contamination(dust or ash) every quarterly.
6. Guide & support bearings running LOP’s pressure, flow & Filter dp to
be monitored in each shift
7. Check for any abnormal sound from guide and support brg assembly
8. Check for any hot/cold air leakages in the air side of air preheater..
 Operation Practices in Sipat

1. AH sootblowing immediately after boiler light up

2. Ah soot blowing daily for any soot removal
3. Hot water washing of air heaters after boiler shutdown - flue gas
temperature ~ 180 to 150 C with draft fans in stopped condition.
(Ideally pH value can verify effective cleaning)
4. Basket drying ensured by running draft fans for atleast four hours after
basket washing
5. Ensuring healthiness of flushing apparatus of Eco & AH ash hoppers
 Maintenance Practices

DURING ANNUAL OVERHAULING: -

1. Cold end and hot end baskets removal and clean with high
pressure jet of 150 kg/cm2.
3. Cleaning Intermediate end baskets in position with high
pressure jet.
4. Inspection of diaphragm & partition plate for repair.
5. Weighing of baskets in one sector. If weight loss is > 20% of
original weight or thinning of element thickness by
one-third, we plan for replacement of baskets.
6. If gas side efficiency is less by 10% of the original value
we plan for replacement of baskets.
7. Inspection of sector plate condition, replace if erosion is
observed.
 Maintenance Practices

8. Wear debris analysis once in six month for support bearing,

guide bearing and gear box oil.
9. Cold end baskets lattice replacement once in two years.
10. SCAPH cleaning.
11. Replacement of seals every o/h irrespective of the condition of
soft seal.
13. Soot blower inspection.
14. Survey for leakages before shut down & attending all leakages.
15. Plate welded in inter-stage basket sealing gap.
16. Critical checks like rotor leveling, sector plate leveling, seal gap
checking. G/B & S/B leveling, jointly checks by maintenance &
FQA.
18. All air leakage point observed during FATT attended.
Axial & Radial seal
Over running clutches sometimes called freewheel clutches are used
to free wheel in one direction while driving in another direction of
rotation. When the driven shaft is rotating faster than the drive shaft,
the clutch mechanically disconnects the drive shaft from the driven
shaft.
Oxygen Level at APH inlet/outlet