Start up boiler

1. General rules
a. Carry out the individual or integral trial running and acceptance for related equipment
system of the boiler overhauled. But for the boiler which is maintained, or the
equipment which is maintained temporarily, the trial running and acceptance on them
should be carried out based on the actual situations.
b. For the boiler which was subject to maintenance and overhaul, terminate all work
permits before startup and the related test should be carried out under the direction of
the chief engineer or the assigned person based on the actual conditions on site. For
example, boiler air leakage test, air distribution plate resistance test, hydrostatic test,
fluidization state test inside furnace, safety valve action test (Hot state), boiler main
interlock test and opening/closing tests of all electric valves and governing valves of
boiler and the auxiliaries interlock test.
c. Carry out the checking carefully on all equipment and systems before boiler startup. For
the boiler which is maintained temporarily, focus on checking the equipment system
related to the temporary maintenance items, and the other equipment can be treated
based on the standby boiler before boiler startup.
d. After receiving the startup command of shift leader, the chief operator should inform
the personnel at all posts early of preparing for ignition based on the time and
requirements.

2. Test before boiler start-up

a. Boiler rotary equipment switch on/off test and emergency button test
b. Boiler interlock device test.
c. Boiler protection/alarm/signal devices test
d. Boiler DCS and control system test.
e. Boiler electric(pneumatic) valve/governing valve or damper tests.
f. Boiler igniter interlock test .
g. Boiler MFT/OFT interlock protection test
h. Boiler safety valve setting and hydrostatic test
i. Boiler air distributor resistance test and fluidization state test.
3. Checking item before boiler start-up
a. Check air distribution plate, returning material valve under the cooperation of
maintenance personnel. The air nozzles must not be jammed.
b. All manholes and flame watching holes are complete and closed tightly.
c. All flue gas ducts, air passage damper and linkage mechanism can work flexibly and with
the correct indication and opening degree indication. And all are in correct positions
after checking.
d. All expansion indicators are correct and with clear graduation and the initial value is
recorded.
e. The heat insulations and support and hangers are perfect and complete.
f. There is no foreign matter surrounding all operation platforms, staircases or equipment.
The access is unobstructed, the lighting is in good condition(including emergency
lighting).
g. Put the industrial cooling water/ compressed air system into service and the working
medium parameters are normal.
h. The ash removal system and de-slagging system meet the condition for putting into
service.
i. The conditions for fuel oil system startup include: fuel oil begins circulating and the fuel
oil angle valve is opened. The extent and withdrawal of startup burner and igniter are in
good condition, the startup burner purging is smooth.
j. The local water level meter is clear and with correct normal water level /high/low water
level marks.
k. The trial running of rotating machine is normal.
l. Check all valves of steam/water systems meet the ignition requirements.
4. Checking item before start-up of boiler steam/feed water system
a. Check the economizer, the evaporator, the superheater system, the steam drum, the
sample station, the chemical dosing system and blowdown system meet the condition
for startup.
b. Check instrument air sources and all air consumption equipments.
c. Check the conditions and operating conditions of pressure switch, relief valve and
instrument.
d. Check all interlocks related to steam and water systems.
e. Check if all valves/holes are closed or if the air sealing checking is finished. Confirm there
is no person checking the boiler inside, the entire pipe system has no leakage.
f. Check if the locking device is removed from the constant-force hangers and spring
hangers.
g. Check the positions of valves and fittings of feedwater/boiler water/steam/condensate
water system.
h. Check if the feed water system including pumps can be put into service.
i. Check if the blowdown system can be put into service.
j. Check if the locking device of the safety valve is removed.
k. Check if all soot blowers are in the withdrawn portions and if can be put into service.
l. Check if all wspray attemperators inside the superheater system can be put into service.
m. Check if the chemical water sampling station can be put into service.
n. Check if the chemical dosing system can be put into service.

