Classification of boilers

According to use:
Main
Auxiliary
According to passage of flue gases:
Water tube
Fire tube
According to heating source:
Oil fired
Exhaust gas
Composite
According to water circulation
Natural
Forced
According to steam pressure:
Single
Dual

Boiler fittings

Main stop valve

Vent
Safety valve
Feed valve
Drain valve
Scum valve
Guage glass
Float
Man hole

Boiler operation

Open vent valve

Check water level
Check all valves
Air purge
Adjust F/A ratio
Steam up
Shut vent valve
Slow open main stop valve

Boiler safety (Alarms)

Flame failure
Low water level
High steam pressure
Fuel temperature

Boiler defects

Impurities (settled , suspended)

Oil, grease (suspended)
Corrosion
Dissolved Oxygen in water ( N2H4 or
mechanical)
Dissolved salts (Test)
Wastage (corrosion or erosion)
Deformation (due to poor circulation, scales, sludge, overheating, water
shortage)
Cracks (due to overheating and mechanical strains)
Water acidity (Test)
Foam and water carry over (providing anti foam)

Boiler water tests

1- Hardness Test (limit 17 ppm)
By keeping the hardness salts in a suspension to prevent scale formation
+ ------ +
+ ------- +
2- Phosphate Test (PO4 range 40-70 ppm)
To have calcium phosphate which stops any suspended salts and impurities from sticking to the
walls
+ -------- +
3- pH Test (limit 8.5 - 9.2) (litmus paper)
) (
By eliminating dissolved gasses and providing some degree of alkalinity which will prevent
corrosion
4- TDS (salinometer) not more than 3000 ppm

Boiler Hydraulic test

1 operating pressure for hour long

Advantages over tank

Savings in weight of about 3:1 for a comparable heating surface area
Possibility of using higher temperatures and pressures without unduly
increasing wall thicknesses increases plant efficiency.
Greater flexibility of the structure and rapid circulation prevents the problems
of thermal stressing in the tank boilers which leads to grooving. In water tube
boilers roof and floor tubes are sloped at 15' to ensure circulation
thinner tube materials allow rapid steam raising and faster heat transfer rates
Saving in space for same steaming rate
Wider safety margins limited tube diameters and protected drum surfaces
mean failure in tubes releases a flow of steam dependent on tube diameter
Thin tubes are easier to bend, expand and bell mouth

Disadvantages
Lower reserve of water means a more efficient water level control is
required
High quality feed required
Little allowance to corrosion

Refractory failure

SPALLING
This is the breaking away of layers of the brick surface. It can be caused by
fluctuating temperature under flame impingement or firing a boiler too soon
after water washing or brick work repair.
May also be caused by failure to close off air from register outlet causing cool
air to impinge on hot refractory.
SLAGGING
This is the softening of the bricks to a liquid state due to the prescience of
vanadium or sodium ( ex sea water ) in the fuel. This acts as fluxes and lowers
the melting point of the bricks
Flame impingement may lead to carbon penetrating refractory.
SHRINKAGE CRACKING
Refractories are weaker in tension than in compression or shear thus, if
compression takes place due to the expansion of the brick at high temperature ,
if suddenly cooled cracking may occur.
Failure of brick securing devices

10% Accumulation of Pressure Rule

With all the flames in full firing the stm stop is closed, the boiler pressure
must not increase by more than 10% in 7 minutes for water tube of 15 mins
for tank boilers with the safety lifted.