Boiler

Introduction;
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated under pressure.
The steam or hot fluid is then circulated out of the boiler for use in various
process
or
heating
applications..
The boiler system includes two prime processes

Defination;
A boiler is defined as "a closed vessel in which water or other liquid is heated,
steam or vapor is generated, steam is superheated, or any combination thereof,
under pressure or vacuum, for use external to itself, by the direct application of
energy from the combustion of fuels, from electricity or nuclear energy."

Processes;
To generate heat by combustion, or using some other process (nuclear, solar,
waste heat).
To transmit energy by heat, transfer to the fluid being heated.

Boiler Operation;
Energy is continuously added to water in a closed system (vessel or piping) array
and the water evaporates to steam and the pressure and temperature increases
as long as the strength of the containment is not exceeded. The relationships
between temperature, pressure and volume of the contained fluid are shown in
steam tables. There will be a point where the energy supplied is just sufficient to
maintain steam conditions and evaporation will stop....
If the contained steam is released to drive a turbine or engine the pressure will
tend to fall allowing increased evaporation. So long as the temperature is
maintained constant the pressure will also be constant as it supplies steam,
under steady conditions, to the plant being driven. The operation of the boiler is
controlled to ensure a sufficient supply of water to make up for the steam being
supplied and to ensure sufficient energy input to maintain constant pressure in
the steam system.
In modern boilers over 80% of the heating value of the fuel is transmitted to the
fluid in the boiler. The rest of the heating value is lost in the exhaust gases or is
lost by conduction radiation and convection on the external surfaces of the boiler
system..
A vital part of any boiler system is the system designed to release the steam
pressure to ensure safe conditions are maintained. The safety system is
generally based on using high integrity safety relief valves.
The basic working principle of boiler is very very simple and easy to
understand. The boiler is essentially a closed vessel inside which water is stored.
Fuel (generally coal) is bunt in a furnace and hot gasses are produced. These hot
gasses come in contact with water vessel where the heat of these hot gases
transfer to the water and consequently steam is produced in the boiler. Then this
steam is piped to the turbine of thermal power plant. There are many different

types of boiler utilized for different purposes like running a production unit,
sanitizing some area, sterilizing equipment, to warm up the surroundings etc.

Efficiency;
Combustion efficiency
The efficiency of the heat generation side is known as the combustion efficiency.

Transmission efficiency
The efficiency of the heat transfer process is known as the transmission
efficiency.

Boiler Efficiency
The overall efficiency is known as the boiler efficiency.
The boiler efficiency = Energy transmitted to Fluid / Heating value or calorific
value of the fuel
The boiler efficiency is based on the calorific value of the fuel used and the
enthalpy change from water to steam. Notes on the calorific value of the fuels
are provided below...

m s = Mass flow rate of steam (kg/s)

m f = Mass flow rate of fuel (kg/s)
h = specific enthalpy of generated steam (kJ/kg)
h w = specific enthalpy of feed water (kJ/kg)

Types of Boilers
There are two principle types of Boiler (Also called Steel Boilers)
1.Boilers, fire tube boilers.
2.Water tube boilers.

Fire Tube Boilers.

Fire-tube boilers force hot combustion gases through tubes submerged in
water.Fire-tube boilers are usually preferred in low-pressure applications between
0,5 kg/s (approx. 75kW) and 5kg/s (approx. 750kW boiler ) of steam. In sizes
below 0,5kg/s and above 5 kg/s, water-tube units are often preferred.
Fire Tube Boilers are widely used in small installations to heat buildings and to
provide power for factory processes. Fire-tube boilers are also used in steam

locomotives Fire-tube boilers have the advantage of being easy to install and
operate. The main disadvantage of the fire tube boiler is that the steam is
generated in a large containment vessel which is at risk of catastrophic failure
due to the high stresses developed at high pressures....
The older fire-tube boiler design, in which the water surrounds the heat source
and gases from combustion pass through tubes within the water space, is a
much weaker structure and is rarely used for pressures above 2.4 MPa (350 psi).
A significant advantage of the water tube boiler is that there is less chance of a
catastrophic failure: there is not a large volume of water in the boiler nor are
there large mechanical elements subject to failure.

Fire Tube Boiler

Water Tube Boilers

Water Tube Boiler circulate water in tubes within a furnace enclosure. Hot flue
gases pass over the tubes, heat the water, and then exit through a stack.
Water-tube boilers are usually specified in all situations where operating
pressures of 20 bar or greater are required because of their greater structural
integrity.
Water tube boilers were developed to satisfy the the demand for large quantities
of steam at pressures and temperatures far exceeding those possible with firetube boilers. The tubes are outside the steam drum, which has no heating
surface and is much smaller than in the fire-tube boiler. For this reason, the
drum of the water tube boiler is better able to withstand higher pressures and
temperatures. A wide variety of sizes and designs of water tube boilers are
used in power stations, ships and factories.