5. Preparations before boiler is ignited

a. Thoroughly check the boiler body.
b. The tests on all electric valves/governing valves and I&C interlock protection have been
finished and with normal action
c. The resistance test of air distributor is finished and the nozzles are unobstructed.
d. The instrument and ash handling compressed air system have been put into service and
the instrument compressed air pressure is satisfactory.
e. The chemical department has prepared enough and high quality demineralized water.
f. There is the enough fuel oil for ignition and the coal is enough in quantity or the coal is
fed into the coal bunker.
g. The industrial water pump has been put into service normally and there is enough
cooling water for all rotating equipment.
h. The emergency power supply has been on for all rotating machines and I&C power
supply for all electric valves and protection has been on.
i. Put the fuel oil system into service and the oil circulating starts. The oil pressure is within
the prescribed limit and the atomizing test of oil gun has been finished and passed.
j. Inform the related departments of making the record well.
k. Put the purging system of all measurements points into service for purging them.
6. Cold state start-up
a. In the starting process, the temperature rising rate that inner liner required limits the
CFB boiler starting speed due to there are a great deal of wear-resistant or refractory
materials lined inner of the CFB boiler, especially the cyclone separator outlet flue gas
duct, the dipleg, and the material returning control valve. The velocity of the flue gas
temperature is the key factor of the thermal stress production. The excess inner lining
thermal stress can be prevented by using proper startup method. Generally, the max
temperature velocity allowed by the refractory materials manufacturer is 80/h,
therefore, during operation, the temperature changes should not exceed 80/h .
b. In the starting process, the lowest primary air flow and the required air distribution of
the burner that bed materials fluidization needs will make the boiler run with high
excess air coefficient.
c. The flow of the four burners under bed is 41200Kg/h, the operating oil pressure is
2.5Mpa, the flow of the four burners above bed is 41500/h. When the bed temperature
is kept above the raw coal permitted feeding temperature (500), put the first coal
feeder into operation when the rotating speed is the lowest, judge if the coal is ignited
according to the bed temperature and the oxygen content. If yes, put other coal feeder
into operation to make the combustion rate continue increasing.
d. The air distribution of the igniting burner under bed is 30Nm3 air for 1 kg oil. Make sure
the temperature of the flue gas entering the water-cooled air chest is no more than
900. If the supplying air flow is confined, it is not allowed to increase the supplying oil
amount at random to prevent the combustion chamber high temperature section
overheating. (the refractory temperature of the fire brick is 1600).

6.1 Boiler water filling

1. Fill water to the boiler after the water quality is qualified; the feedwater should be
up to the codes in GB/T12145-1999 Power Plant Unit and the Steam Dynamic
Equipment Water Steam Quality standards.
2. Control the filling water temperature and time strictly, the filling water temperature
should be at this range: 40~60, control the steam drum wall temperature and
make it bigger than 35. If the filling water temperature is 50 higher than the
steam drum wall temperature, control the water filling flow at this range: 20~40t/h,
the temperature difference between upper wall and lower wall of steam drum is no
more than 40. Record the temperature of upper wall and lower wall every 30
minutes after water filling completion.

6.2 Nieghbor boiler heating

1. the furnace water wall lower header is equipped with the neighbor boiler heating
device. The steam source is supplied from intermediate pressure steam and low
pressure steam of the neighbor boiler, after adopting the heating device, the water
wall steam producing time and the circulation forming time can be shortened. That
 is to say, the whole starting time can be shortened, besides, the anti-freezing
funciton can be realized during shutdown in winter.
2. If it is necessary to put the neighbor boiler heating device into operation after water
filling completion, open the heating distribution header drain valve firstly to warm
up the piping, after completion, close the drain valve, open the steam heating valve
on the lower header of the water wall slowly, and open the vent valve on the steam
side, when it reaches to a certain pressure, close the vent valve and open the drain
valve in superheater system to warm up the pipe and drain the water.

6.3 Air fan

The sequence of the starting air fan : ID fan- HP fluidization fan-SA fan-PA fan.

1. Start ID fan
2. Start HP fluidization fan
3. Start SA fan
4. Start PA fan

6.4 Fill bed material

Before boiler startup, if the furnace is empty, feed a certain quantity of bed materials
only when the air fan is activated. The primary setting bed materials is the slag with
3%carbon content and 05mm granularity. putting the air fans into operation can make the
bed materials in the air distributor evenly, the thickness of the material layor after trimming
should be 800mm.

Check all bed pressure indication to confirm the accumulated bed materials on the air
distributor, record the bed pressure at this moment, with the growth of bed materials
quantity, the indicated bed pressure will increase as well .

6.5 Air cleaning

The allowable conditions for the furnace purging

a. no MFT condition.
b. There is no flame in the boiler.
c. At least one I.D fan and F.D. fan are in operation
d. The water level in the steam drum is normal.
e. The quick-closing valve of the fuel oil is closed.
f. All of the oil angle valves of the oil burners are closed.
g. All of the coal feeders are shutdown.
h. Total air amount >25%
i. Finish the oil leakage tests. (The bypass can be arranged.)
j. The cooling air of the flame detector is normal.
 6.5.2 Purging methods

When all of the purging conditions are met, press the button of Purging
Startup. Send the order of purging position. After the purging position is met, start the
purging timing of five minutes. During the five minutes, if MFT acts, the purging is cut off
and the timing is timing clearing. Otherwise, the purging is finished after five minutes.
Reset the MFT automatically.

