THERMAX BABCOCK & WILCOX LTD Project: Mawana Sugars

PUNE, INDIA.

BOILER PRESERVATION PROCEDURE

STORAGE OF INDUSTRIAL BOILER

Both the gas and water side of a boiler should be protected against corrosion
during out of service periods. It is known that many of the corrosion problems of
boiler and auxiliary equipment have their inception during storage. Rusting of
tube surfaces, as indicated by the formation of the red hematite (Fe2O3), not
only cause a roughened tube surface but also results in attack of parent metal.

The advantages of efficient feed water and boiler water treatment during
operation may be lost if the same diligence is not applied to protect heat.
Transfer surfaces during idle periods. Protection from corrosion during storage
becomes vitally important considering the number of times during the life of a
boiler when it and its auxiliary equipment are idle.

To minimize the possibility of corrosion, boiler to be placed into storage must be

carefully prepared for the idle period and closely watched during the outage.
There are two methods available for storing the unit dry storage and wet storage.
Although the wet storage procedures is preferred such factors as availability of
good quality water, ambient weather conditions, length of storage period,
auxiliary supply of heat, etc may dictate that the dry storage procedure is more
practical.

DEFINITIONS OF WATER QUALITY:

Some cleaning procedures, hydrostatic testing and storage require water of

higher quality than others. For the purpose of economy and convenience the
lowest water quality consistent with requirements is specified in these various
procedures. The terms that identify the different water qualities along with their
definitions are list below:

Station service water - Water normally used for drinking, fire protection, etc.

Softened water - Filtered, sodium zeolite softened water with total hardness less
than 1 ppm.

Two- bed, de-mineralised water - Water that has been passed through cation
and anion, ion exchanges in series.

Mixed bed de-mineralised water - Water that has been passed through a mixed
bed de-mineraliser. Water from an evaporator is considered to be of equal
quality.

Treated de-mineralised water - Mixed bed de-mineralised water that has 200
ppm of hydrazine and enough pH builder added to give final concentration of pH

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 THERMAX BABCOCK & WILCOX LTD Project: Mawana Sugars
PUNE, INDIA.

10. In this procedure, condensate is considered to be treated demineralised

water.

DRY STORAGE:

When it is known that a boiler is to be idle for a considerable length of time and
that a brief period will be allowed for preparation to return it to service, the dry
storage method is recommended. In this method the unit is emptied, thoroughly
cleaned internally and externally dried, and then closed up tight to exclude both
moisture and air. Trays of silica gel, or other moisture absorbent may be placed
in the drums to draw off the moisture in the air trapped by the closing up of the
boiler.

The following general procedure is recommended when placing a unit into dry
storage.

Step-1
Fire the boiler according to the normal start-up procedure and establish 3 to
2
4kg/cm (g) drum pressure and stop the firing. Secure the boiler and when the
pressure drops to 1.5 kg/cm2(g) immediately drain the boiler and headers under
air. As soon as possible, open the drums to allow air to circulate for drying of all
internal surfaces.

This step is included for a unit that has been in service and is to be placed into
storage. For a unit that has never been in service, start with Step 2.

Step-2
If the unit is full of water and cold, drain the unit under air. All non-drainable boiler
tubes and superheater tubes should be blown with compressed air. If an external
source of heat is available such as a steam coil air heater, portable heaters, etc.,
operate these heaters to assist in drying the internal boiler surfaces.

Install trays (of non-porous construction and capable of passing through the drum
man way) containing the moisture absorbent (silica gel is preferred) into the
drums. Insert the trays into the drum being certain that none of the absorbent
comes into contact with the metal surface of the drum. To insure against an
overflow of corrosive liquid after the moisture has been absorbed, the trays
should not be more than ½ full of dry absorbent. The amount of absorbent can
vary but the recommended minimum is 1kg of absorbent per 1000 kgs per hour
steam flow capacity of the unit.

