ESET-212

Boiler and Auxiliaries

School of Engineering Technology & Applied Science

(SETAS)

Week: 7
Steam and Water
Fittings and Accessories

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

 Steam fittings (trim) are attached to the boiler and are necessary
for its safe and efficient operation.

 Steam accessories are pieces of equipment not only directly

attached to the boiler and are also required for the operation of
the boiler.

 Steam fittings must be constructed in accordance with the ASME

code. The ASME code also specifies how these fittings are to be
attached to the boiler as determined by the temperatures and
pressures present in the boiler.

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES
Safety Valves
 A safety valve is a valve used to release pressure and protect the
boiler from exceeding its MAWP and is the most important valve
on the boiler.

 If the MAWP is exceeded, a failure on the pressure side of the

boiler could occur.

 Safety valves must be located at the highest part of the steam

side of the boiler.

 They must be connected to the boiler shell according to ASME

code, with no intervening valves between the safety valve and the
boiler.

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES
Safety Valves
 The only type of safety valve allowed is the spring-loaded pop-
type safety valve.
 Lever-type and deadweight safety valves can be easily tampered
with and are not permitted.
 The ASME code requires that every boiler have at least one
safety valve.
 Boilers with more than 500 sq ft of heating surface shall have two
or more safety valves.
 Safety valves over 3" in diameter for pressures over 15 psi shall
have a flanged or a weld-end inlet.
 Safety valve discharge piping must be installed and connected to
the safety valve, which allows proper discharge of steam, but
does not place strain on the safety valve.

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

Safety Valves
 Safety valve capacity must be enough to discharge all steam the
boiler can generate without allowing the pressure to rise more
than 6% above the MAWP.
 Safety valves must be designed to open fully at a predetermined
pressure.

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 STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

Safety Valves
 Safety valves must remain
open until there is a definite
drop in pressure.

 Blowdown, or blowback, is
the drop in pressure that
allows the safety valve to
close.

 Blowdown is normally 2 to 8
psi below popping pressure,
but not more than 4% of set
pressure.

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 STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

Safety Valves
 Safety valves must close tight without chattering.
 Once the safety valve has reseated, it must remain tightly closed.
 Setting or adjusting safety valves must be done by qualified
personnel who are familiar with safety valve construction,
operation, and maintenance.
 Repairs must only be done by the manufacturer or an authorized
representative.
 Safety valve springs are calibrated for the correct popping
pressure. For pressures up to 250 psi, the safety valve can be set
10% above or 10% below this pressure.
 For pressures over 250 psi, safety valves can only be set 5%
above or 5% below the set pressure without changing the safety
valve spring.

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 STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

Safety Valves
 One or more boiler safety valves shall be set at or below MAWP. If
additional safety valves are used, the highest pressure setting
shall not exceed the MAWP by more than 3%.

 The complete range of pressure settings of all safety valves on a

boiler shall not exceed 10% of the highest pressure to which any
safety valve is set.

 For example, if the safety valve with the highest setting is at 100
psi, the safety valve with the lowest setting cannot be lower than
90 psi.

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 STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

Safety Valves
 Any change in the settings of a safety valve blowdown or pressure
requires a new safety valve data plate. The safety valve data plate
should include the following:
• manufacturer's name or trademark
• manufacturer's design or type number
• size of safety valve (in inches), seat diameter
• popping pressure setting (in psig)
• blowdown (in psi)
• capacity (in lb/hr)
• lift of the valve (in inches)
• year built or code mark
• ASME symbol
• serial number

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 STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

Safety Valves
 Popping-pressure tolerance is the difference between the set
pressure and the popping pressure of a safety valve.

Popping-pressure tolerance, plus or minus, is

• 2 psi for pressures up to 70 psi
• 3% for pressures from over 70 psi to 300 psi
• 10 psi for pressures over 300 psi to 1000 psi
• 1% for pressures over 1000 psi

 For example, at 70 psi, safety valves pop open between 68 psi and
72 psi.
 At 200 psi, safety valves pop open between 194 psi and 206 psi.

