FACHRURRAZI MY121060

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

1. What is the importance of draft in boilers? The function of draft in boilers is to exhaust the products of combustion into the atmosphere.

2. What is a balanced draft system? Balanced draft system is forced-draft (F-D) fan (blower) that pushes air into the boiler and an induced draft (I-D) fan draws gases into the chimney thereby providing draft to remove the gases from the boiler. The pressure is maintained between 0.05 to 0.10 in. of water gauge below atmospheric pressure in the case of boilers and slightly positive for reheating and heat treatment furnaces.

3. Which is the single major heat loss in boiler? The biggest energy loss is the fossil fuel. This called stack gas, means fuel fired boiler goes up the chimney. The loss could amount as much as 30-35% of the fuel input in worst cases. Stack gas heat loss caused by some ways: due to dry flue gas and due to moisture in the fuel.

4. Explain the principle of modulating control in a boiler? The modulating control operates on the principle of matching the steam pressure demand by altering the firing rate over the entire operating range of the boiler. Modulating motors use conventional mechanical linkage or electric valves to regulate the primary air, secondary air, and fuel supplied to the burner. Full modulation means that boiler keeps firing, and fuel and air are carefully matched over the whole firing range to maximize thermal efficiency.

5. Explain the principle of fire tube and water tube boilers? Fire tube or fire in tube boilers; contain long steel tubes through which the hot gasses from a furnace pass and around which the water to be converted to
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steam circulates. Fire tube boilers, typically have a lower initial cost, are more fuel efficient and easier to operate, but they are limited generally to capacities of 25 tons/hr and pressures of 17.5 kg/cm2. Water tube or water in tube boilers in which the conditions are reversed with the water passing through the tubes and the hot gasses passing outside the tubes. These boilers can be of single- or multiple-drum type. These boilers can be built to any steam capacities and pressures, and have higher efficiencies than fire tube boilers.

Fire Tube Boiler

Water Tube Boiler

6. Explain the principles of fluidized bed combustion and pulverized fuel combustion? Fluidized bed combustion Fluidized bed combustion is when an evenly distributed air or gas is passed
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upward through a finely divided bed of solid particles such as sand supported on a fine mesh; the particles are undisturbed at low velocity. As air velocity is gradually increased, a stage is reached when the individual particles are suspended in the air stream. Further, increase in velocity gives rise to bubble formation, vigorous turbulence and rapid mixing and the bed is said to be fluidized. If the sand in a fluidized state is heated to the ignition temperature of the coal and the coal is injected continuously in to the bed, the coal will burn rapidly, and the bed attains a uniform temperature due to effective mixing. Proper air distribution is vital for maintaining uniform fluidization across the bed.). Ash is disposed by dry and wet ash disposal systems. Fluidized bed combustion has significant advantages over conventional firing systems and offers multiple benefits namely fuel flexibility, reduced emission of noxious pollutants such as SOx and NOx, compact boiler design and higher combustion efficiency.

Fluidized bed combustion Pulverized fuel combustion Most coal-fired power station boilers use pulverized coal, and many of the larger industrial water-tube boilers also use this pulverized fuel. This technology is well developed, and there are thousands of units around the world, accounting
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for well over 90% of coal-fired capacity. The coal is ground (pulverized) to a fine powder, so that less than 2% is +300 micro meter (m) and 70-75% is below 75 microns, for a bituminous coal. It should be noted that too fine a powder is wasteful of grinding mill power. On the other hand, too coarse a powder does not burn completely in the combustion chamber and results in higher unburned losses. The pulverized coal is blown with part of the combustion air into the boiler plant through a series of burner nozzles. Secondary and tertiary air may also be added. Combustion takes place at temperatures from 1300-1700C, depending largely on coal grade. Particle residence time in the boiler is typically 2 to 5 seconds, and the particles must be small enough for complete combustion to have taken place during this time. This system has many advantages such as ability to fire varying quality of coal, quick responses to changes in load, use of high pre-heat air temperatures etc.

7. Name three factors affecting the boiler efficiency and explain briefly? Boiler efficiency is the percentage of total absorption heating value of outlet steam in the total supply heating value. Three factors affected boiler efficiency are: a. Combustion efficiency Indicates a burner ability to burn fuel measured by unburned fuel and excess air in the exhaust. b. Thermal efficiency Indicates the heat exchanger effectiveness to transfer heat from the combustion process to the water or steam in the boiler, exclusive radiation and convection losses. c. Fuel to fluid efficiency Indicates the overall efficiency of the boiler inclusive thermal efficiency of the heat exchanger, radiation and convection losses (output divided by input).

