BOILERS AND STEAM GENERATOR CONTROL

SREEJITH MADHAVAN

Roll No. 16, S1 M.Tech, Energy System Analysis and Design,

Abstract
A thermal power station is a power plant in which the prime
mover is steam driven. Water is heated, turns into steam and spins a steam turbine which drives an electrical generator. Some thermal power plants also deliver heat energy for

industrial purposes, for district heating, or for desalination of

water.

Overview
Boilers - Classification High pressure boiler and advantages La-Mont, Loeffler and Benson boilers

Steam generator control

Conclusion

Classification of boilers
Horizontal, Vertical or Inclined Boiler

Fire Tube and Water Tube

Externally Fired and Internally Fired Forced circulation and Natural Circulation Higher Pressure and Low Pressure Boilers Stationary and Portable

Single Tube and Multi Tube Boiler

High pressure boilers

A boiler which generates steam at a pressure of 85 kgf/sq.cm or above is termed as a high pressure boiler. The modern high pressure boilers used for power generation have capacities of 40 to 1600 tonnes/hr of

superheated steam with a pressure upto 210 kgf/sq.cm and a

temperature of about 650C. Water tube boilers are generally preferred for high pressure and high output whereas fire tube boilers for low pressure and low output.

Advantages of high pressure boilers

Method of water circulation: In high pressure boilers,

water circulation is made with the help of a centrifugal

pump which forces water through the boiler tubes. Size of drums: They use of very small steam separating drums or by the complete absence of any drum. Type and arrangement of tubes: small diameter and light weight tubes with a parallel set of arrangement Foundation cost: Due to the light weight tubes and small size drums the cost of foundation is reduced.

 Compactness: The boiler components can be arranged horizontally, giving greater accessibility and operational convenience. Efficiency: The efficiency of the power plant is increased upto 40%.

Overheating: All the parts are uniformly heated; therefore the

danger of overheating is reduced. Scale formation: The tendency of scale formation is eliminated due to the high velocity of water through the boiler tubes.

Types of high pressure boilers

La-Mont Boiler
Loeffler Boiler Benson Boiler

1. La-Mont Boiler This is a modern high pressure boiler (water tube type steam boilers) working on forced circulation system.

La-Mont Boiler

 Steam separator drum: The la Mont boiler consists of a steam separator drum which is placed wholly outside the boiler setting. Circulating pump: The water from the drum is then drawn to the circulating (centrifugal) pump through the down-comer.

Distributing header: The header distributes water through

orifices into the evaporator tubes. Evaporator: Here part of the water is evaporated and a

mixture of steam and water from these tubes enters the drum.

 Superheater: The presence of moisture will cause corrosion of turbine blades. To raise the temperature of steam and thereby to increase the turbine efficiency, superheater is used. Economizer: Feed water supplied by the feed pump is heated in the economizer on its way to the steam separator drum.

Air preheater: The preheated air is supplied to the furnace for

combustion. Capacity: The capacity of la-mont boiler is about 50 Tonnes/hr of superheated steam at a pressure of 170 kgf/sq.cm. and at a temperature of 500C.

2. Loeffler boiler

 The major difficulty experienced in La-Mont boiler is

deposition of salt and sediment on the inner surfaces of water tubes. This difficulty was solved in Loeffler boiler by preventing the flow of water into the boiler tubes. Feed water is evaporated in the drum using part of the superheated steam coming out from the water-heater. Capacity: Capacity of the Loeffler boiler is about 100

Tonnes/Hr of superheated steam generated at a pressure of

140 kgf/sq.cm and at a temperature of 500C.

2. Benson boiler

 This boiler has a unique characteristic of absence of steam

separating drum. The feed water from the economiser flows into the radiant evaporator with radiant parallel tube sections. Throttle valve is used to expand water (above critical pressure which is heated to a temperature above critical temperature) to some lower subcritical level. Capacity: Capacity of benson boiler is about 150

tonnnes/hr at a pressure of 210 kgf/sq.cm. and at a

temperature of 650C.

Steam generator control

It is used to control the steam flow required by the

turbine at design pressure and design temperature.

Feed water and drum level control

 Steam pressure control

 Steam temperature control Various methods for steam temperature control are:

Tilting burners
Excess air control Combined radiant and convective super heaters.

Attemperation

Conclusion
Various aspects of steam generation and control in a thermal power plant has been studied.

THANK YOU