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 STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

Safety Valves
 At 500 psi, safety valves pop open between 490 psi and 510 psi.
 Over 1200 psi, safety valves pop open between 1188 psi and 1212
psi and are still within popping-pressure tolerances.
 Normally, valves under pressure are opened slowly. However,
safety valves are designed to pop open.
 A spring on the safety valve exerts a downward force, which keeps
the valve disc in contact wilh the valve seat.
 Steam pressure acts on the safety valve disc and exerts an
upward force that tries to force the valve open.
 The total force of steam trying to overcome the spring force is
equal to the area of the safety valve disc times the steam pressure.

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 STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

Safety Valves
 When steam pressure starts to
overcome the force of the
safety valve spring, the safety
valve will start to open.
 The steam then enters the
huddling chamber to expose
steam to a larger area of the
valve disc.
 This increases the force, which
causes the safety valve to open
quickly, or pop open.

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

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 STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

Safety Valve Size.

• To determine the safety valve size required for a boiler, the boiler
capacity must be known.

• Boiler capacity is rated in pounds of steam generated per hour.

• According to ASME code, boiler capacity in pounds of steam per

hour is determined by the maximum amount of fuel consumed by
the burners of the boiler.

• Pounds of steam per hour is found by using the following

equation:

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

Prob:
A watertube boiler generates a maximum of 35,795 lbs of steam/hr
at 300 psi. What is the safety valve diameter required to relieve that
quantity of steam?

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 STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES
Main Steam Stop Valves
 A main steam stop valve is a valve on the main steam line leaving
the boiler that is used to cut the boiler in on-line or take the boiler
off-line.
 The main steam line requires two main steam stop valves when
boilers are in battery. The main steam line leaves the boiler and
connects to the main steam header.
 The main steam header is the distribution line. From the main
steam header, branch lines supply steam to working stations.
 The main steam line is constructed using steam bends to allow for
expansion and contraction.
 The main steam header must also have steam traps to remove
condensate built up in the lines. Any condensate in the steam lines
could lead to water hammer and a possible pipe rupture.
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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

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 STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES
Main Steam Stop Valves
 boilers in batteries must have two main steam stop valves with an
ample free-blowing drain between them.

 Main steam stop valves must be of the os&y (Outside Screw and
Yoke) type that show if the valves are open or closed by the
position of their stem.

 The main steam stop valves should be gate valves

 An automatic nonreturn valve may be used in place of one stop

valve, but must be located as close to the boiler shell as practical.

 The main steam stop valve is used to place a boiler in service or

isolate it from the system.

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 STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES
Main Steam Stop Valves
 Automatic nonretum valves improve the safety and efficiency of the
plant by cutting a boiler in on the line automatically or taking it off
the line automatically.
 Automatic nonretum valves also protect the system in case of a
failure on the pressure side of any boiler on the line.

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

os&y (Outside Screw and Yoke) valve

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 STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES
Blowdown Valves and Lines
 All boilers must have a blowdown valve with a blowdown pipe
located at the lowest part of the water side of the firetube boiler, or
on the mud drum on a watertube boiler.
 The blowdown pipe must run full size, with no reducers or
bushings.
 All blowdown piping outside the boiler should be exposed for
inspection.
 Boilers with an MAWP exceeding 125 psi require extra-heavy
blowdown pipe(s) from the boiler to the valve or valves per ASME
code.

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 STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES
Blowdown Valves and Lines
 All fittings between the boiler and valve shall be steel or extra-
heavy bronze or brass, malleable iron, or cast iron suitable for the
temperatures and pressures involved.

 Boilers exceeding an MAWP of 125 psi must have each bottom

blowdown pipe fitted with at least a 250 lb standard valve or cock.
Two extra-heavy valves, or an extra-heavy valve and cock are
preferred

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

Blowdown Valves and Lines

 Must be protected and easy to be inspected.
 the blowdown pipe should be arranged to allow for free expansion
and contraction.
 Blowdown piping must be protected from freezing, heat, or
corrosive conditions.
 The minimum size for pipes and fittings is 1" and the maximum is
2.5".
 Waterwall blowdown valves shall be locked or sealed closed to
prevent being opened by mistake when the boiler is firing.

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 STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES
Blowdown Valves and Lines
 If the waterwall blowdown valves are opened, the loss of water or
circulation will cause the waterwall tubes to overheat.