6.6 Combustion with oil

1. Pay attention to the expansion of steam drum, headers and other equipment,
observe the expansion indicator periodically, and record the displacement.
2. Close the steam drum and the superheater air discharging valve when the steam
pressure reaches to 0.1Mpa.
3. Flush the pressure gauge when the steam pressure reaches to 0.15-0.2Mpa and
check up with the neighbor pressure gauge to ensure the read is correct
4. Open the motorized stop valve on the fire-making pipe and keep the opening at 20%
when the steam drum pressure reaches to 0.3Mpa and the temperature in
superheater is higher than the saturated temperature.
5. Close the stop valve in the recirculation pipe from the steam drum to in the when
the steam flow exceeds 7%.
6. When the steam pressure increases to 0.3-0.5 Mpa, open the discharge valve and
blowdown valve in the lower header of water wall periodically and check if the
drainage valve is flexible or there is any leakage. ,The steam drum water level should
not be lower than the lowest level during blowndown, otherwise, make up water
and close the superheater drainage valve.
7. Regulate the atmospheric relief valve; make sure the steam temperature in
superheater outlet is 15 higher than the saturated temperature at least and the
steam flow exceeds 10%, and then cool down the superheater.
8. Regulate the atmospheric relief valve; make the temperature difference in the upper
wall and lower wall of steam drum be less than 40. The boiler water temperature
rising rate is about 1 per minute. Supply steam to steam turbine when the steam
turbine rolling parameters are reached.

6.7 Fuel coal

Judge if the coal is ignited according to the bed temperature and the oxygen content.
After confirm the successful ignition, operate the coal feeder continuously under the lowest
rotating speed. Reduce the oil burner output under bed as required, at the same time, speed
up the coal feeder. Check the bed temperature rising rate and add more fuel.
7. Warm state start-up

In the warm state startup process, use the PA fan and SA fan to carry out the air puring
before ignition. then put the starting burner under bed into operation. Due to the bed
temperature is high before air purging, It is unnecessary to check the temperature rising
rate, and then the unit can run with the load according to the cold state startup method.

7.1 Air fan

1. Start the ID fan (close the inlet guide vane), conntrol the furnace pressure in automatic
mode, put the returning material control valve HP air fan into operation, open the air
damper and check the air flow in the returning material control valve.
2. Start the SA fan.
3. Start the PA fan.

7.2 Air purging

The alloawable conditions for ther furnace purging

a. no MFT condition.
b. There is no flame in the boiler.
c. At least one I.D fan and F.D. fan are in operation
d. The water level in the steam drum is normal.
e. The quick-closing valve of the fuel oil is closed.
f. All of the oil angle valves of the oil burners are closed.
g. All of the coal feeders are shutdown.
h. Total air amount >25%
i. Finish the oil leakage tests. (The bypass can be arranged.)
j. The cooling air of the flame detector is normal.

7.2.2 Purging methods

When all of the purging conditions are met, press the button of Purging
Startup. Send the order of purging position. After the purging position is met, start the
purging timing of five minutes. During the five minutes, if MFT acts, the purging is cut off
and the timing is timing clearing. Otherwise, the purging is finished after five minutes.
Reset the MFT automatically.

7.3 Activate oil burner

Check the temperature difference in the upper wall and lower wall of steam drum is less
than 40.

7.4 Fuel coal

Feed the coal when the bed temperature exceeds 500 (this value is reference value
and the set value will be given after commissioning.)
8. Hot State start-up
a. If the bed temperature is 700-800, after startup the air fan, the bed temperature is
still bigger than 500 (feed the coal), the hot state startup can be carried out. Start the
ID fan before unit startup, keep the negative pressure in furnace below 100 Pa, start the
SA fan and open the SA damper only, close other air dampers, and purge the boiler for
five minutes.
b. In the hot state startup process, the bed temperature is higher than the allowed coal
feeding temperature all the time, therefore, feed the coal to the fluidized bed
immediately and it is unnessary to ignite the oil burner for combustion-support.
c. Increase the combustion ratio after the coal is supplied from the coal feeder with lowest
rotating speed and the boiler is ignited. 35 minutes later, the boiler can operate with full
load. Due to the cyclone is hot all the time and it can store heat, therefore, the above
condition is possible, which means that it is unnecessary to take the permissible
temperature rising rate of the inner liner refractory materials into account in the hot
state startup process.
9. Precaution during boiler start-up
a. Monitor the drum water level and keep it stable. If filling water to boiler, firstly close the
recirculation valve of economizer at first, and then open it until stopping filling.
b. Control the temperature difference between upper and lower wall of drum not exceed
50. But if there is the exceeding tendency, immediately slow down pressure and
temperature increasing rate.
c. Check and record the expansion indications of all parts periodically. If finding abnormal
conditions, find out the causes and resolve them, then continue increasing temperature
and pressure.
d. After rolling up, keep the superheat degree of the steam more than 50 and the
temperature difference on both sides of superheated steam less than or equal to 20.
e. Control the temperature and pressure increase based on the unit startup curve carefully.
Monitor carefully to prevent superheater wall over-temperature.
f. carry out maintenance and adjustment for the starting burner carefully, keeping
atomizing and combustion in good condition.