8. Discuss the various types of draft in boiler system? The draft can be classified into two types namely Natural and Mechanical
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Draft. Natural Draft It is the draft produced by a chimney alone. It is caused by the difference in weight between the column of hot gas inside the chimney and column of outside air of the same height and cross section. Being much lighter than outside air, chimney flue gas tends to rise, and the heavier outside air flows in through the ash pit to take its place. It is usually controlled by hand-operated dampers in the chimney and breeching connecting the boiler to the chimney. Here no fans or blowers are used. The products of combustion are discharged at such a height that it will not be a nuisance to the surrounding community. Mechanical Draft It is draft artificially produced by fans. Three basic types of drafts that are applied are: Balanced Draft: Forced-draft (F-D) fan (blower) pushes air into the furnace and an induced draft (I-D) fan draws gases into the chimney thereby providing draft to remove the gases from the boiler. Here the pressure is maintained between 0.05 to 0.10 in. of water gauge below atmospheric pressure in the case of boilers and slightly positive for reheating and heat treatment furnaces. Induced Draft: An induced-draft fan draws enough draft for flow into the furnace, causing the products of combustion to discharge to atmosphere. Here the furnace is kept at a slight negative pressure below the atmospheric pressure so that combustion air flows through the system. Forced Draft: The Forced draft system uses a fan to deliver the air to the furnace, forcing combustion products to flow through the unit and up the stack.

9. What do you understand by terminology fire tube and water tube in boiler? Fire tube: Hot gases inside the tubes and water outside the tubes. Water tube: Water inside the tubes and hot gases outside the tubes.

10. Discuss the various types of heat losses in a boiler? The principle heat losses that occur in a boiler are:
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Heat loss due to dry flue gas: the (sensible) heat energy in the flue gas due to the flue gas temperature Heat loss due to evaporation of water formed due to H2 in fuel (%): The combustion of hydrogen causes a heat loss because the product of combustion is water. This water is converted to steam and this carries away heat in the form of its latent heat. Heat loss due to moisture present in fuel: Moisture entering the boiler with the fuel leaves as a superheated vapor. This moisture loss is made up of the sensible heat to bring the moisture to boiling point, the latent heat of evaporation of the moisture, and the superheat required bringing this steam to the temperature of the exhaust gas. Heat loss due to moisture present in air: Vapor in the form of humidity in the incoming air, is superheated as it passes through the boiler. Since this heat passes up the stack, it must be included as a boiler loss. Heat loss due to incomplete combustion: Products formed by incomplete combustion could be mixed with oxygen and burned again with a further release of energy. Such products include CO, H2, and various hydrocarbons and are generally found in the flue gas of the boilers. Carbon monoxide is the only gas whose concentration can be determined conveniently in a boiler plant test. Heat loss due to radiation and convection: The other heat losses from a boiler consist of the loss of heat by radiation and convection from the boiler casting into the surrounding boiler house.

11. How do you measure boiler efficiency using direct method? Direct method is also known as input-output method due to the fact that it needs only the useful output (steam) and the heat input (i.e. fuel) for evaluating the efficiency. This efficiency can be evaluated using the formula

Parameters to be monitored for the calculation of boiler efficiency by direct method are:
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Quantity of steam generated per hour (Q) in kg/hr. Quantity of fuel used per hour (q) in kg/hr. The working pressure (in kg/cm2 (g)) and superheat temperature (C), if any The temperature of feed water (C) Type of fuel and gross calorific value of the fuel (GCV) in kCal/kg of fuel

Where,

hg Enthalpy of saturated steam in kCal/kg of steam hf Enthalpy of feed water in kCal/kg of water

12. What do you understand by term evaporation ratio? What are the typical values for coal and oil-fired boiler? Boiler Evaporation ratio, also known as Steam to Fuel ratio, is a common and simple indicator for boiler performance trending. Evaporation ratio monitoring is best suited for any boiler when its own performance is compared on day to day basis as a performance indicator; given that enthalpy gain in steam and fuel calorific value remain constant. A drop in evaporation ratio indicates a drop in Boiler efficiency. Typical values of Evaporation ratio for different type of fuels are as follows: Biomass fired boilers: Coal fired boilers: Oil fired boilers: Gas fired boilers: 2.0 to 3.0 4.0 to 5.5 13.5 to 14.5 11.0 to 13.0

13. What do you understand by the term Turn down Ratio? Turndown ratio is the relationship between the maximum and minimum fuel input without affecting the excess air level. For example, a burner whose maximum input is 250,000 kCals and minimum rate is 50,000 kCals, has a TurnDown Ratio of 5 to 1.