 Waterwall blowdown valves should only be blown down when the

furnace has cooled properly.

 Waterwalls are usually blown down when the boiler is being taken
off the line.

 The frequency of blowing down the boiler is determined through

boiler water analysis.

 the boiler should be blown down at least once every 24 hours.

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES
Blowdown- why?
 Makeup water contains a certain amount of scale-forming salts.
Scale-forming salts start to settle on the boiler heating surfaces
when the boiler water temperature reaches about 150°F.
 The settling of these salts on the boiler heating surfaces
reduces the required heat transfer by insulating the surface. As
a result, the boiler heating surfaces overheat and burn out.
 Chemicals added to the boiler water turn scale-forming salts
into a nonadhering sludge. The sludge stays in suspension and
settles to the lowest part of the water side of the boiler when
the boiler is at a light load.
 Bottom blowdown valves and lines are located at the lowest
part of the water side of the boiler.

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES
Blowdown- requirement
 Boilers operating at 100 psi or higher must have two approved
blowdown valves.
 The two valves may be two slow-opening valves (screw-type),
or one quick-opening valve and one slow opening valve.
 The fast opening valve must be located closest to the boiler
shell.

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES
Blowdown- requirement

 In blowing down, the quick-opening valve should be opened

first and closed last.
 The quick-opening valve functions as a sealing valve.

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES
Blowdown- requirement
 The slow-opening valve is located farthest from the boiler shell.
 The slow-opening valve is the blowing valve and takes all the
wear and tear of blowing down.

 Bottom blowdown is used to:

 remove sludge and sediment,
 control high water,
 control chemical concentration, and
 dump the boiler for cleaning and inspection.

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES
Blowdown- requirement
 There must be pressure on the boiler when blowing down
unless it is dumped (out of service).

 The best time to blow down a boiler is at its lightest load

because sludge and sediment have had a chance to settle to
the bottom of the water side of the boiler.

 While blowing down, blowdown lines are subject to a sudden

pressure and temperature.

 The blowdown valves and piping must be designed for

maximum capacity and allow for expansion and contraction.

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES
Blowdown- requirement
 Straight-run globe valves or other valves that may impede
boiler water flow or collect sediment must not be used.

Globe Valve Gate Valve

Blowdown or flash tank

 To prevent hot water and steam from entering the sewer
system, a blowdown or flash tank is used between the
blowdown line and the sewer.
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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

Blowdown or flash tank

 Hot water and steam enter the top of the tank. Flash steam
leaves through the vent and the hot water stays in the tank.

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

Blowdown or flash tank

 As the level in the tank rises, cooler water from the bottom of
the tank flows into the sewer.
 After blowing down a boiler, water remains in the blowdown
tank to cool until another boiler is blown down.
 A siphon breaker is installed to prevent possible siphoning of
the water from the tank.
 A blowdown centrifugal separator can be used between the
blowdown line and blowdown tank.
 A blowdown centrifugal separator is a separator that reduces
the pressure and temperature before the boiler water enters the
blowdown tank.

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

Blowdown Surface
 Some boilers are equipped with
surface blowdown valves.
 Surface blowdown valves are
located at the normal operating
water level (NOWL) of the boiler
and are used to remove impurities
from the surface of boiler water.
 This reduces surface tension and
prevents carryover of water and
impurities.
 The surface blowdown line
discharges to the blowdown tank.

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

Continuous Blowdown:
 Large boilers carrying heavy steam loads require closer control
of the total dissolved solids in the boiler water.

 This is accomplished by using continuous proportioning of

feedwater treatment in conjunction with a continuous blowdown
line.

 The continuous blowdown line is located below the NOWL and

discharges to a flash tank or continuous blowdown tank.

 The flash tank can be used to reclaim heat from boiler water
from the continuous blowdown line.

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

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STEAM FlTTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

Continuous Blowdown:
 Water from the continuous blowdown line is piped to the flash
tank.

 As the water pressure drops, some of the water flashes into

steam. This steam flows to the open feed water heater.

 Makeup water passes through coils below the water level in the
flash tank and is heated.

 For every 10°F rise in feedwater temperature, there is

approximately a 1% savings in fuel.

 http:/www.atperesources.com/qr/SE_5/735728.htm

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