Boiler

A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. A boiler or steam
generator is a device used to create steam by applying heat energy to water. A boiler or steam
generator is used wherever a source of steam is required. A boiler can also be defined as a
device for generating steam which has two principal parts:
The furnace, which provides heat by burning fuels
The boiler proper, in which the heat changes water into steam.
Steam Plant
Steam plants and indeed all other process plants must be equipped with relevant process
equipment for specific operational requirements. Various pieces of process plant equipment
exist for various plant operations. A boiler is one such piece of major equipment. Its main use
is for a generation of steam for various process operations or applications and for heating
applications. With many components, fittings, and accessories, it will be capable of serving
the steam needs for industrial applications.
Types of Boiler
Every boiler should be designed to absorb the maximum amount of heat released in the
combustion process.
1. Water tube boiler
2. Fire tube boiler
However, classification of boilers as water tube and fire tube only accounts for just the basic
arrangement between heat source and the boiler water.
Fire Tube Boiler
A fire tube boiler is a type of boiler in which the heat source, the furnace or firebox, produces
hot gases that pass through one or more tubes, running through the boiler feed water on the
shell side, converting it to steam. The heat of the gases is transferred through the walls of the
tubes by thermal conduction, heating the water and ultimately creating steam.
Water Tube Boilers
A water tube boiler is a type of boiler in which water circulates in tubes heated externally by
the fire. The circulated water is heated by the hot gases and converted into steam at the vapor
space in the drum. These hot gases are created by burning fuel inside the furnace. The heated
water then rises into the steam drum, where saturated steam is either drawn off through the
drum top or made to reenter the furnace through a superheater to become superheated.
Comparison of Fire Tube and Water Tube Boiler
There are two main boiler types that you can choose from for your specific application; water
tube and firetube boilers. Deciding which of these two types will work best for you is not as
easy as it may seem. It is like comparing apples to oranges; you cant simply compare prices
with steam capacity, as there are significant differences to consider.

Water tube and firetube boilers are essentially the opposite in design. In a water tube boiler,
water travels through tubes which are surrounded by the by-products of combustion, or flue
gas. In a firetube boiler, the flue gas travels through the tubes, which are surrounded by hot
water. Firetube boilers are typically designed with either three or four sets of tubes (three- or
four-pass boilers).
The rule of thumb is that if you have a very constant and steady load that doesnt change
often, then a firetube boiler will work well for you. If you have a swing or varying load, then
the water tube boiler is generally a better choice.
Boiler in NBC Unit # 1
The type of boiler which NBC (Naubahar Bottling Company) unit # 1 is using is Fire
tube boiler and there are two such boilers. The capacity of these boilers is 5 tons and the
working pressure is 150 psi.
Boiler Accessories
A number of items must be fitted to steam boilers, all with the objective of improving
operation, efficiency, and safety. A steam boiler system consists primarily of a boiler unit and
a combustion unit. The steam so generated requires some incentives for its effective
utilization.
Fittings and Accessories at the Boiler Unit
Some of the boiler fittings and accessories are:
Safety valve
Used to relieve pressure and prevent possible explosion of a boiler.
Water-level indicators
Show the operator the level of fluid in the boiler; also known as a sight glass, water
Gauge, or water column.
Bottom blowdown valves
Used to remove solid particulates that condense and lay on the bottom of a boiler.
Continuous blowdown valve
Allows a small quantity of water to escape continuously. Its purpose is to prevent the
saturation of boiler water with dissolved solids.
Flash tank
Vessel used to collect the high-pressure blowdown. In it the steam can flash safely (i.e., the
sudden rush of steam as a result of blowdown is safe and free of any form of danger) and can
be used in a low-pressure system or be vented to the atmosphere, while the ambient pressure
blowdown flows to a drain.
Automatic blowdown/continuous heat recovery system:
Allows the boiler to blow down only when makeup water is flowing to the boiler. This
enables the transfer of the maximum amount of heat possible, from the blowdown to the
makeup water. No flash tank is needed, as the blowdown discharge is close to the temperature
of the makeup water.
Handholes
Steel plates installed in openings in a header, to allow for inspections and installations of
tubes and inspection of internal surfaces.

