Soot blowers keep the heat transfer surfaces in a boiler clean.

A brief
description of the working of soot blowers is given in this article.

Chimney Sweeps have been legendary characters in English literature

from Hans Christian Anderson to Charles Dickens. In t he earlier days when
houses had fireplaces, the Chimney Sweep did the function of cleaning the soot
from the chimney. In the modern day boiler, the soot blower does the same
function.

In oil fired boilers, over a period of time the heat transfer tubes get
covered by a layer of soot or fine carbon deposit. This reduces the heat transfer
from the hot gases to the water and reduces the efficiency of the boiler.
In coal fired boilers, the furnace area gets covered by slag which is molten ash.
The ash also sticks to the heat transfer surface in the other heat transfer areas.
These ash accumulations reduce heat transfer and increase the tube metal
temperatures leading to failure of the tubes.
.

Tube cleaning is done periodically to remove the ash or soot deposits.

Steam is the medium used for cleaning. The steam is taken from the boiler
itself.
The soot blower consists of a lance tube with a nozzle at the end. When it is
operated, the lance is extended into the boiler and steam is admitted through the
lance. The steam comes out as a high velocity jet through the nozzles, which
cleans the ash deposited on the surface. When the lance moves into the boiler it
is also rotating so that it cleans the sweeping area covered by the circular travel
of the nozzle. The lance is then retracted back.

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There are two types of soot blowers.

One with a very long lance called the long retractable soot
blowers. This is normally used to clean the ash deposit from between the
coils of superheaters and economisers.

The other type is the shorter lance type called the wall blowers.
These are used to clean the furnace walls. The lance extends a short distance
around 200 mm from the furnace wall. The nozzle direction is such that the
steam impinges on the walls cleaning the surface. During operation, the
lance rotates cleaning the radial area covered by the steam from the nozzle.

The deposits on the walls are due to the chemical constituents of ash, and
the amount of combustion air. If the ash contains more of Ferrous Sulphide,

then the melting temperature of the ash is low which makes the ash melt and
stick to the walls.
A large coal fired Thermal power plant will have around two hundred soot
blowers of both types arranged to cover all the area of the boiler. This will be
programmed to automatically operate to a required sequence.
Intelligent soot blower systems calculate the trends in the temperature increase
in different sections of a boiler. The program then decides which soot blowers
have to be operated and at what frequency.
High-pressure water lances are also used in some units where the slagging is
very heavy.
The Quattrosonics Story - The Alternative to Steam Soot Blowers

We have found your company on the internet while we have been searching for
alternatives to steam soot blowers for thermal power plants and we are
interested to learn about sonic soot blowers. With steam soot blowers our main
problem is water which occurs when we are using steam soot blowers. It reacts
with our ash to become like a stone in our boiler area and super heater pipe
surface.
Best Practice Guidelines for Boiler Soot Blowing
Utilities have been cleaning their boilers for many years using either steam or
high-pressure air. In the past, when air was used, due to the size of the boilers
and the reasonable quality of fuel used, a relatively small amount of cleaning
was required.
In the past decades, larger power-generating stations were built and the quality
of fuel was deteriorating, requiring a greater amount of cleaning with shorter
cleaning cycles.
With these changes, larger compressors, when air cleaning, became a necessity.
Reciprocating compressors were unable to compete on an economic basis in the
larger capacities due to their relatively small capacities, initial cost, high
installation costs, and space requirements for multiple compressor installations.
Centrifugal compressors have been used in utility soot blowing in a limited
amount since the early 1950s, but the reliability and efficiency of early high
pressure designs left a great deal to be desired.

From the late 1960s through the early 1980s, compressor manufacturers took
great strides in the development of the high-pressure, multi-stage, centrifugal air
compressors, utilizing the advances in centrifugal technology and
manufacturing capabilities. They extended these advances in efficiency,
reliability, and compactness to the high-pressure units (300 to 500 psig). This
makes them the most viable option for economic large volume, high-pressure
compressed air, such as required in a soot blowing system.
Air vs. Steam for Soot Blowing in Boilers
Generally speaking, soot blower manufacturers lances, with some
modifications, will handle either cleaning media steam or compressed air.
Cleaning energy is usually defined as:
Fluid Horsepower = WV (Px 144)/33,000
where:
W
V
is
P is Psig at the nozzle

is
Specific

Flow
Volume

in
in

lbs/min
Ft3/lb

This fluid horsepower relates equated kinetic energy at the point of impact to
relate to the surface soot removal. This relationship is called peak impact
pressure.
A nozzle designed properly for air or another designed for steam will clean an
area equally effectively. Other more important criteria that are used to determine
the boiler cleaning media are listed below:
Geographic Location An area that has quality water available may be
more prone to use steam.
Quality of Water chemically hard water would be a detriment with a
steam cleaning system due to the high cost of chemically treating the
water.
Capacity of Steam or Air - An excess of steam or air due to operational
changes may influence the decision including operator familiarity and
comfort with either media.
Looking at air vs. steam on an economic basis:

Deploy a Dedicated Low Pressure Air Compressor

Often because the large horsepower high pressure compressors cannot easily be
shut off and also have to run the low pressure (100 psig) plant, service and
instrument air is taken from the high pressure receiver that is regulated down to
the low pressure. This is very inefficient compared to running a dedicated low
pressure compressor.
On a recent compressed air audit at a Midwestern power plant we developed the
following data profile. All costs are based on the power plants selling price of
electricity $0.06 / kWh 8760 hours per year. The progressive thinking here is If
you dont use the energy to produce electric power you can sell it.
All the compressed air high pressure and low pressure was supplied by the High
Pressure Soot Blowing Compressors, 12,500 scfm at an annual electrical
energy cost of $195.99 scfm / year or $2,449,876 per year.
The low pressure system has been supplied since the mid 1990s by the high
pressure centrifugals and regulated down to the 100 psig class level. Initially the
low pressure air demand was relatively small and it made more sense to use
regulated low pressure rather than start up another low pressure compressor and
still not being able to shut off any of the three 2000 HP high pressure
centrifugals. In effect the low pressure air compressor would be on and the large
horsepower centrifugal would go into blow off with no net input energy
savings, and probably a net increase into the compressed air supply. During the
last decade the low pressure demand increased and the utility called for us to

evaluate the total system. Measurement and observation gave us the following
demand profiles:
Estimated low pressure demand:
Ash air

1469 scfm

Control air

1212 scfm

Station air

2334 scfm

Total

5020 scfm

Estimated high pressure demand:

7480 scfm

Total air flow

12,500 scfm

At the end of the audit and implementation, air conservation

programs reduced this to:
Low Pressure air

4020
scfm

High Pressure air

6730
scfm

This low pressure demand was satisfied with 6000 scfm base load compressor
and 1400 scfm of VSD driven trim unit. The remaining 6730 of high pressure
air (300 psig) demand was satisfied by running one of the 2000 HP original
units and a new additional 1500 HP smaller centrifugal with 25% turndown.
The newer unit is then 20% more power efficient then the original with almost
15% more effective turndown.
The new 1500 HP compressor was more power efficient than the older
1995 units due to better manufacturing and advanced design.
The smaller centrifugal with more effective turndown was applied to the
demand at 75% flow, 80% power and generally not running in blow
off. Previously the three older units were all running normally with two
in Blow Off this improved the overall high pressure efficiency about
20%
The low pressure was obviously producing at a much better specific
power. An improvement of 48% compared to the previous high pressure
air regulated down.

 The total savings reduced the annual electrical energy cost by 43% or
$1,387,638 per year. The total project cost was $1,462,700, a simple
payback of a little over one year (12.6 to 12.2 months)
Other Soot Blowing Operational Considerations:
Tube Erosion
When steam is used as a cleaning medium and a soot blower starts is blowing
cycle, there normally is a temperature differential between the soot blower and
the steam. When this happens, steam condenses and slugs of water are ejected
from the soot blower nozzle. After repeated cycles, the slugs may erode the
tubes in the boilers requiring plugging of the tubes and eventually replacement.
Tube erosion can often be a more significant problem in a steam system than in
a compressed air system.
Soot blowing Cycles and Considerations
A cleaning cycle is a period of time in which required blowers are cycled in a
pre-arranged sequence to clean given areas of a boiler over a period of time.
Many variables are intermeshed in determining a cycle, some of which are:

Size of boiler
Time period for cleaning
Type and quality of fuel used
Type of blowing (stacked or single)
Highest soot blower capacity requirement
Personnel preference for a given time period.
o Increase or decrease linear travel rate of long retractable lances
(soot blowers).
o Increase or decrease number of revolutions of the wall blowers.
o Increase or decrease pressure at the nozzles / change or modify
nozzles
o Operate parallel blowing systems when possible.

o Speed up the control sequence where one blower starts extending

out into the boiler before the prior one is fully retracted.
o Modifications to the IR rods to allow use at lower pressure during
refraction limit just enough for cooling.
o Changes to control valves / regulators with less pressure loss.
o Main manifold system air pressure
o Air pressure interlock at individual lances
o Air flow to lances.