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14. What are the methods available for assessing the boiler efficiency and explain briefly? There are two methods of assessing boiler efficiency. a) The Direct Method: Where the energy gain of the working fluid (water and steam) is compared with the energy content of the boiler fuel. b) The Indirect Method: Where the efficiency is the difference between the losses and the energy input.

15. How do you assess boiler blow down requirement? To assess boiler blow down requirement, conductivity measurement is used for monitoring the overall TDS present in the boiler. A rise in conductivity indicates a rise in the "contamination" of the boiler water.

16. Discuss automatic blow down control system? With manual control of surface blow down, there is no way to determine the concentration of dissolved solids in the boiler water, nor the optimal blow down rate. Operators do not know when to blow down the boiler or for how long. Likewise, using a fixed rate of blow down does not take into account changes in makeup and feed water conditions, or variations in steam demand or condensate return. An automatic blow down-control system optimizes surface-blow down rates by regulating the volume of water discharged from the boiler in relation to the concentration of dissolved solids present. Automatic surface-blow down control systems maintains water chemistry within acceptable limits, while minimizing blow down and reducing energy losses. Cost savings come from the significant reduction in the consumption, disposal, treatment, and heating of water.

17. Why blow down is given in boiler? Blow down is used to control the level of concentration of dissolved solids in the water. The process is where a certain volume of water is blown off and is automatically replaced by feed water. This maintaining the optimum level of total
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dissolved solids (TDS) in the boiler water.

18. What is the function of de-aerator in boiler? De-aerator is used to remove oxygen, carbon dioxide and other noncondensable gases from boiler feed water. It is vital to boiler equipment longevity as well as safety of operation.

19. What is the difference between an economizer and an air pre heater? Economizer in older model shell boiler can increase thermal efficiency by 3%. For a modern 3-pass shell boiler firing natural gas economizer can increase thermal efficiency by 5%. Air pre heater can increase thermal efficiency only by 1%.

20. List the 5 energy conservation measures in improving the boiler efficiency without investment. a. Boiler Stack Temperature: Boiler stack temperature is the temperature of the combustion gases leaving the boiler. This temperature represents the major portion of the energy not converted to usable output. The higher the temperature, the less energy transferred to output and the lower the boiler efficiency. When stack temperature is evaluated, it is important to determine if the value is proven. For example, if a boiler runs on natural gas with a stack temperature of 350F, the maximum theoretical efficiency of the unit is 83.5%. For the boiler to operate at 84% efficiency, the stack temperature must be less than 350F. b. Heat Content of Fuel: The efficiency calculation requires knowledge of the calorific value of the fuel (heat content), its carbon to hydrogen ratio, and whether the water produced is lost as steam or is condensed, and whether the latent heat (heat required to turn water into steam) is recovered. Disagreements exist on what is considered an "energy input". Unfortunately any fuel has two widely published energy contents. They are: i. The Higher Heating Value (HHV), also called Gross Calorific Value (GCV)
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ii. The Lower Heating Value (LHV), also called the Net Calorific Value (NCV) The gross calorific value (GCV) is the higher figure and assumes that all heat available from the fuel is to be recovered, including latent heat. In most equipment, this is not so the case, and the calculations of efficiency based on gross calorific value will give maximum obtainable efficiencies much lower than 100%, due to this irrecoverable loss. Both the gross calorific value and net calorific value are equally valid, but for comparison purposes, a particular convention should be used throughout. c. Fuel Specification: The fuel specified has a dramatic effect on efficiency. With gaseous fuels having higher the hydrogen content, the more water vapor is formed during combustion. The result is energy loss as the vapor absorbs energy in the boiler and lowers the efficiency of the equipment. The specification used to calculate efficiency must be based on the fuel to be used at the installation. As a rule, typical natural gas has a hydrogen/-carbon (H/C) ratio of 0.31. If an H/C ratio of 0.25 is used for calculating efficiency, the value increases from 82.5% to 83.8%. d. Excess Air Levels: Excess air is supplied to the boiler beyond what is required for complete combustion primarily to ensure complete combustion and to allow for normal variations in combustion. A certain amount of excess air is provided to the burner as a safety factor for sufficient combustion air. e. Ambient Air temperature and Relative Humidity: Ambient conditions have a dramatic effect on boiler efficiency. Most efficiency calculations use an ambient temperature of 80F and a relative humidity of 30%. Efficiency changes more than 0.5% for every 20F change in ambient temperature. Changes in air humidity would have similar effects; the more the humidity, the lower will be the efficiency.