Steam drum internals

A series of screen, scrubber, and cyclone separators.
Low-water fuel cutoff
A mechanical means (usually, a float switch) that is used to turn off the burner or shut off fuel
to the boiler to prevent it from running once the water goes below a certain point. If a boiler
is dry fired (i.e., burned without water in it), it can cause a rupture or catastrophic failure.
Surface blowdown line
Provides a means of removing foam or the lightweight non-condensable substance that tends
to float on top of the water inside a boiler.
Circulating Pump
Designed to circulate water back to the boiler after it has expelled some of its heat.
Feed water check valve or clack valve
A nonreturnable stop valve in the feed water line. This may be fitted to the side of the boiler
just below the water level, or to the top of the boiler.
Top feed valve
A check valve mounted on top of the boiler, intended to reduce the nuisance of lime scale.
It causes lime scale to be precipitated in a powdery form that is easily washed out of the
boilers.
De-superheater tubes or bundles
a series of tubes or bundles of tubes in the water drum or steam drum designed to cool
superheated steam, for the safety of auxiliary equipment that does not need, or may be
damaged by, dry steam.
Pressure gauge
Connected to the steam space of a boiler. They usually have a ring siphon tube that fills with
condensed steam and protects the dial mechanisms from high temperatures.
Chemical injection line:
A connection to add chemicals to control feed water pH.
Steam Accessories
Steam traps
These are devices used to discharge condensate and non-condensable gases with a negligible
consumption of live steam. Some steam traps are nothing more than automatic valves. They
open, close, or modulate automatically. Others are based on turbulent two phase flows to
obstruct the steam flow. The three important functions of steam traps are:
1. Discharge of condensate as soon as it is formed
2. Negligible steam consumption
3. Discharging of air and other non-condensable gases
Combustion Accessories
Fuel Oil System
An oil burner is a mechanical device that combines fuel oil with proper amounts of air before
delivering the mixture to the point of ignition in a combustion chamber. A fuel oil burner
either vaporizes and/or atomizes the fuel oil.
Gas Combustion System
As in a fuel oil system, the gas burner combines the fuel gas with proper amounts of air
before delivering the mixture to the point of ignition in a combustion chamber. Atomization is
not necessary for gas combustion.
Solid Fuel Combustion Systems

Solid fuel combustion involves much skilled arrangement of specialized combustion systems.
Unlike the fuel oil and gaseous fuel, solid fuel must undergo adequate preparatory measures
before use.
Gasifier system
A gasifier may be made up of a two stage updraft atmospheric unit that produces syngas in
the primary chamber and then ignites the gas in a thermal low-excess air ignition system.
Syngas burns clearly into water vapour and carbon dioxide. The advantage of gasification is
that using syngas is more efficient than direct combustion of the original fuel, as more of the
energy contained in the fuel is extracted.
Draft Control
A natural draft is subject to outside air conditions and the temperature of flue gases leaving
the furnace, as well as the chimney height. All these factors make a proper draft difficult to
attain, and therefore make mechanical draft equipment much more economical.
There are three types of mechanical drafts.
Induced draft
An induced draft can be obtained by the stack effect of a heated chimney, in which the flue
gas is less dense than the ambient air surrounding the boiler. The denser column of ambient
air forces the combustion air into and through the boiler
Forced draft
In this case, a draft is obtained by forcing air into the furnace by means of a forced-draft fan
and ductwork. Air is often passed through an air heater, which heats the air going into the
furnace to increase the overall efficiency of the boiler. Dampers are used to control the
quantity of air admitted to the furnace. Forced-draft furnaces usually have positive pressure.
Balanced draft
A balanced draft is obtained through the use of both induced and forced drafts. This is more
common with larger boilers, where the flue gases have to travel a long distance through many
boiler passes.
Emission Control Systems
These systems are used to control the emission into the surroundings of hazardous chemical
by-products. This is done primarily to avoid or at least minimize environmental pollution.
Such control devices include multiclone flyash collectors, baghouses, mechanical collectors,
scrubbers, high-efficiency cyclones, electrostatic precipitators, and control panels.
In NBC Unit # 1 cyclones are used to remove dust particles from the flue gases going to the
atmosphere.
Heating and Heating Fuels
The heat sources for a boiler are primarily the output of combustion processes in the furnace
or firebox unit of the boiler plant. Boiler fuels include:
Fuel oils
Mainly hydrocarbon based. Other liquid fuels may include biofuel oils.
Gases
Mainly natural gas. Other gaseous fuels include coal gas and propane.
Waste heat from other processes
Can be used in heat recovery steam generators.
Solid fuels
Mainly coal. Other solid fuels include:

Wood fuel
Such as bark, sawdust, planer shaving, logged wood, dried wood chips, sander dust,
and wood flour
Industrial wastes

Such as coffee grounds, corn shells, corn bran, corncobs, corn stover, coconut hulls,
oat hulls, peanut hulls, pecan shells, rice husks, wheat bran, sugarcane bagasse,
charcoal, dried peat moss, and sludge from wastewater treatment plants
Municipal solid wastes
Such as paper materials, wood wastes, plastic materials, and tires and rubber-based
materials
Fuels Used in NBC Unit # 1
In normal days, when Sui gas or fuel is available then this fuel or gas is used to make steam
but when there is limited or no supply of fuel then rice-husk and corn bran is fed to produce
steam from water.
Boiler Feed Water Treatment
The important parameters of the feed water are:
pH
Hardness
Oxygen and carbon dioxide concentration
Silicates
Dissolved solids
Suspended solids
Concentration organics
The treatment and conditioning of boiler feed water must satisfy three main objectives:
1. Continuous heat exchanger
2. Corrosion protection
3. Production of high-quality steam
To maintain and operate a boiler system properly, the boiler feed water should be adequately
treated. This is because as steam is produced, dissolved solids concentrate to form deposits
inside the boiler. This leads to poor heat transfer, reducing the efficiency of the boiler.
Dissolved gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide corrode the boiler by reacting with
metals in the boiler system. So protection of the boiler from contaminants lies in the proper
removal or control of contaminants by external or internal treatment of the boiler feed water.
There are two main processes in of feed water treatment
1. External treatment
2. Internal treatment
External Treatment
External treatment is the reduction or removal of impurities from water outside the boiler.
Typical examples of external treatment include clarification, filtration, softening,
dealkalization, demineralization, deaeration, evaporation, and membrane contractors.
Internal Treatment
Internal treatment is the conditioning of impurities within a boiler system. The reactions
occur either in the feed lines or in the boiler proper. Internal treatment may be used alone or
jointly with external treatment. Its purpose is to react appropriately to feed water hardness,
condition sludge, and scavenge oxygen and to prevent boiler water foaming.

Boiler Plant in NBC

SUPPLY
VALVE

SAFETY
VALVE

CHIMNEY

FD FAN
METHANE GAS

NR
VALVE

WATER TANK

OUTLET

INFEED
WATER

Construction of Fire Tube Boiler

Fire tube boiler consists of following units:
Feed Water Tank
As water for boiler should be treated so that no impurities may deposit on surface of boiler
therefore treated water from RO plant is used in the boiler for production of steam. Feed
water is stored in it.
Mobrey
It is to used to maintain the water level in the boiler. It works automatically. Whenever the
water level is not according to our requirement then it automatically adjust the level of water.
Feed Water Pump
To supply water. Its capacity is half ton and can give pressure up-to 200-250 psi.

Rotary Burner
Burners are responsible for:
Proper and proportional mixing of fuel and air, for efficient and complete combustion
Determining the direction and shape of the flame
Burners are used for the controlled combustion of fuel such as natural gas and aid in
liberating heat energy required in heaters and furnaces. There is a wide variety of burners and
the type required depends upon the specific use of the burner. The gases are mainly methane
gas and salt fuel (in furnace oil). These are mainly used as fuel.