Most of these items are variable and should be considered in detail before
the system specifications are written. Some ways a blower cycle can be
reduced or expanded after installation are to:

Typical Bar Chart Typical compressed air soot blowing system with
stacking:

Jim Wood, Patti Van Der Meer, and Sid Van der Meer (owners)

of Northwest Equipment
Stacking Considerations Operating Parallel Blowers When Possible.
It is poor practice to blow in the pendant reheat surface at the same time
the wall blowers are in use. The control system can be arranged so this
will never occur. Blowing an air heater at any time usually has no
disturbing effect on the boiler, nor does blowing any horizontal boiler
surfaces, which usually includes primary reheater, superheater, and
economizer surface.
The concept of stacking which helps to level load the compressed air
system may create some problems for the boiler, with significant
temperature excursions. Larger boilers would experience much lower
magnitude of upsets. Pressure requirements vary greatly from lance to
lance. Normal ranges are from 135 to 260 psig at the nozzle of the
blower. Pressure is related to the cleaning energy (PIP) required for a
given area and cooling requirements.
Cooling long retractable lances in higher temperature areas of the boiler
use a substantially greater quantity of air for cooling than for cleaning and
at a higher pressure. A high pressure for the long retractable lances is
often required to accommodate the pressure drop associated with the high
flow rates and long lengths of the blowers. Typical cooling requirements
for long retractable lances are:
Lance Length

Approximate Cooling Requirements

40 ft.

6,000 scfm or more

50 ft.

9,000 scfm or more

Required compressor pressures are normally conservatively picked to

account for large pressure drops through the piping system and control
valves of the soot blowers. The overall pressure drop may be as high as
100 psig from the compressor discharge to the soot blower nozzle.
Approximately 50 psig maybe lost in the control valve at the entrance to
the lance. This is often recoverable.
Wall Blowers or IR Blowers
Wall blowers are used to clean the furnace walls and will probably use
approximately 2,200 to 2,300 scfm. Wall blowers normally operate in one
or more pairs depending on the overall cycle. Their basic job is to reduce
slag that has accumulated on the pipes in the upper levels of the boiler,
and superheated region. When the slag builds up on the pipes the rate of

heat transfer decreases, this will lower the temperature of the steam going
to the superheated portion of the system, therefore decreasing overall
efficiency of the system.
A normal cycle for a wall blower starts when it energizes and moves out
into the furnace to its outermost position where the control valve opens
and air starts flowing. It takes three seconds to go from zero to full flow.
The wall blower rotates one or more times depending on the amount of
cleaning required and then the control valve closes in three seconds and
the blower retracts into the wall.

The time for a wall blower cycle is approximately three to six minutes
and the period of zero flow between wall blower flow to no-flow to flow
can be as high as 1 _ minutes in a normal sequence. This may be reduced
if cycle time needs to be reduced by overlapping.
Long Retractable Lances or IR Blowers
Long retractable blowers are used to clean pendant-type radiant surfaces
and convection surfaces in high temperature zones as well as convection
passes to reduce slag buildup on the walls of the boiler and for
temperature control. These areas are normally in the super-heater,
reheater, and the economizer section.
The long retractable lance cycle starts when the lance energizes and
extends into the boiler and air starts flowing with the three-second delay
from the control valve. The lance travels outward and rotates at the same
time. The linear speed varies from 65 to 150 inches per minute,
depending on the cleaning and temperature zone requirements.
Long Retractable Lance Cleaning Pattern
Long retractable lances vary in length with the boiler size and are onehalf the width of the boiler. Cooling is very critical with these lances
since they may operate in temperature zones up to 2,000_F and are
cantilevered out from the side of the boiler walls.
Air Heaters
The long retractable blowers are often also used in the air heater section.
Sometimes a swing arm type blower may be used in the air heater
section. This will use a lower magnitude of compressed air, but will
generally require a longer cycle.

System Interlocks
Several safety interlocks can be provided on soot blowing systems. One
or more of the interlocks listed below may be used:
These safety interlocks are used to prevent damage due to low air
pressure or flow to the lances, especially the long retractable lances while
they
are
operating
in
the
boiler.
The loss of a lance will reduce boiler efficiency and eventually will lead
to a plant shutdown.
Improved Performance from Priority-Based Intelligent Sootblower Systems
The Jim Bridger Plant, located in Rock Springs, Wyo., is the largest coal-fired
plant operated by PacifiCorp Energy. The plant consists of four 560-MW units;
all have corner-fired Combustion Engineering (CE, now Alstom Power)
controlled circulation steam generators. Each boiler produces 3.98 million lb/hr
at 2,660 psi with 1,005F superheat and 1,005F reheat steam temperatures. Each
unit was commissioned in the 1970s and has been upgraded with Alstoms
TFS2000 low-NOx firing retrofit.
Jim Bridger is also a mine-mouth plant burning southwest Wyoming
subbituminous coal primarily from two company-owned mines, supplemented
by coal delivered by train from another local mine. All of the coal produced by
the company-owned mines must be consumed by the plant, even if the coal
properties are unfavorable. Thus, the plant blends delivered coal to produce the
most favorable coal possible.
The Effect of Coal Selection on Slagging
The factors affecting coal energy content include Btu/pound, ash, and moisture
level. The table shows the plant design, current target, and percent of time
targets were met. The targeted heating value of the coal is 10% lower, and
moisture content 20% higher, than design. This means that higher fuel input is
required to achieve the unit-rated load. The ash content target is 50% higher
than design, meaning that the sootblowing effort required to maintain boiler
performance is higher than design. Target-met percentages of 50% to 65%
illustrate the variability of heating value, ash content, and moisture. This
variability can quickly change sootblowing needs at the plant.

Coal quality at Jim Bridger plant. Source: Diamond Power International Inc.
and PacifiCorp Energy
There can be significant operational limits due to high-slagging coals, as
measured by high sodium (reheater fouling), high calcium, or high iron (water
wall slagging), and low ash-softening temperature under reducing (combustion
with less oxygen than is ideally required) conditions (reheater and secondary
superheater fouling). The slagging potential factors listed in the table meet
targeted values more than 99% of the time. Low-slagging coal is emphasized at
Jim Bridger, as the units historically require a load drop within two hours of
burning coal outside of the slagging targets.
Original Equipment Blowers
The retractable sootblowers on the Jim Bridger units are mostly vintage CopesVulcan blowers. Diamond Power IK-600 blowers clean the front of the platen
superheat section. There are 28 retractable blowers on each unit at Jim Bridger,
all using steam as the cleaning media. The retractable blowers are positioned to
clean the platen superheat pendant, reheat pendant, finishing superheat pendant,
primary superheat pendant, and economizer sections of the boilers.
The Bridger plant uses Diamond Power IR-3Z wallblowers with steam as the
blowing media. Each unit has 76 wallblowers. There are 20 wallblowers on
each of the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors. These 60 blowers are in service and
available for use by operations.
The steam wallblowers are intended to blow steam in a path that is nearly
parallel to the furnace wall. The parallel flow path of the wallblower cleaning
arc results in ow energy impact on the furnace wall tubing. In EPRIs Boiler

Tube Failures: Theory and Practice, Volume 2: Water Touched Tubes, the
authors identify excessive sootblowing as one root cause of boiler tube failures,
in addition to insufficient steam temperature, condensate in blowing media,
improper operation of the thermal drain system, excessive blowing pressure,
improper location of the sootblower, improper alignment of the sootblower, and
malfunction of the sootblower. In PacifiCorps experience, correction of the
other factors will prevent excessive sootblowing from causing erosion on the
water wall tubing that has the potential to cause a boiler tube leak.
In general, retractable sootblowers are a higher erosion liability than
wallblowers. A retractable sootblowers steam arc is perpendicular to the tubes
of each panel in its path. The force of the steam removes ash deposits present on
the panels. The force of the steam will also remove minute amounts of tube
metal if blown directly on clean tubing, which results in significant erosion after
many blower operations. In EPRIs Boiler Tube Failures: Theory and Practice,
Volume 3: Steam-Touched Tubes, the authors identify sootblower operations
that occur on a time basis rather than an as-needed basis as a primary cause of
sootblower erosion tube leaks in the areas around retractable sootblowers.
Retractable sootblower nozzle performance is assessed by measuring the peak
impact pressure (PIP) of the cleaning media jet at points downstream of the
nozzle outlet. To reduce the erosive impact of retractable sootblowers, in the
1990s, the Jim Bridger plant replaced original Hi-PIP nozzles on retractable
blowers with ground flush nozzles that have a much lower peak impact
pressure. Lowering the PIP of these retractable blowers also made them less
effective at removal of ash deposits and platenized build-up.
Sootblowing Side Effects
The Jim Bridger plants history of sootblower erosion and fouling in the pendant
sections made sootblower optimization critical (see sidebar). When sootblower
operation frequency is too high, a plant risks losing power generation from tube
leaks; but when sootblower frequency is too low, there is a risk of boiler
pluggage. Intelligent sootblowing (ISB) is the plants chosen tool to optimize
sootblowing. Plant operators expect ISB to operate sootblowers when and
where necessary to minimize tube erosion and avoid pluggage. They also expect
no heat rate loss from the use of ISB.

