OPERATIONAL AUDIT OF PULVERIZED COAL FIRED BOILERs AT AN UTILITY

POWER PLANT- By K.K.Parthiban / Director / Venus Energy Audit System / India

Introduction
The plant availability and efficiency are improved when an audit is performed. An audit is a focused
activity which brings out points for improvement. Power plant managers are generally preoccupied
with routine activities. This is a fact for almost all power plants. Any external audit brings out the
scope for improvement. The cost of an audit is nothing compared to the savings achieved by
preventing an unforeseen shut down by a single observation. The cost of audit gets justified by a
fractional efficiency improvement. This article is about the observations made by us in a power plant
during an operational audit.
About the boiler & water treatment
This operational audit was conducted in 2 x 330 MW units at this power plant. A good point was that
the deterioration of performance could be identified by comparison of performances of the 2 units.
The availability of the boilers as such was informed to be good. During discussions with operation
engineers, it was learnt that there was no perennial / unsolved problem in the boilers which affect
boiler availability / performance. The boilers are once thorough boilers with condensate polishing
system. The present treatment is purely volatile based. Both hydrazine and ammonia are volatile
nature and pose no problem. The unit is copper free and hence there is no issue on the water side. To
know water side issues usually drum is checked. In this case there is no drum. Only tube sampling
and deposit analysis will give the efficiency of the internal water treatment system.
Performance
The two major issues related to PF boiler performance
are the airheater leakage and the unburnt carbon. Air
heater seal system decides the loss of heat via the
leakage air.
It is recommended to upgrade to better seals that
are available in the market.
Unburnt carbon is decided by the combination of
the input grade of coal to the boiler & boiler
operational practices. The two aspects are
discussed separately below.
Air heater leakage impact on efficiency
The air heater leakage is estimated by using the CO2 /
O2 values measured before and after the airheater. It
was seen that the oxygen before
the airheater is 3.27 % and at the
outlet the oxygen was seen to be

6.83%. The % air leakage as per the formula was worked out to be 22.8%. The fuel fired at the time
of audit was South African coal. The boiler efficiency was worked out to be 87.62% for an oxygen
level of 6.83% in flue gas. The airheater leakage was generally considered as 10% for the airheater
with proper seal (new). The corresponding oxygen level in flue gas will be 5.03%. The efficiency for
this optimum oxygen level was worked out to be 88.27%. The efficiencies are compared below:
For flue gas oxygen level of 6.83%

For flue gas oxygen level of 5.03%

The penalty due to high airheater leakage is 0.65%. This is to be weighed against the benefits of
going for better sealing systems available in the market.
Unburnt carbon impact on efficiency / Fuel consumption
The unburnt carbon ranged between 6.5% and 8% at the time of audit. This was high. Unburnt
carbon is dependent on the FC/VM ratio, ash content, Inherent moisture and the ash in coal. The
South African coal FC/VM ratio was seen to be 2.29. For this coal the impact of LOI% on boiler
efficiency is discussed below. The efficiency was also calculated with 2.5% LOI with oxygen at
6.83%. The results are compared below with the case of 6.5 % LOI.
For flue gas oxygen level of 6.83%- LOI of 6.5% For flue gas oxygen level of 6.83% LOI of 2.5%

The gain available in achieving LOI of 2.5% is about 0.73%. A 4% reduction of LOI will get a
benefit of 0.73%. Every 1% LOI reduction will result in efficiency improvement by 0.18%.
Nowadays it has become necessity to reduce the LOI in the fly ash from ash disposal point of view.

Review of the statistics of unburnt carbon in the past

On request the best LOI achieved in unit 1 & 2 were received from the statistics department along
with the coal analysis. The FC/VM ratio was 1.88 on 1 Feb 2015. The fly ash LOI in Unit 1 was at
3.22% and at unit 2, the same was 2.4%.
Review of PG test report
PG test report is an important document. Since the units were about 16 years old and persons have
changed, the reports could not be located. In many plants we find that this not being referred by the
operating engineers. The importance of this document goes to the fact that the OEM engineers try the
best performance out of the boiler. A comparison with current parameters generally point out the
issue that is to be addressed.
Review of present unburnt carbon % in fly ash and Flue gas
Combustion is about achieving less CO in flue gas and less LOI (loss on ignition -unburnt carbon in
fly ash) in fly ash & bottom ash. CO levels were found to be below detectable limits. Being a
tangential fired system, the VM burning is seen to be at its best. However the unburnt carbon ranges
from 6 % to 9 %. The daily report from lab did not correlate to the characteristics of the coal fired.
There was no consolidated data with relation to fuel fired.