21. What is intermittent and continuous blow down? The intermittent blow down is given by manually operating a valve fitted to discharge pipe at the lowest point of boiler shell to reduce parameters (TDS or conductivity, pH, Silica and Phosphates concentration) within prescribed limits
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so that steam quality is not likely to be affected. In intermittent blow down, a large diameter line is opened for a short period of time, the time being based on a thumb rule such as once in a shift for 2 minutes. Intermittent blow down requires large short-term increases in the amount of feed water put into the boiler, and hence may necessitate larger feed water pumps than if continuous blow down is used. Also, TDS level will be varying, thereby causing fluctuations of the water level in the boiler due to changes in steam bubble size and distribution which accompany changes in concentration of solids. Also substantial amount of heat energy is lost with intermittent blow down. Continuous blow down There is a steady and constant dispatch of small stream of concentrated boiler water, and replacement by steady and constant inflow of feed water. This ensures constant TDS and steam purity at given steam load. Once blow down valve is set for a given conditions, there is no need for regular operator intervention. Even though large quantities of heat are wasted, opportunity exists for recovering this heat by blowing into a flash tank and generating flash steam. This flash steam can be used for pre-heating boiler feed water or for any other purpose (see Figure 2.8 for blow down heat recovery system). This type of blow down is common in high-pressure boilers.

22. Why is sulphur in coal undesirable? Because the main disadvantage of sulphur is the risk of corrosion by sulphuric acid formed during and after combustion, and condensing in cool parts of the chimney or stack, air pre heater and economizer.

23. Is moisture in coal wasteful? Moisture in coal is not wasteful but must be transported, handled and stored. Since it replaces combustible matter, it decreases the heat content per kg of coal. Typical range is 0.5 to 10%. Moisture increases heat loss, due to evaporation and superheating of vapor Moisture helps, to a limit, in binding fines.
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Moisture aids radiation heat transfer.

24. What is atomization of fuel oil in combustion? Atomization is the process whereby fuel oil is transformed into a collection of drops. This transformation goes through the break-up of fuel oil into number of filaments, which in turn transform into droplets. Poor atomization may result in the formation of carbon deposits on the burner tips or on the walls. Therefore pre-heating is necessary for proper atomization.

25. What are the causes for heavy black smoke in a boiler? Improper burning is the cause of black smoke coming from a boiler. If the oil does not burn normally, it will produce a dark-colored smoke that may be seen from the rooftop vent or wafting directly out of the boiler. Improper burning can have several causes including an improper mixture of air and oil, blocked fuel nozzles, an obstructed vent or duct or a bad electrical circuit. It can also be caused by oil building up in the combustion chamber due to delayed ignition. This is known as "puff back" and is dangerous as the excess oil can suddenly ignite, causing a shooting flame and potentially splattering oil out of the boiler. A professional repairman can inspect the combustion chamber as well as air and fuel settings to determine the exact cause of improper burning.

26. 1 kg of water at 25oC is converted in to steam at atmospheric condition. What is the value of sensible heat and latent heat added to the steam? Sensible Heat Cp water = 4,200 J/kg oC m = 1 kg T = 100 oC 25 oC = 75 oC

Qs = m Cp T = 1 kg x 4,200 J/kg oC x 75 oC = 315,000 J = 315 kJ

Latent Heat Latent heat of vaporization (from liquid to vapor) is 2,260 kJ/kg. So in this case for 1 kg water at 25 oC = 2,260 kJ/kg x 1 kg = 2,260 kJ

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27. For boiler at 8 kg/cm2 (g) steam pressure, the following details are given: Saturation temperature of steam Sensible heat of water Latent heat of evaporation Moisture content in the steam = = = = 170oC 171 kCal/kg 490 kCal/kg 4%

What is the total heat content of the steam? For a boiler is operating at a pressure of 8 kg/cm2, steam saturation temperature is 170 oC, and steam enthalpy or total heat of dry saturated steam is given by: hf +hfg = 171.35 +489.46 = 660.81 kCal/kg. If the same steam contains 4% moisture, the total heat of steam is given by: 171.35+ 0.96 x 489.46 = 641.23 kCal/kg

28. The following are the ultimate analysis for coal: Carbon 38%, Ash 35%, Hydrogen 5%, Sulphur 2% a. Calculate the stoichiometric air requirement. b. For the same data, calculate the theoretical CO2. c. If the actual measured CO2 is 8%, find out the excess air levels?