Important ISB Considerations

A contributing factor to the success of the ISB system at Jim Bridger Plants
Unit 2 was the installation of high-performance nozzles on the retractable
sootblowers. We recommend asking operations personnel about boiler
conditions and sootblower performance. If operators are running blowers
excessively, ask them why. If operators frequently have to run the same
retractable blower to avoid bridging or pluggage, the sootblower is not
performing well. An ISB system will not fix problems with sootblower
performance.
Sootblower Prioritization
Vintage ISB systems at the Jim Bridger plant required manually programmed
sootblower sequences for each cleaning region of a boiler. The manually
programmed sequence was initiated when the boiler model determined its
corresponding region of the boiler required cleaning. Changing boiler
conditions, including fuel quality and fuel input, shifted boiler cleaning needs.
As needs changed, the manually programmed sequence became less efficient.
Todays ISB systems are more sophisticated and should include sootblower
prioritization. With sootblower prioritization, sootblower operations are
determined dynamically, based on boiler conditions and blower rank. This
results in a system that makes the best choice of which blower to operate next.
Load Change Frequency
Changes in load occur frequently on coal-fired units in the PacifiCorp fleet.
Historically, this was not the case, but with recent additions of wind energy and
changes in power demand, it is common for any unit to be dispatched up or
down by 20 MW to 100 MW. It is recommended that a load analysis be
performed on ISB system performance and some form of compensation for load
changes be incorporated in the ISB boiler cleanliness model.
Tube erosion is difficult to monitor in the short term because there are few
opportunities to measure boiler tube thickness. Opportunities to measure tube
thickness typically arise during major outages (every four years), but critical
erosion areas are evaluated during maintenance outages, when necessary or

convenient. The plant uses sootblower counts as a leading indicator of

sootblower erosion. Thus, the most practical method for minimizing sootblower
erosion is to reduce sootblower counts.
Boiler pluggage problems cause either a load reduction or a forced outage to
clean the boiler. The plants goal to avoid boiler pluggage is measured by the
number of megawatts lost from sootblower-related slagging problems.
The heat rate metrics most directly affected by sootblowing are superheat steam
temperature, reheat steam temperature, and economizer gas outlet temperature.
Each of these metrics is measured and recorded accurately by the plant.
Increases in superheat and reheat steam temperatures and decreases in
economizer outlet gas temperatures result in heat rate gains. The heat rate
metrics are affected by systems other than sootblowing, and other system
operational changes from tuning are common. Thus, the plant decided the most
reasonable heat rate goal with ISB is to avoid a measurable heat rate loss.
ISB Project Details
The Jim Bridger plant installed a Diamond Power SentrySeries 1500 sootblower
control system on Unit 2 during the spring 2009 overhaul. The new control
system included the hardware and software required for intelligent sootblowing
in the furnace and convective region. Additionally, several retractable
sootblower nozzles on Jim Bridger Unit 2 were upgraded from ground flush
nozzles to Gemini nozzles.
The Gemini nozzles provide more efficient cleaning of the heat transfer
surfaces, and they have the ability to remove more difficult deposits. Gemini
nozzles allow for expansion of the steam as it exits the nozzle at supersonic
speeds, creating a greater peak impact pressure than other nozzle technologies.
The PIP for the retractable sootblowers at the lower front of the reheater
pendant (K5 and K6) increased by approximately 150% over the existing
ground flush nozzles at the design pressure.
The new control system uses heat flux sensors for ISB in the furnace region.
Gas and steam temperatures are used for ISB in the convective region. Overall,
implementation of the ISB system on Jim Bridger Unit 2 satisfied the plants
operating goals, including these:

The number of retractable sootblower operations was reduced by 56%.

The distribution of retract operations improved on Unit 2 by changing
typical slagging patterns.
A measured reduction in sootblower erosion rate met the plants goal to
minimize tube erosion and extended the projected life of the tube panels
from eight years to 16 years (based on a four-year outage cycle).
The boiler heat rate performance was maintained.
There were no generation losses due to boiler slagging.
The ISB system on Unit 2 was commissioned in August 2009. The ISB
commissioning process included verification of field instrumentation and
software configuration. Following installation and commissioning, tuning
adjustments were made in September 2009. Monitoring and evaluating
sootblowing metrics related to the plants goals began in October 2009.
Comparing Units 2 and 3 for Sootblower Cycle Counts
To determine the effectiveness of ISB at Jim Bridger, it was necessary to
compare a unit operating with ISB with one that was not. A before-and-after
comparison on Unit 2 was conducted, but time-based variation in the fuel blend
and load dispatch makes this comparison marginally conclusive for the Bridger
plant. Thus, the best option was to compare two separate units with as few
differences as possible for blower counts.
Jim Bridger Units 2 and 3 were selected for this comparison due to the
similarity in how these units operated during the year selected. Both units
receive coal from a single set of belts and, therefore, run with nominally
identical fuel quality. The internal heat transfer surface layout and sootblower
layouts also are nearly identical. Unit 2 has sonic horn-style cleaning devices in
the economizer, whereas Unit 3 does not; therefore, economizer sootblower
operations were left out of the analysis.
Both units are dispatched similarly within the daily maximum dependable
capacity (MDC) of each unit. The daily MDC can vary from unit to unit due to a
number of factors, including turbine performance, maintenance activities, and
equipment availability. Throughout the course of the year examined, the average
daily load was 491 MW gross on Unit 2 and 484 MW gross on Unit 3. As slag
deposit rates and sootblower usage are tied closely to unit load, all the
comparison between these two units was done by comparing sootblower

operations for the month, divided by the average monthly load in gross
megawatts, yielding a unit of sootblower operations per MW.
ISB Performance Results
A comparison of wallblower operations per MW on both units is shown in
Figure 1. The comparison data span one year.

1. This comparison of the number of wallblower operations per MW on the two

units spans one year, beginning Oct. 1, 2009 (after Unit 2 ISB was
commissioned) and ending Oct. 1, 2010. In general, the two lines follow similar
trends of increasing and decreasing, which are driven largely by seasonal load
demands. The dramatic increase in wallblower operations for both units in
June/July 2010 was caused by a change in the number of mills in service on
both units. Source: Diamond Power International Inc. and PacifiCorp Energy
The Unit 2 wallblowers are operated automatically through ISB, and Unit 3
wallblowers are operated manually. Unit 2 averaged twice as many wallblower
operations as Unit 3. Unit 2 experienced an increase in wallblower usage of
25% (comparing 12 months of wallblower counts before and after ISB). This is
because the ISB software on Unit 2 works toward the plants goal of
maximizing heat transfer in the furnace while maintaining a superheat steam
temperature above 990F. The wallblowers on Unit 3 run primarily to minimize
attemperator spray usage.

The result of furnace ISB on Unit 2 is an increasing trend in average furnace

heat flux (Figure 2). The increase in furnace heat transfer translates into lower
furnace exit gas temperatures. Lower furnace exit gas temperature means less
potential for slag formation in the pendant superheaters on Unit 2, contributing
to the plants goal of reducing retractable sootblower operations.

2. The result of adding furnace ISB on Unit 2 is an increasing trend in average

furnace heat flux. Source: Diamond Power International Inc. and PacifiCorp
Energy
A comparison of retract operations per MW on Units 2 and 3 is shown in Figure
3. This comparison, conducted over the same period as the wallblower
comparison, revealed fewer retractable sootblower operations on Unit 2. Unit 2
averaged approximately half the number of retract cycles of Unit 3. Similarly,
year-over-year data comparison indicates a 56% reduction in retractable
sootblower operations on Unit 2. ISB, which initiates sootblower operations
based on diminished heat transfer, meets the plants goal of reducing retract
operations on Unit 2.

3. Comparison of retract operations per MW on Units 2 and 3, conducted over

the same period as the wallblower comparison (Figure 1). Source: Diamond
Power International Inc. and PacifiCorp Energy
Sootblower prioritization, an ISB feature, selects individual blower operations
based on blower effectiveness. Each blowers effectiveness is determined by its
ability to restore lost heat transfer and time since the blower was last operated.
Operating sootblowers based on diminished heat transfer and blower
effectiveness results in sootblowing precision, meaning the operation of blowers
in the needed locations. This results in fewer total operations (Figure 4).