The operation / performance engineers are requested to appreciate the relationship between
FC/VM to unburnt carbon.
It is also to be noted that more the ash percent, lesser will be the LOI due to dilution by ash.

Our observations which relate to improvement of combustion

1. Fineness of coal

Fineness
was
being
checked only when there
was a fuel change. It was
not monitored on a fixed
time period.
Fineness was not checked
with respect to hours after
the mill was serviced.
Fineness was not being
correlated to HGI of coal.
Higher HGI is easier to
grind. Currently used
coals have 62 HGI which
is more than the standard HGI 55 for which the mill performance is generally guaranteed.
Fineness is checked by ASME method in vertical lines. However the boiler maker had given the

sampling points in horizontal lines. There would be error when sampling is done in horizontal
lines. Rotating probe as per ISO 9931 should be used for the representative sample.
Fineness should be compiled in a report form given above.
When the past mill outlet fineness data was compared, it indicated that the mill D was a problem.
Hence mill D was inspected. The rolls were seen to be in good condition. The throat clearance
was least at the bowl end. However the classifier vanes were found plugged with foreign
material. The top plate above the classifier was found eroded and developed big holes. Both these
defects have an effect on fineness in the mill output.

2. Measurement of refuse / reject bulk density

Mill rejects can be analyzed to check the grinding ability of the mill. At present there is no
monitoring of mill refuse. In the past there had been a measurement of coal % in total refuse
from all mills. This was discontinued.
Samples of mill refuse were taken from the mill and analyzed for bulk density. The report
showed that coal not being crushed by mill E. See report below.
Mill E rejects bulk density showed 864 kg/m3 which was caused by presence of coal. The coal
particles were separated manually. It was seen that 89% of the refuse was coal. This was
informed to operating engineer in charge. Mill E needed internal inspection.
We recommend that our report format must be used by the operating engineer in order to keep a
watch on the performance of the mill. This can help to keep the mill power consumption under
control. High fuel loss via rejects can be quickly identified, once the report is generated.

If a mill is unable to grind it would certainly reflect on the refuse. This report will give
confidence to DCS operator. DCS operators tend to have a belief that a particular mill is not
good. But it should be on facts & figures.
Such essential data should be made public unit-wise & mill-wise. The data on the hours lapsed
after the service should be correlated.

3. Testing and reporting unburnt carbon in ash

The report on unburnt

carbon in fly ash was
somewhat simple. It
was pointed out that the
coal & its FC/VM ratio
must appear in a
consolidated
report.
Comparison with past
performance
would
always help the plant
engineers to identify
any problem quickly. In
addition the fly ash
from ESP fields must be analyzed for % wt & combustibles in +75 m and -75m ash particles.
The report above, which was prepared with the help from lab personnel. There are +75m
particles in ash to an extent of 13%. The unburnt % is 31% in this part of ash. The overall
unburnt contribution by coarser ash is 40%. Reducing +75m particles would improve the
combustion. In fact, some of the -75m particles are generated out of fission of the +75m
particles. The -75m particles is to an extent of 87% and its LOI is 6.9%. It implies that the
combustion needs to be improved by methods discussed below.
A. The +75m particles are to be reduced by adjusting classifier setting. It was found that the
operating team was under the impression that the mill DP was to be controlled by the
classifier setting. It is true that the mill DP can be brought down by opening the classifier at
wide open condition. But it leads to compromise on efficiency. When the mill DP is brought

B.

C.
D.

E.