Step-3
Attach a source of nitrogen to the steam drum vent, close all other vents and
drains and pressurize the boiler to 0.3 to 0.6 kg/cm 2(g) with nitrogen. The amount
of nitrogen required will vary according to the volume of the unit.

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 THERMAX BABCOCK & WILCOX LTD Project: Mawana Sugars
PUNE, INDIA.

Step-4
With the boiler and superheater pressurized, alternately open all boiler drains
(including superheater) to purge air from the unit until pressure decays to zero. It
may be necessary to repeat this process several times to reduce the amount of
oxygen left in the unit to a minimum.

The unit should now be stored under 0.3 to 0.6 kg/cm 2(g)nitrogen pressure
maintained at the steam drum. To maintain the nitrogen pressure, all connections
and valves should be blanked or tightly closed. Check gas pressure daily to
ensure protection.

We would recommend that periodic inspection of the unit be performed every 3

months to assure that no corrosive action is taking place and to replenish the
absorbent as required. Since air will enter the unit during this inspection, it will be
necessary to repeat Steps 3 & 4 to expel the air.

CAUTION:
THE UNIT SHOULD BE PROPERLY TAGGED AND THE APPROPRIATE
WARNING SIGNS ATTACHED NOTING THAT THE BOILER IS STORED
UNDER NITROGEN PRESSURE AND THAT COMPLETE EXHAUSTION OF
THE NITROGEN MUST OCCUR BEFORE ANYONE ENTERS THE DRUM.
BEFORE ENTERING DRUMS TEST TO PROVE THAT THE OXYGEN
CONCENTRATION IS AT LEAST 19.5%.

The above procedure is intended to include the economizer and superheater.

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 THERMAX BABCOCK & WILCOX LTD Project: Mawana Sugars
PUNE, INDIA.

WET STORAGE

The advantage of employing the wet storage procedure is that the unit is stored
completely wet with the recommended levels of chemicals to eliminate a wet-dry
interface where possible corrosion can occur. It is suggested that volatile
chemicals be used to avoid increasing the level of dissolved solids in the water to
be used for storage.

In preparing a unit for wet storage, the following procedure is recommended.

1. The unit should be filled with deaerated, de-mineralized water treated with
200 ppm hydrazine (N2 H4) for oxygen removal and a pH of 10.

2. We strongly recommend pre-mixing of the chemicals (to maintain the pH

and Hydrazine concentration) with the water to insure a uniform mixture
entering the boiler. This can be accomplished by the blend-fill method.
The blend-fill method consists of blending the chemicals with the de-
mineralized water at a continuous rate such that a uniform mixture is
entering the boiler. Simply introducing the chemicals through the drum
man head after establishing water level will not insure adequate dispersion
of chemicals to all internal surfaces, unless sufficient heat is delivered to
the furnace (i.e. firing the boiler) to induce natural circulation throughout
the boiler.

3. Fill the unit with the treated de-mineralized water to the normal centerline
of the steam drum. Stop filling further.

4. Back-fill the superheater with treated de-mineralized water until a rise in

steam drum level is noted. Continue filling until water exits from the steam
drum vents. After filling, all connections should be blanked or tightly
closed.

A source of low-pressure nitrogen should be connected at the steam drum,

maintain 0.3 to 0.6 kg/cm2(g), to prevent air from entering the unit during the
storage period.

CAUTION: THE UNIT SHOULD BE PROPERLY TAGGED AND THE

APPROPRIATE WARNING SIGNS ATTACHED NOTING THAT THE BOILER
IS STORED UNDER NITROGEN PRESSURE AND THAT COMPLETE
EXHAUSTION OF THE NITROGEN MUST OCCUR BEFORE ANYONE
ENTERS THE DRUM. BEFORE ENTERING DRUMS TEST TO PROVE THAT
THE OXYGEN CONCENTRATION IS AT LEAST 19.5%.

5. If storage continues into winter, ambient temperatures below the freezing

point of water create a real hazard to the boiler pressure parts and it will

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be necessary to provide a means of keeping the unit warm to avoid

damage.