Water tube boilers have the following advantages.

Low risk of disastrous explosion compared to fire box boiler

Space saving

Rapid steam raising

Ease of transportation

Large capacity and pressure units available

Water tube boilers have the following disadvantages.

The supply water has to be pure and specially treated to protect the steam
tubes

Water tube boiler systems are often complicated require special

maintenance procedures

Water tube boiler cannot serve as steam reservoirs because the fluid
volume is minimized

The water feed system has to be very accurate - (small fluid volume)

Hydronic Boiler System

A boiler is used to heat water that is circulated through a closed
loop piping system for general facility and service water heating. Lowtemperature systems generally operate below 200 Fahrenheit Mediumtemperature systems generally operate at temperatures between 200 and 250
Fahrenheit.
A feature of hot water systems ('''Figure 6)''' is an expansion tank to
accommodate the expansion of the water in the system as the water is heated.
The expansion tank, when piped into the system on the suction side of the
circulating pumps, also pressurizes the system to prevent flashing in the
circulating pump, piping, and piping components. In many low- and mediumpressure systems, pressurization is maintained by flash steam in the expansion
tank. In a few hot water systems, pressurization is maintained by maintaining
a compressed gas blanket above the water level in the expansion tank.

'''Figure 6: Hydronic (Hot Water) Boiler System'''

High-temperature hot water systems, which operate above 250 Fahrenheit, are
basically the same as hot water systems that operate below 250F. Hightemperature systems are generally installed when a process requires the higher
temperature, a number of locations require small quantities of low-pressure
steam that the high-temperature hot water can generate in a local converter, or
high-temperature drop equipment can be used at end use points to minimize the
size of water circulation piping required.
Most facility boiler systems are fired using a combustible gas (typically natural
gas or propane) or fuel oil. In many facilities, the boilers are designed to fire both
a combustible gas fuel and a fuel oil. In these facilities, the combustible gas fuel
is generally natural gas that is considered the primary fuel, and fuel oil is
considered to be the backup fuel.

Condensing boilers
Condensing boilers are by far the most common boiler type in UK homes, and are
far more energy-efficient than older mains gas boilers, using around 90% of their
heat.
A condensing boiler works by passing hot gas through a central chamber that
heats up water but, cleverly, a second chamber uses remaining heat to warm up
water coming back into the unit from the heating system.Of all the condensing
boiler types, the combi-boiler is the most popular. A combi-boiler includes the hot

water unit and cold water tank in the same unit, which means all your hot water
and heating come from the same unit. This makes it easy to install.It also means
you get a steady supply of hot water through your taps as you dont have to wait
for the tank to fill and dont have to worry about lots of space for different tanks.
The downsides lie in the fact that, as they are a small unit, you will only get
maximum pressure through one tap at a time, and they struggle to produce large
quantities of hot water.Heat-only boilers, in comparison, have a more traditional
approach by offering hot water only, whilst cold water is supplied separately. This
does away with some of the problems of supply and water pressure. But,
because the hot- and cold-water systems are separate, they take up more space,
and are less energy-efficient.

Oil boilers
Oil boilers represent an alternative to the estimated four million homes across
the UK that are not connected to mains gas. This isolation comes at a cost
however, and an oil boiler will typically be a few hundred pounds a year more
expensive to run than gas.In terms of the mechanics, oil boilers are fairly similar
to traditional boilers. Instead just using oil rather than gas to heat the inner pipes
and, thereby, the water.The main difference comes in when you try and get your
hands on the oil itself. The oil has to be delivered to your home, making oil
boilers more logistically challenging. Prices do also vary for heating oil or
kerosene, so you may have to shop around to get a good deal.Maintenance can
also be an issue because, if you run into any problems, you will need to get an
Oftec registered engineer in to inspect it (rather than a Gas Safety Register
engineer for conventional gas boilers).

Biomass boilers
A biomass boiler, or wood boiler, is the other main alternative and, as the name
suggests, relies on wood pellets, chips or logs to generate heat. Wood pellet
boilers are very cheap in comparison to the other alternatives, costing an
estimated 600 a year to run, and are energy-efficient.
The carbon dioxide given off by wood pellet boilers is similar to that absorbed by
new plants, so it is a sustainable fuel. Pellets are the most practical solution for
biomass boilers even though logs are cheaper, as they can be automatically fed
in to the system. You will have to find a supplier for your pellets though. The
Energy Saving Trust estimates installation costs between 7,000 and 13,000,
and a tonne of wood pellets can cost under 200.
They emit around 3 tonnes fewer of carbon dioxide a year compared to a gas
boiler, but there are some things to be aware of.