Constituents Carbon Ash Hydrogen Oxygen Nitrogen H2O Sulphur Total

% By weight 38 35 5 10 5 5 2 100

Note Given Given Given Assumption Assumption Assumption Given

Considering a sample of 100 kg of furnace fuel, the chemical reactions are:

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FACHRURRAZI MY121060 Element C O2 H2 S N2 CO2 SO2 H2O Molecular Weight (kg / kg mole) 12 32 2 32 28 44 64 18

C + O2 CO2

2H2 + O2 2H2O

S + O2 SO2

Constituents of fuel: Carbon C + O2 CO2 12 + 32 44

12 kg of carbon requires 32 kg of oxygen to form 44 kg of carbon dioxide therefore 1 kg of carbon requires 32/12 kg of oxygen. So (38) C + (38 32/12) O2 (38 44/12) CO2 O2 CO2 = 101.33 kg = 139.33 kg

Hydrogen 2H2 + O2 2H2O 4 + 32 36

4 kg of hydrogen requires 32 kg of oxygen to form 36 kg of water, therefore 1 kg of hydrogen requires 32/4 kg = 8 kg of oxygen So (5) H2 + (5 8) O2 (5 x 9) H2O O2 H2O = 40 kg = 45 kg

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Sulphur S + O2 SO2 32 + 32 64

32 kg of sulphur requires 32 kg of oxygen to form 64 kg of sulphur dioxide, therefore 1 kg of sulphur requires 32/32 kg = 1 kg of oxygen So (2) S + (2 1) O2 (2 2) SO2 O2 SO2 = 2 kg = 4 kg

Total Oxygen required = 101.33 kg + 40 kg + 2 kg = 143.33 kg

Oxygen already present in 100 kg fuel (given)

= 10 kg

Additional Oxygen Required

= 143.33 kg 10 kg = 133.33 kg

Therefore quantity of dry air required (air contains 23% oxygen by weight)

= 133.33 kg / 0.23 = 579.7 kg of air

a. The stoichiometric air requirement

= 579.7 kg / 100 kg = 57.97 kg air per 1 kg of fuel

b. Calculation of theoretical CO2 content in flue gases

Nitrogen in flue gas

= 579.7 133.33 = 446.37 kg

Theoretical CO2% in dry flue gas by volume is calculated as below:

Moles of CO2 in flue gas (From Carbon burning calculation) Moles of N2 in flue gas
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= 139.33 / 44 = 3.167

= 446.37 / 28 = 15.942

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Moles of SO2 in flue gas

= 4 / 64 = 0.0625

c. Calculation of constituents of flue gas with excess air % CO2 measured in flue gas = 8% (measured)

Theoretical air required for 100 kg of fuel burnt = 579.7 kg

Total quantity of air supply required with 106.5% excess air = 579.7 kg x 2.065 = 1,197.08 kg

So, excess air quantity

= 1,197.08 kg - 579.7 kg = 617.38 kg

O2 = 617.38 kg x 0.23 = 142 kg N2 = 617.38 kg - 142 kg = 475.38 kg

The final constitution of flue gas with 106.5% excess air for every 100 kg fuel: CO2 = 139.33 kg H2O = 45 kg SO2 = 4 kg

O2 = 133.33 kg + 142 kg = 275.33 kg N2 = 446.37 kg + 475.38 kg = 921.75 kg

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29. A packaged boiler is operating at 5% O2. Find out the excess air level? Excess air supplied level = (O2 x 100) / (21 - O2) = (5 x 100) / (21 5) = 31.25%

30. In furnace oil fired boiler, the evaporation ratio (kg of steam generated / kg of furnace oil) was found to be 20 against a best possible limit of 13. a. In your opinion what could be the reasons for the case? b. Would you like to recommend the user to maintain the same practice and conditions as the evaporation ratio is more than the feasible limit? a. Evaporation ratio can reduce with time due to poor combustion, heat transfer surface fouling and poor operation and maintenance. b. Evaporation ratio of an efficient oil fired boiler is in the range of 13.5 14.5, so I will not recommend the user to maintain the same practice and condition.

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