6. At some later date when the unit is to be placed into service, the boiler can
be drained to normal start-up water level and placed into operation.

7. In some cases, an expansion tank or surge tank (such as a 55-gallon

drum) above the steam drum or superheater elevation may be required to
accommodate volume changes due to temperature changes. This tank is
equipped with a tight cover and sight glass and contains properly treated
water. The tank should be connected to an available opening, such as a
vent line at the top of the steam drum in order to create a hydrostatic
head. This tank will provide a ready, visual check of water level or in
leakage during lay up.

A source of low-pressure nitrogen should be connected to the surge tank

to maintain 0.3 to 0.6kg/cm2(g) to prevent air from entering the unit during
the storage period.

8. The treated de-mineralized water should be analyzed weekly, and when

necessary, sufficient chemicals should be added through the chemical
feed line, to establish the proper levels recommended. Samples of the
treated water can be taken at the continuous blow down line or any
suitable drain connection.

9. No unit should be stored wet when there is any possibility of a

temperature drop to the freezing point unless sufficient heat can be
provided to the unit to eliminate the danger of water freezing and
subsequent damage to pressure parts.

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 THERMAX BABCOCK & WILCOX LTD Project: Mawana Sugars
PUNE, INDIA.

NITROGEN BLANKET

Nitrogen should be introduced through a “T” fitting or one vent (or drain) at each
of the following locations:

1. Drum vents.
2. Superheater outlet header connection.

The “T” fitting is to be installed between the pipe (or header) and the vent (or
drain) valve. The nitrogen inlet to the “T” should include a stop valve identical to
the vent (or drain) valve. The stop valve and “T” fitting should be a permanent
addition to the location listed.

The nitrogen required to seal the drainable components may be supplied from a
permanent nitrogen system or portable tanks located near the vent elevations.
Due to differences in plant layout, the owner should choose his own method of
piping the nitrogen, either from their permanent system or from portable tanks, to
the vent (or drain) locations listed.

CAUTION:
THE UNIT SHOULD BE PROPERLY TAGGED AND THE APPROPRIATE
WARNING SIGNS ATTACHED NOTING THAT THE BOILER IS IS STORED
UNDER NITROGEN PRESSURE AND THAT COMPLETE EXHAUSTION OF
THE NITROGEN MUST OCCUR BEFORE ANYONE ENTERS THE DRUM.
BEFORE ENTERING DRUMS TEST TO PROVE THAT THE OXYGEN
CONCENTRATION IS AT LEAST 19.5%.

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 THERMAX BABCOCK & WILCOX LTD Project: Mawana Sugars
PUNE, INDIA.

BOILER LAY UP PROCEDURES

TYPE OF SHUTDOWN PROCEDURE

SHORT OUTAGES Maintain the same hydrazine and ammonia
concentration as present during normal
4 DAYS OR LESS. UNIT NOT operation.
DRAINED Establish 0.3 to 0.6 kg/cm2G nitrogen cap on
the steam drum
SHORT OUTAGES Drain and open only those sections require
repair.
4 DAYS OR LESS. UNIT IS DRAINED Isolate remainder of the unit under 0.3 to 0.6
kg/cm2(g) nitrogen pressure where possible.
Maintain the same nitrogen and ammonia
concentration for water remaining in the cycle
LONG OUTAGES Fill the boiler with Treated D.M water having
200 ppm of hydrazine concentration and pH 10.
LONGER THAN 4 DAYS UPTO 15
DAYS. UNIT IS DRAINED Establish nitrogen cap of 0.3 to 0.6 kg/cm 2(g)
over the steam drum.
LONG OUTAGES Dry storage of boiler with nitrogen alone is
preferred procedure. Nitrogen cap of 0.3 to 0.6
MORE THAN 15 DAYS - UNIT IS kg/cm2 (g) to be maintained on the steam drum.
DRAINED. Installed silica gel tray in the steam drum to
soak moisture if any present in the drum
atmosphere.

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