4. This figure illustrates the reduction in retracts in the reheat section that

resulted from using ISB. Unit 2 retracts operated through ISB, while Unit 3
retracts were operated manually. The data are from February 2010. The total
number of retract operations for the reheat section that month was 28% lower
on Unit 2, with 2,326 operations on Unit 3 and 1,664 operations on Unit 2.
Source: Diamond Power International Inc. and PacifiCorp Energy
Not only were the number of sootblower operations reduced, but the distribution
of retract operations also reflected improved slagging patterns on Unit 2.
Looking at K5 and K6 operations in Figure 4, the reduction and redistribution of
blower operations between Unit 2 and Unit 3 is most prevalent. K5 and K6,
located on the left and right side of the boiler respectively, clean the bottom of
the reheat pendant section. The right sides of the boilers have higher furnace
exit gas temperatures and slag more heavily at the bottom of the reheater, which
corresponds with higher retract counts for K6 (295 operations) than K5 (220
operations) on Unit 2. Unit 3 has a similar number of operations for both K5
and K6 (about 475 each). When operating manually (Unit 3), left and right
blower operations are weighted equally. Similar observations can be made for
each of the right and left side pairs of retractable blowers shown in Figure 4.
Tube Erosion Reduced
Ultrasonic tube thickness measurements were taken along the K5/K6 retractable
sootblower path, historically the path with the highest erosion rate, during the
springs of 2005, 2009, and 2010. Gemini nozzles were installed on the K5 and
K6 retractable blowers during spring 2009. Because minimizing sootblower
erosion is a plant goal, increasing impact pressures by upgrading to Gemini
nozzles was a major concern. Annual erosion rates are calculated as the change
in tube thickness (inches) divided by the change in time (years). The calculated
tube erosion rates are illustrated in Figure 5. The average erosion rate dropped
from 0.015 in/year to 0.009 in/year. The reduced sootblower erosion is a result
of the tandem performance of the Gemini nozzles and the ISB system (both
were installed spring 2009). The reduction in erosion rate meets the plants goal
to minimize tube erosion and extends the projected life of the tube panels from
eight years to 16 years (based on a four-year outage cycle).

5. This chart shows erosion rates for the K5/K6 path of the platen superheat
section. The average erosion rate calculated for 2009-2010 indicates an overall
reduction from 2005 to 2009. Source: Diamond Power International Inc. and
PacifiCorp Energy
It should be noted that erosion rates vary from tube to tube largely due to the
inspection process. Tube metal thicknesses are taken by an inspector who is
searching for the thinnest spot on a section of tubing, based on multiple readings
and a visual inspection of the tube surface. Normally, the results are repeatable,
but occasionally the thinnest spot is not located. This likely happened on Panel
11 during the 2009 inspection, because the panel showed a lower than average
erosion rate for the 2005-2009 inspection interval and an erosion rate more than
twice the average for 2009-2010.
Maintaining Boiler Performance
The first boiler performance goal of the Jim Bridger plant was to avoid boiler
pluggage, measured in lost megawatts. No megawatts have been lost on Unit 2
due to boiler pluggage since commissioning the ISB system.
The heat rate metrics chosen to monitor boiler performance are superheat steam
temperature, reheat steam temperature, and economizer gas outlet temperature.
To measure the impact of the ISB system on these metrics, a comparison of
before and after implementation of ISB on Unit 2 was made. There were no

major surface area changes in the boiler or steam demand changes in the
turbine, so there was no change anticipated in steam temperatures or gas
temperatures caused by outage work.
Figure 6 shows the averages of the heat rate metrics before and after using ISB
on Unit 2. Average economizer gas outlet temperature changed less than three
degrees, which is the margin of error on the plant thermocouples. Overall, the
numbers show an improvement in net unit heat rate. This met the plants goal of
avoiding a heat rate loss.

6. Unit 2 steam and gas temperatures at full load are shown. The "Before ISB"
evaluation period was February 2008 through February 2009, before the spring
2009 overhaul. The "After ISB" evaluation period was October 2009 through
October 2010, after the spring 2009 overhaul. The bars depict averages.
Superheat and reheat steam temperatures both increased. Source: Diamond
Power International Inc. and PacifiCorp Energy
Conclusions
Overall, implementation of the ISB system on Jim Bridger Unit 2 satisfied all
the plants goals. Wallblower cycle counts increased, but they have not caused
any sootblower erosion tube leaks. Retractable sootblower counts dropped, the
distribution improved, and measured erosion rates decreased. There is also a
lower risk of sootblower erosion boiler tube leaks in the pendant section. Boiler
heat rate performance did not degrade, and there were no generation losses due
to boiler slagging.
Slagging and Fouling

Based on different mechanisms involved in ash deposit on the heat surface, two
general types of ash deposition have been defined as slagging and fouling.
Slagging is the formation of molten or partially fused deposits on furnace walls
or convection surfaces exposed to radiant heat. Fouling is defined as the
formation of deposit on convection heat surfaces such as superheater and
reheaters.
Slag formed when melt or soften ash particles is not cooled down to solid state
when they reach the heat surface. Typical initial deformation temperatures (or
so called ash fusion temperatures) are 2100 to 2200 F. With furnace gas
temperatures in excess of 2500 F, we have semi-molten ash that may stick to the
relatively cooler walls. Most ash tend to be resolidified due to the raltaively
lower temperature at the tube surface and the particles factures on impact and
partially bounce back into the gas stream. However, if the furnace is too small,
the exit gas temperature is too high or the melting point of ash is relatively low,
molten ash may not have enough time to be resolidified when they hit the heat
surface, therefore they are easy to stick to the surface and cause the
accumulation of deposits leading to slagging. Depending on the strength and
physical characteristic of the deposit, steam or air sootblower may be able to
remove most of them. However, the base deposit generally remains attached to
the tube, allowing subsequent deposits to accumulate much more rapidly.
Fouling is generally caused by the vaporization of volatile inorganic elements in
the coal during combustion. When heat is aborbed and temperatures decrease in
the convection area of the boiler, compounds formed by these elements
condense on ash particles and heating surface, forming a glue which initiate
deposition.
Factors Influencing Slagging and Fouling
The processes of slagging and fouling and the structure of deposits are varialbe
due to a number factors. Furnace design, ash content, ash fusibility, ash
components, particle size, flow pattern and other factors influence the extent
and nature of ash deposition.
Furnace Design
To avoid slagging on the furnace wall, the furnace should be able to keep ash
particles in suspension and away from furnace surface, distribute heat evenly to
avoid localized temperatures, and remove enough heat to achieve appropriate
temperatures at the furnace exit that will minimize deposition on convection
surface. The furnace should have sufficient wall surface to cool the furnace gas
and ash particle to the desired temperature before they reached any superheater
surface.

In addition, the furnace also must be correctly proportionated with respect to

width, depth and height to limit the potential for ash particle impacting on
furnace surfaces. In general, furnaces burning bituminous are smaller than those
burning subbituminous and lignite because bitiminous coals have lower
slagging potential. However, when the fuel switches from bituminous to
subbituminous or lignites, the furnace becomes too small to reduce the gas and
particles to the desired temperatures. This is why severe slagging problems
occurs when switching coals.
Ash Fusibility
Fusion temperatures provide an indication of the temperature range over which
portions of the ash will be a molten fluid or semi-molten, plastic state. High
fusion temperatures indicate that ash released in the furnace will cool quickly to
a nonsticky state resulting minimal potential for slagging. Conversely, low
fusion temperature indicate that ash will remain in a molten or plastic state
longer, exposing more of the furnace to potential deposition.
Ash Elements
Lignitic ash, which is defined as having more CaO + MgO than Fe2O3, is easier
to deposit than bituminous ash, which is defined as haveing more Fe2O3 than
the sum of CaO and MgO. Lignitic ash is generally characteristic of low rank
coals from westen U.S and is referred western ash. Similarly, bituminous ash is
referred as eastern ash.
The alkali metals, sodium and potassium, have long been associated with the
fouling tendencies of coal ash. Volatile forms of these elements are vaporized in
the furnace at combustion temperature and react with sulfur in the flue gas and
other elements in the ash form compounds that deposit on convection surfaces.
The base to acid ratio of ash also affect the slagging potential. The basic
constituents are iron, the alkaline earth metals calcium and magnesium, and the
alkali metals sodium and potassium. Acidic constituents are silicon, aluminum
and titanium. Ash that is with either high or low base to acid ratio generally has
high ash fusion and melting temperatures. However, ash with medium base to
acid ration tend to have low fusion and melting temperatures.
Boosting Efficiency with a Sootblowing Optimization System
Too-frequent sootblowing can damage boiler components and place a big load
on plant efficiency, but not enough of it can be just as big a problem. A
sootblowing optimization system can help you find the sweet spot.

With the increasing demands placed on todays coal-fired power plants

worldwide, operators are continuously looking for the best options to increase
their efficiency and maintain process optimizationall while watching the
bottom line. A big part of this is complying with ever-tightening emissions
regulations.
In the U.S., for example, the Environmental Protection Agency is in the process
of developing and implementing new standards requiring the power sector to
cut carbon emissions by 30% by 2030, and the industry is looking to comply by
the most efficient means possible. Fortunately, for coal-fired plants looking to
achieve optimization without costly modifications, there are economical
alternative technologies that can be considered.
In coal-fired power plants, optimizing any process can be demanding. Operators
at the Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L) Hawthorn Generating Station
recently accepted the challenge of optimizing their sootblowing process.
Located in Jackson County, Mo., and situated on the south bank of the Missouri
River, Hawthorn Unit 5 is a 594-MW, wall-fired, water-cooled boiler that fires
100% Powder River Basin subbituminous coal
Beyond Ad-Hoc Sootblowing
Todays coal-fired plants are increasingly expected to operate at varying loads
while simultaneously dealing with operational influences such as fuel-quality
variations and air qualitycontrol requirements. For the most part, these plants
still utilize traditional sootblowing technology to remove soot deposits.
However, these traditional patterns can present challenges to optimal plant
operation. If there is insufficient sootblowing, the transfer of heat from flue gas
to steam is impeded, resulting in decreased boiler efficiency. Large soot deposits
can also restrict flue gas draft, requiring additional fan power and further
reducing efficiency. On the other hand, too-frequent cleaning causes heating
surface erosion and related unit outages, high steam and metal temperatures, as
well as increased spray flows that will reduce efficiency on most units.
Typical sootblower equipment uses jets of steam, water, or air to remove
deposits on heating surface tubes. Sootblowing increases power generation
costs, both from expenses associated with the cleaning medium as well as the
parasitic power required to drive compressors and pumps.

