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Although most of the older coal-burning plants were designed for baseload operation, many of these plants are now being operated as cycling units. Unfortunately, because the units were generally not designed for cycling operation a variety of problems have occurred with pressure parts and steam/water systems. A change in heat absorption from switching fuels can also cause tube problems. Cycling can result in various problems:
Poor load following Increased downtime and maintenance costs Tube overheating and limited boiler capacity.
In addition, there is the potential for excessive water deposition due to low flow, feed-water control fluctuations, and header cracking and distortion.
Circulation Upgrades
According to Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) the operating problems from boiler cycling are very complex. A seemingly small pressure drop or flow change in one area can result in significant deterioration in other parts of the boiler. Nonetheless, before these problems can be rectified it is recommended that utilities conduct a detailed circulation analysis of the boiler's existing design. Overheating of wing wall boiler tubes at a large western utility drum boiler rendered the boiler unable to operate at full load. After conducting a detailed engineering evaluation and model study of the boiler's original design, B&W determined that the overheating was due to low flow velocities and flow imbalance. As a consequence steam/film boiling occurred in the tubes.
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View Power E Click here to enlarge image After installing low pressure drop drum internals to increase flow, redesigning the wing walls to increase heat absorption, increasing the angle of the panel tubes and installing ribbed tubes to prevent film boiling, the problem was resolved. Figure 1 compares the original boiler design versus the modified boiler circulation upgrades.
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To overcome header problems from high temperatures a combination of design and material changes can improve the life and performance of the boiler and headers. Using forged instead of welded outlet nozzles is one option. Likewise increasing ligament spacing by spreading the header penetrations around the header circumference, instead of clustering them together, will reduce high stress areas.
Figure 2: Furnace wall exit nose. Photo courtesy of Foster Wheeler. Click here to enlarge image null To reduce boiler problems at cycling units originally designed for baseload operation, Foster Wheeler proposes use of a higher chromium alloy material for headers and tubes. Using a higher chromium material allows the headers and the boiler tubes to be made with thinner lighter weight material, says Ristau. Since the thinner walls reduce expansion problems, they also significantly reduce stress on the boiler during cycling operation.
Keeping the surface of a boiler's furnace tube walls clean is essential for optimizing the output and efficiency of operating units. AEP recently completed a performance test of Clyde Bergemann's SmartCannon furnace cleaning system to improve boiler efficiency. The SmartCannon system was tested on Gavin power plant's Unit 2, a 1,300 MW Babcock & Wilcox wall fired boiler burning eastern bituminous coal. According to Randy Sheidler, senior coordinator, AEP Gavin, the SmartCannon performance test had three objectives:
Reduce furnace exit outlet temperature Reduce NOx emissions Improve plant efficiency
To provide cleaning of the furnace from the nose elevation to just above the bottom slope tubes, four SmartCannons were installed above the top burners on the 9th floor elevation of Unit 2. Two cannons were installed on the front wall and two on the rear wall. The sidewalls of the boiler are divided into two sections. In order to provide feedback on the cleaning efficiency of the cannons, 24 heat flux sensors were installed. A pump provided water for the cannons at various flows and pressures. Similarly, data from high temperature thermocouples, installed at the 13th floor elevation of the boiler, was used to evaluate the cannon's performance. During the three-day test period, March 11-13, 2003, NOx reduction averaged 5.1% while the heat rate was reduced an average of 25 Btu/kWh. The heat rate improvement came from improved heat absorption in the furnace, which in turn reduced the attemperation spray flow controlling the reheat temperature. Although only a small increase in boiler efficiency was observed, the furnace gas exit temperature was reduced by approximately 124 F. The cannons installed for the test program are still being used on Unit 2. Four months after the cannons were installed on Unit 2 the plant went ahead and installed them on Unit 1. However, because of some reliability problems with the cannons AEP is not installing the water cannons, on other units until the problems have been resolved, says Sheidler.
Figure 3: Weld overlaid burner throat opening. Photo courtesy of Foster Wheeler. Click here to enlarge image null Standard tube failure and inspection reports are provided for all of the boiler pressure parts. The data includes a record of all tube failures and repairs, ultrasonic test readings, their location and cause of the failure. According to ATI, the benefits from installing the boiler software program include:
A 50% reduction in forced outages caused by tube failures A reduction in the time to manually analyze and search for data A 50% reduction in the time to write reports Less time spent justifying repairs and replacements to upper management The potential to save $5,000/plant/year in the cost of collecting historical data for condition assessment studies.
A graphical interface can be used to superimpose the data on component specific AutoCAD drawings. The graphical display tends to give a better perspective of boiler tube failures. Figure 4 is a typical superheater tube failure screen.
Click here to enlarge image Dominion Generation has installed the web-based Aware software and graphical interface in its corporate office. Access to the program though the company's intranet is available to all of their power plants. According to the utility all forced outages due to boiler tube failures that occur in their plants are now documented in the system. The ability to centralize boiler tube problems throughout their fleet has allowed the utility to streamline and standardize boiler tube failure internal reporting and analysis from one central location. Onsite and central office boiler engineers can also share information on boiler tube failures for all the utility's boilers. Using this information the engineers are able to trend tube failures for boilers of the same design and with the same operating conditions. Results from analyzing the data are also used by Dominion to determine the scope of work for
outage planning and management. According to Frank Timmons, boiler engineer, Dominion Generation, the graphical interface has been used to develop CAD drawings showing dimensions, tube counts and elevations. This information is passed on to the outage planner who is then able to have a replacement panel or pendant loop pre-fabricated. Another advantage of the program is for budgeting. There is no longer the need to make assumptions. It is now possible to prepare, recommend and justify maintenance requirements and expenses to upper management, says Timmons. Each Dominion plant has a boiler tube failure coordinator who is responsible for identifying the tube failure and inputting all of the data into the historical database. This individual also makes sure the plant is in compliance with all ASME and National Board code requirements. Utilizing this program Dominion anticipates reducing forced outages by at least one per year while improving the reliability of electricity supply during the summer peak months. Long term, Timmons believes that the program will allow Dominion to reduce downtime and maintenance costs.
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