STUDY OF A BOILER

Khaled Mosharraf Mukut

POWER PLANT ENGINEERING SESSONAL Student ID: 1010046
Experiment No:02
Course No: ME 404 Department of Mechanical Engineering
Section: A
Date of Performance: 6th October, 2015
Date of Submission: 7th October, 2015

Objectives:

To study the different accessories and mounting of a boiler

To study the operations of a boiler

To study the boiler capacities
To study the water treatment operations for boiler

Specifications:
Brand Name: Philipp Loos GmbH ( Packaged Boiler)
Model: 12 D-57629 Norken
Producer Country: Germany
Maximum working pressure: 16 Bar
Type of Burner: Dual Fuel Burner (Natural Gas)
Fuel used: Natural Gas

Schematic Diagram of the Boiler :

Figure: Schematic Diagram of the boiler

Boiler Mounting and accessories:

Mountings:
i)

Water level indicator

ii)
iii)

Pressure gauge
Safety valve

iv)

Stop valve

v)
vi)
vii)

Feed valve
Blow down valve
Fusible plug

viii)

Steam scrubber

ix)

Manhole and handhole covers

Accessories:
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
v)
vi)

Superheater
Attemperator
Economiser
Air preheater
Feed water heater
Feed pump

vii)
viii)

Injectors
Draught production equipment

Water Flow Circuit:

Water storage
tank

Water treatment
plant (Geolite
Chember)

Feed water
storage plant

Globe valve

Feed water pump

Pressure gauge

Return and nonreturn valve

Feed Check valve

and water check
valve

Boiler

Fuel Flow Circuit:

Gas (supply
line)

Pressure
Gauge

Gas On/Off
Valve (Ball
Valve)

Gas Filter

Throttle Valve

Gas Control
Valve (
Solenoid valve)

Push Type
Pressure
Gauge

Gas Regulator

Cross Flow
Mixing
Chember

Burner

Boiler Capacity:
1. Tonnage Rating: The Tonnage Rating is widely used as a datum by shell boiler
manufacturers to give a boiler a rating which shows the amount of steam in kg/h. It
is the amount of water evaporated from feed water at 100 C and formed into dry
and saturated steam at 100 C at normal atmospheric pressure. Each kilogram of
steam would then have received 2257 kJ of heat from the boiler.
Shell boilers are often operated with feed water temperatures lower than 100C.
Consequently the boiler is required to supply enthalpy to bring the water up to
boiling point.
2. KW Rating: Some manufacturers will give a boiler rating in kW. This is not an
evaporation rate, and is subject to the same Tonnage Rating.
To establish the actual evaporation by mass, it is first necessary to know the
temperature of the feed water and the pressure of the steam produced, in order
to establish how much energy is added to each kg of water. The following equation
can then be used to calculate the steam output:

3600

( ) = ()

( )

3. Boiler HP Rating: This unit tends to be used only in the USA, Australia, and New
Zealand. A boiler horsepower is not the commonly accepted 550 ft lbf/s and the
generally accepted conversion factor of 746 Watts = 1 horsepower does
not apply.
In New Zealand, boiler horsepower is a function of the heat transfer area in the
boiler, and a boiler horsepower relates to 17 ft of heating surface, as depicted in
1

Equation:

= 17 ( 2 )

In the USA and Australia the readily accepted definition of a boiler horsepower is
the amount of energy required to evaporate 34.5 lb of water at 212F atmospheric
conditions.

Operations of Air and Fuel Flow for firing a boiler:

Blow out of the exhaust gas.
Checking the water level in the boiler and if level is below the safety
level water is refilled.
Air is blown in by starting blower.
Natural Gas acts as fuel passes through pressure gauge, regulator and
solenoid valve and finally enters into the burner.
Air and gas mixes in proportional limit and produce spark in the electric
spark rod.
Pilot flame is established then full combustion starts.
The fire or hot flue gasses from the burner is channeled through tubes
that are surrounded by the fluid to be heated.

Hydraulic Test of Boiler:

The equipment should have been hydrostatically tested to a minimum of 1 times the
design pressure, in the factory, and copies of the Manufacturer's Data report, signed by
the Authorized Inspector witnessing and evidencing the test forwarded to all
jurisdictional bodies as well as to the Client. However, the complete system, along with all
interconnecting piping, should be hydrostatically tested before start-up to comply with
code requirements and to check for leaks that may have occurred during shipping and
handling. This test should be completed under the supervision of and witnessed by an
Authorized Inspector who should represent the State or municipality having jurisdiction
or the insurance company covering the installation. At the option of this inspector, the
hydrostatic test may be at 1 times the design pressure of the equipment, or at a
pressure slightly less than the setting of the lowest safety valve. The latter test will avoid
the necessity of blanking or gagging of safety valves, removing piping and plugging various
pipe openings, removing controls and gage glasses, etc