The sootblower activation cycle is usually based on the operators experience

and recommendations from the boiler manufacturer. This generally results in a
simplistic solution based on continuous sootblowing at fixed intervals or
individual operator judgment. Sootblowing at fixed intervals cleans the boiler
and avoids hard-to-remove buildup, but it can also mean that sootblowing
occurs when it isnt truly necessary and it can cause undesirable process
parameter fluctuations during load variations and other dynamic operating
conditions. Sootblowing on individual operator judgment leads to inconsistent
sootblowing patterns and requires continuous operator intervention on a 24-hour
basis, which burdens operators and usually results in suboptimal sootblowing
activities.
Optimization Challenges
In 2000, as part of rebuilding work after an accident in 1999, Hawthorn Unit 5s
sootblowing system was reconstructed, and engineers encountered the
traditional problems detailed above. Substantial engineering hours were spent
developing sequences over the years that would accommodate the varying
operating conditions. The system was functional but certainly not optimized.
There were several specific operational challenges with the existing sequencebased sootblowing control system at Hawthorn.
Catalyst Temperature Limitations. Economizer exit gas temperature (EEGT) is
constrained by selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst temperature
limitations. Hawthorn had been forced to reduce load on several occasions when
this EEGT constraint was encountered. EEGT is dependent on fuel type,
combustion parameters, and cleanliness of the boiler surfaces. Specific
sootblowing activity is known to help EEGT in certain conditions, but it needs
to be carefully executed and relies on manual blower intervention when using
sequence-based controls.
Reheater. Managing reheater cleanliness is especially challenging. There is a
delicate balance between a clean reheater, which causes excessively high reheat
temperatures (and maximum attemperation spray flow), and a dirty reheater,
which can cause plugging and excessive fan horsepower. Managing this balance
with sequences and manual intervention at Hawthorn proved to be problematic.
Platen Superheater Slagging. Platens are the most prone to slagging, and platen
sootblowers are the most frequently blown sootblowers. Slag rate is heavily

influenced by coal type and combustion parameters in the furnace. Sequence

controls are unable to respond to these changes, leading to over-blowing during
low-slag conditions and under-blowing during high-slag conditions.
Over-Blowing at Low Load. Although Hawthorn was designed as a baseload
unit and intended to cruise near full load, in 2012 there were more than 3,000
operating hours between 350 MW and 550 MW. At these reduced loads,
sootblowing needs are significantly lower than at full load, but the sequencebased controls were programmed for full loadresulting in significant overblowing during these periods.
Carbon Emissions Reduction. Another wrinkle was that in 2007, the Sierra Club
and KCP&L agreed on a set of initiatives to offset the utilitys carbon dioxide
(CO2) and other emissions by adding wind power and taking steps to conserve
energy on a large scale. KCP&L employed an engineering consultant to conduct
a study of the best technologies to employ fleetwide to meet a portion of its
CO2 reduction goals via plant efficiency improvements. The first tier of
proposed projects focused on improved performance monitoring and manual
optimization. The second tier focused on advanced optimization using closedloop products, such as combustion and sootblowing optimizers. After
completing the first tier, KCP&L reviewed a fleetwide proposal for combustion
and optimized sootblowing.
Finding the Best Solution
Generally, operators want a sootblowing optimizer to clean the boiler using
minimal blowing media and without damaging tubes or cleaning certain
sections too heavily relative to others. They want to reduce the total number of
blowing operations while maintaining other key process parameters.
Sootblowing is also only a piece of the optimization process. Its important to
consider a comprehensive program that includes the ability to optimize other
processes such as combustion. Taking a holistic approach ensures that all of the
subparts work together to maximize the impact of each.
For KCP&L, the key process parameters to optimize/minimize were:
Reheat and superheat steam temperature variations and excursions
Reheat and superheat attemperation spray flows

 Flue gas exit temperature

Load derates
Auxiliary power usage
Unplanned outages
Looking to improve those parameters, increase their process and boiler
optimization at Hawthorn Unit 5, and meet their CO 2 emissions goal, KCP&L
chose the Siemens SPPA-P3000 sootblowing optimization solution.
An important differentiator for the team when choosing the SPPA-P3000
optimizer was its adaptive technology. KCP&L wanted a flexible platform that
would support both combustion and sootblowing optimization and allow for
future alterations. For sootblowing, individual blower activation was important.
Sootblowing a group of sootblowers in a given section was known to upset
boiler operation, and the team knew most plants had little operational margin for
upsets when operating at full load.
The SPPA-P3000 offers a customized solution that determines the need for
sootblowing based on dynamic plant operating conditions, equipment
availability, and plant operational drivers. The system then generates individual
sootblower activation signals for propagation to the existing sootblower control
system in a closed-loop manner at optimal times. With sootblowing
optimization, new equipment and sensors are not required. The SPPA-P3000
interfaces with an existing control system, takes a current set of plant
parameters that are available, and works with those. Unit-specific
customizations can be viewed and modified by the end usermaking it flexible,
reliable, and extensiblewhich results in sustained benefits.
The SPPA-P3000 is able to work alongside a foreign distributed
control system. This technology allows plants to keep their
current control system while gaining the benefits from the
sootblowing optimizer Putting Optimization to Work
With the new system in place, KCP&L and Siemens engineers could attack
individual plant-specific problems by fine-tuning sootblowing individually for
each blower. To achieve successful results, however, engineers found a balanced
approach was necessary. The optimizer was configured to make blowing

decisions based primarily on EEGT. The measured results of previous blowing

operations allowed the optimizer to automatically select the best blower to
improve EEGT. Because of this, some areas were blown more frequently.
There were also sensitive areas that needed extra controls to prevent
temperature and spray flow excursions. The reheat section, in particular, was
configured to prevent any consecutive or near-consecutive blowing operations.
By the end of the initial tuning process, it appeared that the sootblowing
optimizer was going to be a success. The next step was to release to plant
operations staff for continuous operation. Despite a few hurdles, operators
generally embraced the optimizer after it proved to reduce sootblowing-related
problems. Operators had the ability to enable and disable the optimizer at any
time, but its in-service rate during the first year was over 95%.
When the system was up and running, plant operators helped identify an
opportunity for additional sootblowing optimization. During soft market
conditions, Hawthorn was operating in evening hours at minimum load and
significant daytime hours at low load. Generally, there are very few sootblowing
needs at low load and not much time spent there, so it was Hawthorns previous
practice to suspend automatic blowing and blow manually only as needed. The
optimizer was initially set up to match this protocol. Operators saw the
opportunity for the optimizer to handle this low-load blowing, and the optimizer
was easily updated with logic that allowed for minimal blowing at low loads.
After commissioning, another configuration change was related to process
stability. There had always been certain occasions when multiple sootblowers
(in different areas of the boiler) were blown nearly simultaneously. This was
known to cause short-duration furnace draft pressure excursions and steam
pressure decays. The furnace draft pressure caused a temporary reduction in
airflow, which affected combustion, and the steam pressure decay caused
megawatt setpoint control issues. After discussion with Siemens, the optimizer
was configured to incorporate a short delay between any consecutive blower
initiations.
Less Work, More Efficient
Several positive operational results were realized at Hawthorn Unit 5:

EEGT/SCR inlet flue gas temperatures were reduced by about 10F on average.
This increased boiler efficiency and eliminated most load reductions due to
catalyst temperature concerns.
Superheat and reheat steam temperatures were maintained closer to their
desired setpoint, and large excursions were significantly reduced, increasing
reliability.
Superheat attemperation spray flows were lower by about 20 klb/hr to 40
klb/hr on average, and reheat attemperation spray flows were lower by about 15
klb/hr on averagea significant efficiency gain.
Generally, calculated cleanliness of various boiler surface areas is the same or
better.
There are about 5% to 10% fewer sootblowing operations on the whole,
reducing media usage and auxiliary power consumption.
Plant heat rate has improved by an estimated 1%.
The payback of sootblowing optimization technology can typically be measured
in months, with a strong likelihood of seeing immediate positive results.
KCP&Ls implementation on Hawthorn 5 has increased boiler efficiency and
reduced sootblowing-related load constraints. Blowing operations have been
reduced while maintaining boiler cleanliness, so there is less damage to the
tubes and less energy wasted on unnecessary sootblowing operations. Prior to
this technology, the reheat spray valves would frequently run wide open,
reducing cycle efficiency and allowing the reheater tube temperatures to
increasepotentially resulting in long-term damage to the boiler surfaces.
Looking at the future of the optimizer from a performance and life-cycle cost
standpoint, KCP&L is pleased with the results so far. Currently, the performance
engineer at KCP&L is spending less time on sootblowing, with improved
results. The optimizer continues to be used for over 95% of the plant operating
hours since it was commissioned in 2012.
When were talking about optimization, we look at it as the true future of all
coal plants, says Dominic Scardino, Hawthorn plant manager. Were not
planning on building more coal units at this time, so its important to be
proactive in maximizing the value of the existing units. Were actively trying to

implement operational excellence at our plants to maximize the value of these

critical assets. This is good for our rate-payers and our community.
Properly sealing an air heater can improve (reduce) a plants heat rate by up to
75 Btu/kWh, increasing power production and revenues as a result.
Excessive air heater leakage can cause any or all of the following additional
problems, to name just a few:

