Lecture 8 Additional Notes
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Lecture 8: Steam Generators
Additional Notes
Boiler Fittings and Mountings
An overview of the necessary fittings, accessories and controls for a boiler
from nameplates and safety valves to gauge glasses and level controls.
A number of items must be fitted to steam boilers, all with the objective of
improving operation, efficiency and safety.
Boiler name-plate
In the latter half of the 19th century explosions of
steam boilers were commonplace. As a consequence of
this, a company was formed in Manchester with the
objective of reducing the number of explosions by
subjecting steam boilers to independent examination.
After a comparatively short period, only eight out of the
Fig. 8.3 Boiler
11 000 boilers examined exploded. This compared to
name-plate
260 steam boiler explosions in boilers not examined by the scheme. This
success led to the Boiler Explosions Act (1882) which included a requirement
for a boiler name-plate.
Safety valves
An important boiler fitting is the safety valve. Its function is to
protect the boiler shell from over pressure and subsequent
explosion. Many different types of safety valves are fitted to
steam boiler plant, but generally they must all meet the following
criteria:
The maximum set pressure of the safety valve shall be the design (or
maximum permissible working pressure) of the
Fig. 8.4 Boiler
safety valve
boiler.
There must be an adequate margin between the normal operating
pressure of the boiler and the set pressure of the safety valve.
The discharge pipework from the safety valve must be unobstructed and
drained at the base to prevent the accumulation of condensate. It is good
practice to ensure that the discharge pipework is kept as short as possible
with the minimum number of bends, so that the allowable backpressure
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Lecture 8 Additional Notes
indicated by the valve manufacturer is not exceeded. It will be quite normal
for the internal diameter of the discharge pipework to be more than the
internal diameter of the safety valve outlet connection, but under no
circumstances should it be less.
Boiler stop valves
A steam boiler must be fitted with a stop valve (also known
as a crown valve) which isolates the steam boiler and its
pressure from the process or plant. It is generally an angle
pattern globe valve of the screw-down variety. Figure 3.7.3
shows a typical stop valve of this type. Many boilermakers
use SG (spheroidal graphite) iron valves as standard.
Fig. 8.5 Boiler
stop valve
The stop valve is not designed as a throttling valve, and should be fully open
or closed. It should always be opened slowly to prevent any sudden rise in
downstream pressure and associated waterhammer, and to help restrict the
fall in boiler pressure and any possible associated priming.
Feedwater check valves
The feedwater check valve (as shown in Figures 3.7.4
and 3.7.5) is installed in the boiler feedwater line
between the feedpump and boiler. A boiler feed stop
valve is fitted at the boiler shell.
The check valve includes a spring equivalent to the
head of water in the elevated feedtank when there is no
pressure in the boiler. This prevents the boiler being
flooded by the static head from the boiler feedtank.
Under normal steaming conditions the check valve
operates in a conventional manner to stop return flow
from the boiler entering the feedline when the
feedpump is not running. When the feedpump is
running, its pressure overcomes the spring to feed the
boiler as normal.
Fig. 8.6 Boiler
check valve
Fig. 8.7 Location
of feed check
Boiler water quality control
The maintenance of water quality is essential to the safe and efficient
operation of a steam boiler. The measurement and control of the various
parameters is a complex topic, which is also covered by a number of
regulations. The objective of the next few Sections is simply to identify the
fittings to be seen on a boiler.
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TDS control
This controls the amount of Total Dissolved Solids
(TDS) in the boiler water, and is sometimes also
referred to as 'continuous blowdown'. The TDS in a
sample of boiler water is compared with a set point;
the TDS level is too high, a quantity of boiler water is
released to be replaced by feedwater with a much
lower TDS level. This has the effect of diluting the
water in the boiler, and reducing the TDS level. On a
manually controlled TDS system, the boiler water
would be sampled every shift.
if
Fig. 8.8 Typical
automatic TDS
A typical automatic TDS control system is shown in
Figure 8.8
Pressure gauge
All boilers must be fitted with at least one pressure
indicator. It should be marked to indicate the normal
working pressure and the maximum permissible working pressure / design
pressure. Pressure gauges are connected to the steam space of the boiler and
usually have a ring type siphon tube which fills with
Fig. 8.9 Typical
condensed steam and protects the dial mechanism
pressure gauge
from high temperatures.
with ring siphon
Pressure gauges may be fitted to other pressure containers such as
blowdown vessels, and will usually have smaller dials as shown in Figure
3.7.9.
Gauge glasses and fittings
All steam boilers are fitted with at least one water
level indicator, but those with a rating of 100 kW or
more should be fitted with two indicators. A gauge
glass shows the current level of water in the boiler,
regardless of the boiler's operating conditions.
Gauge glasses should be installed so that their
lowest reading will show the water level at 50 mm above the point where
overheating will occur. They should also be fitted with a protector around
them, but this should not hinder visibility of the water level. Figure 8.10
shows a typical gauge glass.
Gauge glasses are prone to damage from a number of sources, such as
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corrosion from the chemicals in boiler water, and erosion during blowdown,
particularly at the steam end.
Water level controls
The maintenance of the correct water level in a steam boiler is essential to its
safe and efficient operation. The methods of
Fig. 8.10 Gauge glass
and fittings
sensing the water level, and the subsequent
control of water level is a complex topic that is covered by a number of
regulations.
External level control chamber
The function of the level controls or alarms is checked daily using the
sequencing purge valves.
Fig. 3.7.13
Internally mounted level controls
Air vents and vacuum breakers
When a boiler is started from cold, the steam space is full of air. This air has
no heat value, and will adversely affect steam plant performance due to its
effect of blanketing heat exchange surfaces. The air can also give rise to
corrosion in the condensate system, if not removed adequately.
The air may be purged from the steam space using a simple cock; normally
this would be left open until a pressure of about 0.5 bar is showing on the
pressure gauge. An alternative to the cock is a balanced pressure air vent
which not only relieves the boiler operator of the task of manually purging air
Lecture 8 Additional Notes
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(and hence ensures that it is actually done), it is also much more accurate
and will vent gases which may accumulate in the boiler. Typical air vents are
shown in Figure 3.7.14.
When a boiler is taken off-line, the steam in the steam space condenses and
leaves a vacuum. This vacuum causes pressure to be exerted on the boiler
from the outside, and can result in boiler inspection doors leaking, damage to
the boiler flat plates and the danger of overfilling a shutdown boiler. To avoid
this, a vacuum breaker (see Figure 3.7.14) is required on the boiler shell.
Fig. 3.7.14
Typical air vents and vacuum breakers