F.

down, coarser particles are transported to the furnace. When a mill is unable to deliver the
desired output, operator will tend to open the classifier.
The input coal size required for mill by design is 25 mm and below. This is to be corrected
first. The larger size particles, particularly harder particle will lift off the roll and pass coal in
to the rejects. Many experienced boiler / mill manufacturers recommend that the raw coal
size to mill should be - 25 mm. Ideal size is 19 mm and below. A pre-crusher should be
incorporated at the coal handling plant.
Fineness can be improved by adjustment of roller pressure.
Fineness can be improved by adjustment of the classifier vanes. The purpose of the classifier
vanes is to improve the fineness. If the mill is unable to deliver, the coal mill DP will
increase. Mill DP can be allowed to be more as long as the required PA flow is achieved.
In order to bring uniformity in mill fineness from all mills, the setting of the mill classifier
vanes must be made identical. We studied the optimum classifier position is 3 to 3.5. Keeping
the classifier vane position at 2 or 1 increases coarser particles percentage in coal going to
boiler.
Operators were advised to switch to setting of the classifier vanes to 3 immediately. See the
comparison of vane openings and angle for various settings. It can be seen that at position 12, the air will hit the vortex finder shell and create turbulence.

G. Operators inform that the mill condition is not good and it calls for adjustment of the
classifier vanes to permit coarse coal in order to meet the generation. This can be an illusion.
It is advised to display the mill service date & due date for service at the mill bay itself. It can
be as below. This can be displayed in the DCS hall as well.

Type of
service
Type A
Type B
Type C

Mill A
Serviced
on

Next
due on

Mill B
Serviced
on

Next
due on

Mill C
Serviced
on

Next
due on

Mill D
Serviced
on

Next
due on

4. Settings of secondary air dampers

The setting of secondary air dampers at field was reviewed. There were 5 dampers in closed
condition. The indication at the DCS was wrong. These were informed to C&I staff and were
corrected. Field signals need to be verified on regular basis.

5. Balancing of lines

Each mill outlet piping length differs as per the layout to different corners. Accordingly there will
be difference in PA flow. This will automatically create an unbalance in coal feeding to different
corners. For this purpose fixed diaphragms were provided by the boiler maker. The status of the
diaphragm dimensions was not available. Only visual inspections were made during type A & B
service. Only in type C service the diaphragms are replaced.
The balancing of lines in reality can be checked by collecting the samples for a fixed period of
time. This measurement was not possible in the present layout for two reasons. One reason was
that the sampling points were in the horizontal lines. Second reason was that the inaccessibility.

6. Tilting of burners
The tilting of burners has to be in unison. This was not so. We marked the burner tilt angles at the
locations & took photographs to show the plant engineers. The C& I team attended to this after it
was informed. The work was partly attended. There could be mechanical problem. The burner
nozzles may have undergone distortion. This had to be seen in the shutdown.

7. Rotating sampler

The present sampler system available for

coal line fineness measurement is fixed
type. This is suitable for vertical line
only. Rotating sampler as per ISO 9931
must be procured for representative
measurement of the fineness. The same
kit can be used for measuring the
unbalance in coal feeding.
The same sampler can be used for
checking the unbalance in coal flow
between the different lines. Such
unbalance study may be done once in six
months.
Pitot tube shall also be procured for
measuring the air velocity in the line.
This will give an idea about the air flow
unbalance. If the unbalance is very high,
we should go for adjustable orifice plates
in the future. Many plants are provided with adjustable orifice plates. This work is regularly done
by performance monitoring cell.

8. Checking of the feeder speed

The feeder speeds were locally checked by us and matched with indicated % at DCS. The
variable speed drives are perfect.
9. Checking of fuel feed rate between feeders

The coal feeders available at this plant were drag chain feeders. Present day practice is to have
belt weigh feeders in order to ensure that the feed rate between elevations does not vary.

The dam plate was found to be different from

original design.

The taper top part was removed in one feeder.

The above is the original design to set the feeder discharge capacity.