Severe degradation of the performance of downstream air pollution

control equipment (electrostatic precipitators, baghouses, and scrubbers).
Lowered primary air temperatures and consequent reduction of coal mill
capacityparticularly in the case of wet coals and Powder River Basin
coals.
Increased potential for mill fires or explosions.
Load limitations and missed power sales opportunities due to inadequate
fan capacity, especially during warm weather.
Increased NOx production and loss-on-ignition.
Poor flame stability at lower load and unattached flame ignition points, as
well as flame pulsation.
Excessive desuperheating due to increased convective heat transfer
caused by increased mass gas flow.
Increased heat rate and air heater plugging.
Increased rate of cold end air heater basket corrosion.
Boiler
is
used
for
steam
generation.

Ball Mill or Bowl mills are used for pulverisation of coal in powder form for
efficient
firing
in
boiler.

Raw Coal Feeders are used to supply coal to ball mills in controlled quantity.

Primary Air Fan is used to transport and preheat pulverised coal to burners.

Induced Draught Fan is used to exhaust flue gases to Chimney and create
vacuum
in
Furnace.

Electrostatic Precipitators are used to separate ash particles from flue gases to
control pollution. Here collecting electrode, emitting electrode and rapping
mechanism
used
to
dislodge
fly
ash
particle.

FD Fan used to provide air to boiler for help in firing which is called secondary
air.

Steam produced in boiler is further superheated in Super heaters. There are lot
super heaters such as platen, pendent, convection and final super heaters.

Boiler drum used for separation of steam from water and storage. Nowadays
drum less once through boiler also used which operates at super critical
temperature
and
Pressure.

Boiler circulation pump used for forced circulation of water in water wall
because at high pressure natural circulation is not possible.

Soot Blowers used to remove soot from water wall, Super heater, Re heaters and
Air
Heaters
by
injecting
steam
into
heating
surfaces.

Ash

slurry

Boiler

De

Feed

aerator

pumps

Pump

used

are

used

to

used

to

separate

to

provide

dissolved

flush

ash

with

water.

water

to

boiler

Drum.

air

from

Feed

water.

In Turbine heat energy of steam is converted into mechanical energy.

ESV which is called emergency stop valve used to stop supply of steam to
turbine
when
unit
trips.

Re heaters used to reheat steam exhausted from HP turbine. After reheating up

to 535 degree Centigrade same steam is utilised in Intermediate Pressure
Turbine.

Barring gear or shaft turning gear is used to rotate turbine rotor at 3.15 rpm
when turbine is not running to check bending of rotor due to its own weight.

LP Heaters and HP Heaters are used to heat condensate and feed water supplied
to boiler to increase efficiency by steam bled from turbine extraction.

Economiser is used to heat feed water by flue gages to increase efficiency. Heat
of
waste
flue
gas
is
utilised
here.

Air Heaters uses heat of waste flue gases to preheat primary and secondary air.
There are two types of air heaters tubular and rotary.
How
to
avoid
Clinker
Formation
in
Boiler?
Clinker Formation in Boiler of Thermal Power Station is due to high Ash
Content which have low fusion temperature below 1470 degree Centigrade and
Minerals present in it. Due to poor Quality of Coal ash got fused and mineral
content stick into Water Wall which is very difficult to remove often requires
removal by pneumatic machines. This Clinker deposition may be stopped to
some extent if sufficient water is sprayed into hopper and regular poking and
using good quality of coal. Ash fusion temperature must be above 1470 degree
Centigrade and soot blowing regularly at load by injecting steam by wall
blowers. Over firing is also responsible hence firing must be properly adjusted

by

proper

balance

of

primary

and

secondary

air

in

boiler.

Accumulation of clinker may be checked if poking of hoppers done regularly

and any negligence may start process of clinker deposition. If clinker is not
removed immediately then same may choke hopper and often workers got burnt
due to sudden fall of hot water which accumulated in hopper.

Once clinker formed into hopper than outage of unit is evident otherwise clinker
may deposit in huge quantity which will be very difficult to remove because
minerals content present in coal fused with ash deposit into water wall. Such
hard Lumps of Clinkers requires pneumatic hammering which takes very much
time
resulting
in
forced
closure
of
unit
for
weeks.

Although cause of clinker formation is poor coal quality and high mineral
content in coal but accumulation in Water Wall is result of negligence by
Workers and Engineers who do not poke hopper regularly and spray insufficient
amount of water into hopper which may not flush fused slag to channels.
Outage of clinker grinder and soot blower is also matter of concern may be
termed
as
negligence.

Hence it is advised never blame to low coal quality, low GCV, low ash fusion
temperature and high mineral content in coal. Instead of blaming to above
factors try regular poking and provide sufficient water in hopper. Clinker
Grinders must be made operational. Soot blowing must be done regularly by
injecting steam. In India coal supplied to power plants is mostly of low quality
which has high ash content so precaution is best solution here to avoid
deposition
and
formation
of
clinkers
in
Boiler.

Precaution may stop clinker deposition and formation so remain vigilant.

Boiler

Tube

Leak

Detection

by

Acoustic

Monitoring

Instruments

Acoustic Instruments may be used to detect early boiler tube leak to avoid
secondary damage to pressure parts. Boiler acoustic tube leak detection system
must be used as it prevents damage to costly boiler parts and it is very much
cost effective. An increase in boiler availability of just one day will more than
cover
the
cost
of
a
leak
detection
system.

Traditional leak detection system such hearing hissing sound by ear or

monitoring feed water flow or furnace vacuum is not much reliable because it
can not detect small leak so damage to vital costly equipment of boiler may not
be avoided. Writer noticed many instances where thermal power plants boiler
allowed to run for long time due to confusion which caused permanent damage
to many boiler tubes, refractory and boiler structures. Hence importance of
acoustic
monitoring
leak
detection
systems
sincerely
felt.

Acoustic leak detection sensors detect high frequency emissions from site of
leak and Sensitive piezoelectric sensors mounted to the structure transform
these acoustic waves to electronic voltage signals, which are amplified, filtered,
and
processed
to
determine
energy
content.

Early detection by acoustic monitoring instruments results in substantial

reduction of repair times and costs with a consequent increase in plant
availability and profits. The early detection of a boiler tube leak will give
financial savings which will easily exceed the initial capital cost of the detection
system
even
at
the
very
first
event.

http://www.acousticmonitoring.com/

Acoustic

monitoring

international

p (330)305-1422f (330)494-9822-16707 harbour drive n.w cantou Ohio 447

http://www.proconeng.com/mainfiles/boilerleak.html

procon

engineering

http://www.triple5industries.com/

http://www.steamleak.com/
It is well known that air preheater leakage is a major factor in the loss of boiler
efficiency, but it is routinely viewed as a low-priority issue. Pavan Kumar
Ravulaparthy argues that there needs to be a change in attitude and explains the
benefits of employing adaptive brush seals.
The design of radial, axial and circumferential seals installed on rotary,
regenerative air preheaters (APHs) have not evolved significantly from the
original metal strip arrangements that date back to the inception of the
Ljungstrm preheaters nearly a century ago. However, these metallic strip seals
tend to start to degrade immediately following installation, allowing excessive
air-to-gas leakage, which translates to increased fuel consumption and fan
power draw over the life of the seals.
The well-known heat transfer, temperature and efficiency-related benefits for
rotary APHs make them a key component of any power plant. As a critical

contributor to overall plant efficiency, APHs deliver upwards of 12 per cent of

the heat transfer in the boiler process at only 2 per cent of the investment. For
every 20C decrease in the gas outlet temperature of the air heater, boiler
efficiency rises about 1 per cent, with inherent fuel consumption reductions.
APHs operating at optimal conditions also help reduce fan power consumption
and control flue gas volume, temperature and velocity.
That said, air-to-gas and gas-to-air leakage paths through the APH seals, as
shown in Figure 1, have several consequences. Leak rates with properly
designed and installed seals should be well below 10 per cent, but rates of 15-20
per cent are typical and rates of >30 per cent are not uncommon.