In this type of burner, fuel oil is supplied down a central tube and discharges onto the inside
surface of a rotating cone. As the fuel oil moves along the cap (due to the absence of a
centripetal force) the oil film becomes progressively thinner as the circumference of the cap
increases. Eventually, the fuel oil is discharged from the lip of the cone as a fine spray.
Atomization is produced by the rotating cup, not by fuel pressure drop. The turndown ratio is
much greater than that of the pressure jet burner.
Boiler Stack Economizer
Large process boilers usually give off fuel gases at very high temperatures Minimal heat
wastage and optimal boiler performance is achieved by installing a stack economizer which
utilizes part of the heat from fuel gases to preheat water. The preheated water is used
primarily for boiler makeup water or some other applications in boiler operations.
Economizers are sized to be installed into the stack, as close to the boiler fuel outlet as
practical. Thus, economizer sizing must be consistent with:
The volume of flue gases
The temperature of flue gases
The maximum allowable pressure drop through the stack
The type of heating fuel for the boiler
The value of energy to be recovered
Economizer is there to take heat from waste gases and this heat is used for pre-heating of
water and then supply hot water to boiler.
Force Draft Fan
FD fan is being used for the purpose to supply a correct ratio of air and hot gases. In a boiler
arrangement, a forced draft fan will draw in air and force it into the combustion chamber of
the boiler, where it mixes with the fuel being supplied.
FD fans are typically used to regulate the proper amount of air-to-fuel ratios in an effort to
maximize fuel efficiency and to minimize EPA-regulated emissions, such as NOx (Nitrogen
Oxides).
Tube Passes
In boiler there are number of tubes and these tubes are arranged to give three passes.
One or more cross tubes are either flanged or riveted to the water space are located in the fire
box to increase the heating surface area to improve the water circulation.
Pressure Gauge
These gauges are installed at different points to check the working pressure of steam and
boiler.
Watch Glass
For inspection of water level in the boiler.
Safety Valve
A safety valve is installed to protect life and equipment. It responses to the set value of
pressure and operates to release the excess or over pressure.

Non-Returnable Valve
It is also called as check valve. A check valve allows a fluid stream to flow only in one
direction and does not require any mechanical driver for its operation. The upstream pressure

of the fluid open the valve and when downstream pressure is higher than the upstream
pressure the valve is fully closed to stop the backward flow.
Chimney
Also called as stack. The part of the furnace which begins from the furnace roof and projects
into the atmosphere is usually known as chimney.
Working of Fire Tube Boiler
Fuel burns on the grate in the fire box. The resulting hot flue gases are allowed to pass around
the cross tubes. The water surrounding the cylindrical fire box also receives heat
by convection and radiation. Thus steam is produced. The water circulation in the boiler
depends on the density difference in water, created by temperature difference in water.
In normal days, when Sui gas or fuel is available then this fuel or gas is used to make steam
but when there is limited or no supply of fuel then rice-husk is fed to produce steam from
water.
The mechanism of the boiler is different when rice husk is used to produce steam. It
comprises of elevator, hopper and burner.
Capacity = 14 tons
Boiler Problems
The pressure of the steam determines the temperature and energy capacity. The higher the
pressure, the stricter the quality of the boiler feed water. Many problems are caused by
impurities in the boiler when low-quality boiler feed water is used at high pressure.
Scaling
Boiler scale is caused by impurities resulting from hardness salts, metallic oxides, silica [i.e.,
silicon dioxide) (SiO2)] and a number of other feed water contaminants that can enter a
system. Scale is formed by salts that have limited solubility but are not totally insoluble in
boiler water. These salts reach the deposit site in a soluble form and are then deposited
(precipitate).
Scaling is due mainly to the presence of calcium and magnesium salts (carbonates and
sulfates), which are less soluble hot than cold.
Corrosion
Corrosion is the reversion of a metal to its ore form. For example, iron reverts to the iron
oxide Fe2+ or Fe3+ as a result of corrosion. Water will rapidly corrode mild steel, and as the
temperature increases, the reaction accelerates.
Boiler Water Carryover
Carryover is generally considered to be any containment that leaves a boiler steam drum with
the steam. It can be in solid, liquid, or vapor form. Effects of carryover include:
Deposition in regulators and valves
Deposition in superheaters
Deposition in control valves and turbines
Process contamination