The drag chain feeders have been modified from the original design. The original design had an
arrangement for level control of the coal in the feeder. This was not there now. This could cause
fuel variations between feeders and thus between elevations.
It was advised to take a coal drop test and to set the bias suitable between the feeders so as to
deliver the same amount of coal.
The dam gate should be at same height for all feeders.
The dam gate should be sloped equally in all feeders to have uniform feed rate with all fuel
particles and fuel moisture levels. Generally SS plates do a good job. The slope should be at 30
deg to horizontal for better control. Bigger particles do not flow out easily at the gates. They roll

and try to take some time before leaving the dam gate. Sloped dam gates permit easy rolling of
the bigger particles. The hurdle will now become easy.
The present bunker at this plant was made of RCC. It
was learnt that the liner plates have all gone. It is a
must that the liners are placed inside. It shall be SS
liners. The liners should extend to 5 meters high
inside so that the arch tendency is removed.
The present discharge opening of the bunker was
about 1200 mm long. Not all the coal would get out
from this opening. Only at the leading end the coal
would come out. In remaining places, the coal would
remain stagnant.
We recommended that the coal inlet chute to any
feeder should be as shown in the figure. In this
arrangement the hydrostatic pressure from above
forces the coal to loosen and go in to the feeder. Thus
interruptions in coal feeding do not happen.
Using coal of 19 mm and below will help in uniform
feed rate as the flowability will be better with this size range. If necessary crusher has to be
added in the coal handling system.
The fuel feed rate variations between levels varied to a large extent. See table below. The lowest
rpm was about 75% of the max feeder rpm. Such large variations do not allow good combustion.

10. Selection of elevation of burners for normal operation

For longer residence time for combustion, one must aim at using the bottom level burners. This
gives more residence time for the char to burn up. In the above table, we could see highest firing
rate at the top level.
11. Air leakage in gas recirculation dampers
The gas recirculation fans were found to be rotating in the reverse direction. The casing
temperatures of the gas recirculation fans were found to be 180-190 deg C. There could be air
passing from furnace to airheater. This air has not taken part in combustion.
12. Fuel volatile matter (VM) and fixed carbon (FC)

The FC/VM on air dried basis provides an indication of carbon burn up possible. The current
coals are Russian coal and South African coal. Russian coals have 32.9% VM and burn well.
South African coals have 24.9% Volatile matter. The ash effect cannot be discounted. Fuels with
less ash always show up higher unburnt, as the ash is not available to dilute the unburnt. In
general power plant engineers focus simply on LOI and create a fuss. We need to worry how
much heat was lost in the ash.
13. Feeder Bias allowable to operator

It was observed that the feeder bias available to operator was to an extent of 20%. This
needed to be reduced. Many plants operate at a bias of 5%. Again DCS operators may have
opinion that the particular mill is not good. One wants to have more bias to have operational
flexibility. It is a conflict between efficiency & flexibility.
More the bias, more will be the PA flow. Automatically the efficiency will be lost. Problems
related to fuel flow interruptions or any other factor must be addressed.

14. Primary air to coal ratio

The optimum ratio of primary air to

coal is 1.8. Several consulting
companies have attempted to
optimize this and proved the
efficiency improvement. The primary
air flow did not follow even the
OEM recommendations. There was a
revision in the air flowmeter range in
2005. Then there was change of fuel
feeder drive from electromagnetic
coupling to variable frequency drive.
After these changes there had been
considerable increase in PA flow.
The logic of PA flow must be
changed.
Past records above show the PA flow
was much less as compared to
present day PA flow. Unit 2 was
operating at lesser PA flow based on
the data in Feb 2015 - same time last
year. The data were pulled out and
explained to operating staff.

15. Flue gas analysis -grid measurement

The flue gas sampling was done by us. The report is pictorially presented below. We observed

that there was no presence of CO in the flue gas. This was really great. The volatiles were
burning fully. This can be due to the tangential firing system. However the unburnt present in ash
was high. This now depends on the fineness, residence time, ash content and the FC/VM ratio.

CONCLUSION
There were several observations which had to be addressed in order to improve
the combustion. The engineers from the plant were taken back by some of the
observations we made. We explained the fact their routine job was not finding the
faults. It is the job of some agency internally or externally assigned to identify the
deviations and advise the O&M engineers periodically. Such an activity pays
back. Some plants have sufficient QC engineers with a focus to inspect the O&M
standards are adhered to.
K.K.Parthiban / www.venus-boiler.com / www.boilersparesindia.com / parthi2006@gmail.com