Figure 1: APH leak paths through

circumferential, axial, radial and rotor
post
seals
Credit: Sealeze
Furthermore, leak rate increases can be gradual and often go unnoticed.
Leakage negatively impacts heat rates, parasitic power losses with increased fan
power consumption, and downstream air pollution control (APC) equipment
because of higher gas flow rates and pressure drops.
Flue gas velocity through a typical selective catalytic reduction is approximately
5-6 m/s, but higher velocities because of air-to-gas leakage will decrease
residence time and therefore affect ammonia injection rates and slip. In flue gas
desulphurization systems, lower residence time can affect lime or limestone

injection rates and thus SO2 removal efficiency. Finally for particulate matter
control systems, higher air-to-cloth face velocities in fabric filters can lead to
decreased bag life. Pulverizer capacity can also be negatively impacted with
lower air volumes and temperatures due to air-to-gas leakage.
The optimisation of APH performance, often not considered a priority, is truly a
low-cost, easily implemented solution to decrease the consequences of leakage.
A key component of APH optimisation is the upgrade of its radial, axial and
circumferential seals.
Conventional rigid metal strip seals, in common use since the introduction of
the Ljungstrm rotary APHs in the 1920s, are vulnerable in the surrounding
harsh environment. Repeated thermal expansions and contractions in the large
rotors (up to 18 metres in diameter) in constant motion lead to continual
changes in gap sizes. At operating temperatures, the outer edges of large APHs
can droop or turn down by 7.5 cm or more compared to under cold conditions.
However, because they are unable to yield to the warpage of sector plates, the
conventional metal strip seals are prone to stress and breakage.
An interesting alternative are brush seal products, which are witnessing
increased adoption as radial, axial, circumferential/ bypass and rotor seals on
Ljungstrm rotary regenerative APHs on fossil fuel-fired boilers. Brush seals
are in fact ideally suited for replacing strip steels on rotary, regenerative APHs.
As radial, axial, and circumferential seals, they provide a high degree of
abrasion resistance, adaptability to operating conditions and bend recovery not
possible with rigid strip seals. Rigid strip seals rapidly wear down to the
smallest gap size allowing leakage to occur at wider gaps. The strip seals are
also vulnerable to damage at high differential pressures and expansion because
of temperature increases where induced drag can shut down the rotor.
A brush seal, in contrast, produces an extremely dense barrier as thousands of
filaments nestle tightly together to create a high-integrity seal. Each bristle is
independent and flexible allowing deflection to conform to any irregularities
and gap variations, and recovery to its original position. Several distinct features
are incorporated into the brush seal design.
A malleable alloy foil membrane is nestled within the brush filaments to
enhance sealing by up to 80 per cent. This resilient barrier to- leakage feature
provides 2-5 times greater functional sealing life (Figure 2).

Figure 2: The patented adaptive brush

seal showing malleable alloy foil
membrane located within the brush
filaments to provide an extra 70-80 per
cent reduction in leakage without
sacrificing overall seal flexibility
Credit: Sealeze
Soot blowing can splay the sealing surfaces due to steam blasts of 205C. To
prevent this direct impingement, an angled holder with an extended protective
flange has been incorporated as a soot blower shield. The resilience to soot
blower impacts is achieved by minimising dwell time in the soot blower steam
path. This design further improves bend recovery and seal contact.
A further design enhancement, shown in Figure 3, is a two-component QuickLock system allowing for the removal of just the brush component during an
outage. The holder component is re-used as on the initial install it remains
locked down to the appropriate gap. During outages, the timeconsuming process
of seal realignment is eliminated as the brush itself can be removed and
replaced quickly. Avoiding gap setting and bolting of holders at each
replacement contributes to low life-cycle cost as seal replacement time can be
reduced by 50-60 per cent.

Figure 3: The Quick-Lock brush seal

design
>Credit: Sealeze
Quantifiable benefits
Since APH leakage has historically been a low priority maintenance outage
issue with many fossil fuel power plant engineers, plants often experience
leakage rates in excess of 15-20 per cent, with extreme leakage rates up to 40
per cent measured. These levels are often tolerated because they are often
underestimated or completely overlooked.
As a result, plants can experience capacity losses, increased heat rates, higher
parasitic losses associated with fan horsepower, and higher pressure losses for
downstream APC systems. A plant that has experienced 'running out of fan' can
conclude with a high degree of certainty that they have excess preheater leakage
and are suffering from costly side effects.
To give an example, a 500 MW coal-fired plant operating at an 85 per cent
annual capacity factor would consume 5000 tonnes of coal per day, assuming an
average heat rate of 10,550 kJ/kWh and an average coal heating value of 5500
kcal/kg. If increases in boiler efficiency due to improved APH sealing reduce
fuel consumption by 1 per cent, the annual savings in fuel cost amounts to
nearly $1.5 million, assuming a delivered coal cost of $80/tonne.
APH leakage can also account for significant increases in parasitic power draw
from the boiler fans and this translates into revenue losses from unsalable
power. If a 500 MW coal-fired plant has 8595 kW of installed fan power with
two primary, two secondary and two ID fans (excluding an AQCS system), and
two APHs originally designed with 10 per cent air heater leakage (AHL), an

additional 10 per cent increase in AHL would cost a 13 per cent increase in fan
power consumption.
In other words, for every 1 per cent increase in AHL the plant essentially
sacrifices116 kW, which is unavailable for sale, or 1.16 MW for every 10 per
cent increase in AHL. If the sale value of a MWh is $30 off-peak and $150
peak, the plant operating on an 85 per cent capacity factor running six hours a
day peak and 18 hours a day off-peak would stand to lose a sizeable $520,000
per year.

Views from the field

In June 2007, Sealeze, a subsidiary of Jason Incorparated, was authorised to
manufacture and supply a simple yet innovative axial and radial brush seal
design for both the hot and cold ends of the Unit 1 Ljungstrm APH at Bicent
Power's 119 MW Hardin power plant in Montana, in the US.
The radial and axial stainless steel brush seals were inspected the following year
and were found to be in very good condition. Some splaying of the brush was
evident on the cold end due to soot blower blasts of 205C steam. To prevent
direct soot blower impingement, the brush seals mounted in the path of soot

blower blasts were redesigned to incorporate an angled orientation and an

integral protective shield.
Now, with over five years in service, the high-performance brush seals continue
to outperform the original strip steel seals. Further. the brush seals are expected
to continue performing through a predicted design life of at least four outage
cycles.
According to Kevin Calloway, a plant engineer at Colorado Energy, which
operates Hardin on behalf of Bicent Power: "The brush seals have reduced air
leakage considerably, and as a result we have reduced operational costs through
fuel savings." Further, the plant has been able to postpone two scheduled APH
outages.
In another example, radial and circumferential brush seals were installed on two
8-metre diameter horizontal APH (APH-A/B) at a 300 MW power station in the
US in 2010. The plant reports leakage rates well below 10 per cent, with tests
showing leakage rates of 5 per cent and 7 per cent on APH-A and APH-B,
respectively.
Also in 2010, radial and axial brush seals were installed on a 10-metre diameter
vertical Ljungstrm APH at a 750 MW plant in US. Both the radial and axial
brush seals remained intact over 2.3 million impacts to the sector plates
following 490 days in service. The brush profiles are essentially the same as the
installed condition.
Seal integrity remains intact as the seal conforms to gap size variations and
surface irregularities. Shown here are radial seals after 135 days in service and
642,000 contacts.
The effect of boiler side parameters of any coal-fired power plant is linked to a
host of factors including excess air, unburned carbon and coal moisture.
However, two parameters that have a major impact on plant performance is flue
gas temperature and boiler efficiency. In a 500 MW coalfired power plant, the
effect of heat rate per C deviation can be 1.2 kcal/kWh and 25 kcal/kWh per 1
per cent deviation of boiler efficiency. Nevertheless, these two parameters are
closely related to air heater performance.

The major air heater performance indicators are air-in leakage, flue gas
temperature drop, air-side temperature rise and air/gas side pressure drop. The
leakage of the high-pressure air to the low-pressure flue gas because of the
differential pressure, termed as AHL, is the major contributor for reduction in
boiler efficiency. Increased AHL reduces air heater efficiency, increases fan
power and produces higher gas velocities and a loss of fan margins. AHL is
associated with poor air heater seal performance, such as increased seal
clearances in hot condition, seal erosion, inappropriate seal material and
improper seal settings.
An adaptive brush type air heater seal is a demonstrated technology that
provides an extended functional service life with measurable improvement in
performance and an increased control for plant operators with low total cost.
The calculated payback on efficiency improvements alone has been
demonstrated to provide ROI valued at many times the cost of the adaptive
brush seal and installation. Added to this, savings related to pollution control
systems performance is a nice multiplier. AHL reduction, therefore, is a lowrisk, low-cost, high-return-value modification to rotary air heater systems, so
effective sealing through innovative approaches such as brush seals is highly
recommended to improve O&M practices.
Neural Network Intelligent-Sootblower Optimization Project
05/12/2008