Thermal Balance:
Qin=mfuel x HHV
= 0.035 x 0.67 x 58000 kj/sec
= 1360.1 kj/sec
Qsteam = msteam x hsteam
=

1600
3600

2780.33 [10C superheat at 5 Bar]

=1235.702 kj/sec
Qfeed= mfeed x hfeed
=

1600
3600

120

= 53.33 kj/sec
Qexhaust= mexhaust x Cp x Texhaust
= 21 x 0.035 x 0.67 x 1.005 x 162
= 80.176 kj/sec

Unaccounted=
3.752 kj/sec

Qin=1360.1
kj/sec

Boiler
Qfeed=
53.33 kj/sec

Efficiency: =

Qexhaust= 80.176
kj/sec
Qsteam= 1235.702
kj/sec

(Qsteam )

= 86.93%

Hardness Test: The presence of Calcium and Magnesium salt in water causes hardness.
The degree of hardness is directly proportional to the quality of these salts present in
water.
The hardness test is required because in general supply water might be acid (in general
acidic). This is not good for the boiler since scale might be formed due to repeated
operation. So treatment is required to make it slightly basic. This can be done either by
titration or by using a PH meter. We have used a PH for the purpose. The PH of the supplied
water is found to be 5.7.

Discussion:
(i)

The water treatment system is disconnected when the experiment

was done. We should not do this. Because the acidity in the water
may result in the formation of scales over long term usage. This
significantly reduces the heat transfer coefficient of the boiler
heating surface. So, the geolite cylinder should be connected with
the water flow system.

(ii)

Each and every mountings comes in a pair. This is because

mountings are used for the safety purpose. So two of them is
used in case one of them fails.

(iii)

The boiler is run at 5 bar pressure which is very low compared

to the rated pressure. This is done to increase the longitivity
of the boiler.

Assignment: Short notes on different boiler and accessories

Mountings:
i)

Pressure Gauge:

Figure: Pressure Gauge

A pressure gauge is used to measure the pressure of the steam inside the steam boiler. It
is fixed in front of the steam boiler. The pressure gauges generally used are of Bourden
type.A Bourden pressure gauge, in its simplest form, consists of an elliptical elastic tube
bent into an arc of a circle.This bent up tube is called Bourdens tube.
ii)

Pressure Governor and Water Level Regulator:

Thermal energy is transported
to the water inside the boiler body by
means of heating. The water grows
warm and vaporizes, the steam pressure
in the boiler rises. As soon as the
working pressure is attained, the
pressure governors cut of heating.
There upon, when pressure drops for
approx.7% in consequences of the
extraction of steam, the pressure
governor will connect up the furnace
again.

iii)

Safety Valve:
These are the devices attached to the
steam chest for preventing explosions
due to excessive internal pressure of
steam.A steam boiler is,usually, provided
with two safety valves.These are
directly placed on the boiler.The
function of a safety valve is to blow off
the steam when the pressure of steam
inside the boiler exceeds the working
pressure.

iv)

Water Level Indicator:

Figure: Water Level Indicator

It is an important fitting, which indicates the water level inside the boiler to an observer.
It is a safety device,upon which the correct working of the boiler depends. This fitting
may be seen in front of the boiler, and are generally low in number.
v)

Feed Check Valve:

It is a non-return valve, fitted to a screwed spindle to
regulate the lift. Its function is to regulate the supply
of water, which is pumped into the boiler, by the feed
pump. This valve must have its spindle lifted before the
pump is started. It is fitted to the shell slightly below
the normal water level of the boiler.

vi)

Blow Off Cock:

This mounting is used for 2 purposes:

a) To empty the boiler whenever required
b) To discharge the mud, scale or sediments which are
accumulated at the bottom of the boiler
vii)

Feed Pump:
The feed pump is one of the most important
accessories for a boiler unit. Its function is to take
the feed water from the reservoir and to force it into
the boiler against the steam pressure. The feed pumps
used in this boiler are multistaged centrifugal pump
capable of create high pressure flow to the boiler.

Accessories:
i)

Superheater:
A superheater is an important device of a steam
generating unit. Its purpose is to increase the
temperature of saturated steam without raising its
pressure. It is generally an integral part of a boiler, and
is placed in the path of hot flue gases from the furnace.
The heat, given up by these flue gases, is used in
superheating the steam. Such superheaters, which are
installed within the boiler, are known as integral
superheaters.

ii)

Economizer: An economizer is a device used to heat feed water by utilizing the

heat in the exhaust flue gases before leaving through the chimney. As the name
indicates, the economizer improves the economy of the steam boiler. It is a
surface heat exchanger where water flows through the cast iron pipes or steel
tubes and flue gases pass around them. There are two general types of
economizer namely (i) independent type and (ii) integral type.

Other Accessories & Mountings:

Flame Sight Hole

Control Panel

Burner

Gas Pressure Gauge

Controller Relay