BOILER SURVEY

Guide Notes for Boiler Survey

Boiler Surveys (Including Thermal Oil Heaters)
General
A complete boiler survey allows us to check out if any build-up of deposits
has taken place, and deformations or wastage of plate work, piping or any of
the various parts, which may compromise the sale working order of the unit.
The survey should include research as to cause of any anomalies found and also
their correction.

Any repair will have to ensure the sale working order of the boiler until the
next survey.
A complete survey means a lull internal and external examination of all parts
of the boiler and accessories such as super heater, economizer, air-heater
internal organs and all mountings. This examination may lead the Surveyor to
require thickness gauging of plate or tubes that appear to be wasted and
eventually to a lower assigned working pressure, if calculations prove this
necessary.

Collision chocks, rolling stays and boiler stools are to be examined. The oil
fuel burning system is to be examined under working conditions and safely
devices are to be checked, including any automatic burner light-up sequence to
verify purging of the furnace prior to lighting burners. A general examination

is to be made of fuel tank valves, pipes etc. and fuel pipes between pumps and
burners.
Safety valves are to be adjusted to a pressure not greater than 105 % of
design pressure.
Water-tube boilers

Typical survey plan

The main points to remember are:

At superheat temperatures > 400 C special steels and more advanced

welding techniques will be involved.

Check drawings of unfamiliar designs of boiler to correctly plan the

survey.

Steam drum and tubes Pitting, fit of manhole door

Short-circuiting, erosion in

re:

headers. Weld fractures.

Overheating, leakage.
Distortion of tubes, bulging of
tubes. Condition of baffles
Refractory.
Pitting fit of manhole door.

Typical survey plan

Boiler should be thoroughly cleaned and prepared for survey.

Furnaces
Combustion Chambers
Tubes
Shell Internal
Shell External

Overheating and subsequent

distortion
Overheating and distortion of
crown.
Leaking tubes and stays.
Thinning at ends, repeated
expansion.
Wastage, grooving
Wastage, in way of leaking
mountings.

Cochran type boiler

The main points lo remember for these varied designs are similar to the
foregoing:
Wastage, lire and water side.

Deformations due to overheating.

Leaking lubes.

Wastage externally due lo leaking mountings, manholes and handholds.

Hydraulic testing
Following major repairs or as required by the Surveyor hydraulic testing may
be required.

Hydraulic test of boilers in service

P = Working pressure in bars.

Before
12th year
After
12th year

1.25 P if P < 40
1.2 P + 2 if P > 40
1.15 P whatever P
value

Typical safety valve designs

Pressure tightness tests at working pressure may also be carried out after
small maintenance jobs such as part re-tubing, renewal of rivets or extensive
caulking of seams or rivets, welding of small cracked areas.
Plugging of Boiler Tubes
Water tube boilers
Screen tubes - These are the first rows of tubes and are exposed directly to
the flame, they are gene rally very closely slacked lo afford protection to
the super-heater elements which lie behind.
Wale wall tubes - these are subject to the same defects as screen tubes, but
more sensitive to poor circulation, particularly roof tubes.

Any tubes found plugged or (bulged) should be renewed.

Main steam generating lube bank - a maximum of 10 % of the tubes may be

accepted plugged before renewals are required.
Note: In all cases of boiler problems it is important to ascertain the cause
of damage (flame impingement, lack of boiler water treatment etc.) and take
remedial action.

Smoke tube boilers

Any tubes found plugged should be renewed.
Tubes with excessive thinning at the ends because of repeated rolling or
showing signs of movement should be renewed.
The makers instructions should be consulted where available.