By the National Energy Technology Laboratory

A neural-network-driven computer system offers the potential to optimize
sootblowing in coal plant boilers, reduce NO Xemissions, improve heat rate and
unit efficiency, and reduce particulate matter emissions. Installed at the Tampa
Electric Company (TECO) Big Bend Power Station in Hillsborough County,
Fla., the Pegasus Technologies neural network-intelligent sootblowing (NNISB) system was designed to be used in conjunction with advanced
instrumentation and water cannons to prevent soot from building up in a boiler.
Of the four coal-fired units at the power station, Unit No. 2 was selected for
installation of the NN-ISB control system. Fired with bituminous coal, this wet
bottom pressurized Riley Stoker single-drum radiant boiler has a total of 48 coal
nozzles on a single elevation, 24 on each side, firing toward the center line of
the furnace. The final project cost for the NN-ISB control system
(equipment/instrumentation, software, testing, and reporting included) was $3.4
million, including a 27 percent Department of Energy (DOE) cost share.
Software costs of a few hundred thousand dollars were a small part of the total
cost. Project testing of the NN-ISB was completed in December 2004, and the
final report on the system was issued in September 2005.
Project
Objectives
The project objective at the Big Bend plant was to develop a neural-networkdriven system that could initiate, control, and optimize sootblowing in response
to real-time events or conditions within the coal-plant boiler rather than relying
on general rule-based protocols. The project demonstrated and assessed a range
of technical and economic issues associated with the sensing, management,
display, and human interface of sootblowing goals as they relate to emissions
and efficiency of a coal-fired utility boiler. Specifically, this optimization
process targeted reducing baseline NOX emissions by up to 30 percent,
increasing unit efficiency by 2 percent, and reducing particulate matter (stack
opacity) by 5 percent.

Project
Description
This neural network project was implemented under the Power Plant
Improvement Initiative (PPII), a DOE program designed to demonstrate plant
improvement technologies and processes in commercial settings. At the time of
the award, this installation was the first domestic project to use neural network
technology to optimize the sootblowing process within a boiler. Started in 2001
after a series of brownouts and blackouts had plagued major regions of the
country, the initiative targeted new technologies that could help coal plants
boost their output and improve their environmental performance. The Big Bend
project was designed to be a full-scale demonstration of the neural-networkdriven technology on a large commercial boiler, using state-of-the-art controls
and instruments to optimize boiler operation and systematically control boiler
slagging and fouling.
In a coal-fired boiler, the continuing buildup of ash and soot on the boiler tubes
leads to reduced boiler efficiency. If periodic ash and soot removal
(sootblowing) is not performed, this leads in turn to higher flue gas
temperatures and ultimately to higher NOX formation and reduced efficiency.
Therefore, cleaning the heat-absorbing surfaces is one of the most important
boiler auxiliary operations. Typically, sootblowing uses mechanical devices for
online cleaning of fireside boiler ash and slag deposits on a periodic basis.
Sootblowers clean by directing steam or water through nozzles against the
accumulated soot and ash on the heat-transfer surfaces in order to remove the
deposits and maintain heat-transfer efficiency. Basically, sootblowers consist of
four components: a tube or lance that is inserted into the boiler and carries the
cleaning medium, nozzles in the tip of the lance to accelerate and direct the
cleaning medium, a mechanical system to insert or rotate the lance, and a
control system.

Communications Architecture at Big Bend Power Station

Because it either uses steam that would otherwise be used to generate electric
power or it requires energy for pumps or compressors, sootblowing has a direct
impact on plant efficiency. Thus, optimizing sootblower operation is important
in maximizing unit efficiency. Typically, sootblowers operate on a specified

timed cycle or, alternatively, operation is initiated by an operator who believes

sootblowing is needed. The purpose of an "intelligent" sootblowing system is to
decide when to sootblow based on information from boiler instruments. The
overall objective is to sootblow when, and only when, necessary.
The Pegasus Technologies NN-ISB control system uses a neural network to
model the characteristics of the boiler. Designed to recognize patterns in input
data, this network must be "trained" using historical data before it can associate
a particular pattern with a corresponding plant state. Once this training has been
completed, the system can respond rapidly to new inputs. An advantage of a
neural network is that if any inputs are faulty the prediction capability degrades
only gradually compared to most other modeling techniques.
The project installed at Big Bend Unit No. 2 includes 16 heat flux sensors, 8
slag sensors, a heat transfer advisor, acoustic pyrometers, a sootblower control
system, an online performance monitor (OPM), and an advanced calibration
monitor (ACM). For the communications layout, the combustion optimizing
system and intelligent sootblowing (ISB) software were loaded into one
computer. For this application, the models were partitioned so they could
function separately or work interactively. This approach was important since it
permits upgrades to existing power plants as well as applications to new boilers.
Although the demonstration was carried out on the hardware and software
systems developed for this project, the equipment (including the distributed
control system) could be obtained from any manufacturer.
After verification that the core elements of the NN-ISB system were
satisfactorily installed and operational, detailed model tuning was completed.
During this task, the unit was operated under a variety of conditions, including
some non-ideal variations. This helped to define acceptable operating limits and
constraints used by the neural network while optimizing the system.
During system optimization, appropriate adjustments were made to allow the
system to "learn" and to make recommendations on Unit 2 operation, including
both manual or advisory (open-loop) and automatic (closed-loop) operation.
The advisory mode provided recommendations to the operators and engineers,
who used those results to further tune the system. This activity also proved very
valuable in assessing and recording the performance and status of the new
sensors and systems.

Results
The automated closed-loop activation of the sootblowers during this project
confirmed that neural-network, adaptive sootblowing can benefit efficiency.
There was a clear improvement at low loads, with the benefit decreasing as the
load increased. During closed-loop operation of the NN-ISB, Pegasus reported
that efficiency gains were in the range of 0.1 to 0.4 percentage points compared
to baseline. Results with open-loop operation were slightly lower. With more
operating experience, gains at the high end of the load range should be
achievable.
NN-ISB closed-loop (automatic) operation was shown to be better than openloop (non-neural network baseline) operation. Other Pegasus results indicated
an improvement of 1.0 to 1.5 percent in opacity for closed-loop compared to
open-loop operation during certain tests.
While it is reasonable to expect that optimizing sootblowing would be
beneficial for NOX reduction (due to an improved temperature profile in the
furnace), the Big Bend project was unable to clearly demonstrate this.
Supporting equipment and material issues (e.g., unavailability of the water
cannons during the NN-ISB tests, underperformance of much of the
instrumentation) greatly limited the optimization software from performing as
expected.
Prior to this project, sensors and controls related to sootblowing were usually
treated as isolated systems. In contrast, the Big Bend NN-ISB system had the
ability to understand, evaluate, and optimize the process as an entire system
with multiple, real-time objectives. Integration of the sensors went well and
communication was established to the neural network system with all sensors
and elements of the project. The project demonstrated that such systems can be
linked together despite the use of proprietary networks. Further, it confirmed
that the sensors can provide data that can be correlated to achieve a set of
objectives. Generally, the NN-ISB system appears to have merit and can
improve boiler performance.

Pegasus Technologies NN-ISB control system

Conclusions
The major conclusion from this project is that the Pegasus Technologies NNISB control system is a sound idea with significant potential. The Big Bend
project successfully demonstrated a neural network, closed-loop operation on a
full-scale boiler without causing unit upsets or violating any constraintsand it
also achieved operator acceptance. The NN-ISB appears to provide generating
companies with an integrated solution that will assist in optimal economic and
environmental real-time, online operation of a unit.
The NN-ISB is modular in design and can be readily applied to a variety of
power generating units. The solution architecture and infrastructure are
designed to allow full or staged deployment, depending on the needs of the
generating company. The technology applied throughout allows unit flexibility

(i.e., existing systems can be integrated within the overall solution) and is
extendible (new modules/new equipment can be readily modeled and
incorporated).
In general, the project provided a testing ground for several innovative
measurement devices and feedback on their operation that may also lead to
improved instruments. Since some equipment and instrumentation (e.g., water
cannons, heat flux sensors, slag sensors, and acoustic pyrometers) did not fully
operate as expected during this testing, an additional project with improved
equipment and instrumentation may be needed in order to fully quantify all the
benefits. Other project goals were also achieved:

Promoted the use of coal by making coal more fuel-efficient

automatically, reducing all pollutants on a per megawatt-hour basis. In
addition, reducing NOX emissions should lower the resistance to coal use
for electrical generation.

Enabled rapid deployment into the market. All coal-fired boilers employ
sootblowers which, in turn, require control systems. Since current
systems cannot achieve the desired results in sootblowing operations, a
neural network control system appears to offer significant advantages.
Further, no new hardware needs to be developed since the hardware is
"off the shelf" and readily available.

Expanded U.S. revenues through world-wide market acceptance. The

same rapid deployment capability and acceptance by domestic plants
should apply to offshore coal-fired boilers. Since the United States is
presently the world leader in AI (of which the neural network system is a
subset) there should be minimal competition from offshore suppliers.
In summary, the project provided valuable information on neural networks and
the positive results should encourage other power plants to install these systems
to control sootblowing, improve boiler efficiency, reduce NO X emissions, and
improve other aspects of their operations. Although equipment and

instrumentation issues may have precluded the NN-ISB project from achieving
all of its goals, the project clearly demonstrated the validity of using AI to
control a major aspect of boiler operation.