Engineering Encyclopedia

Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards

Typical Boiler Problems,

Probable Causes And Solutions

Note: The source of the technical material in this volume is the Professional
Engineering Development Program (PEDP) of Engineering Services.
Warning: The material contained in this document was developed for Saudi
Aramco and is intended for the exclusive use of Saudi Aramco’s employees.
Any material contained in this document which is not already in the public
domain may not be copied, reproduced, sold, given, or disclosed to third
parties, or otherwise used in whole, or in part, without the written permission
of the Vice President, Engineering Services, Saudi Aramco.

Chapter : Instrumentations For additional information on this subject, contact

File Reference: PCI20108 J.L. Sprague
Engineering Encyclopedia Instrumentations
Typical Boiler Problem
Probable Causes And Solution

Contents Pages

INFORMATION .................................................................................................................. 1

INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................ 1

COMMON COMBUSTION SYSTEM PROBLEMS AND TYPICAL SOLUTIONS........... 2

Flame Scanners ......................................................................................................... 2
Alignment ...................................................................................................... 2
Purging.......................................................................................................... 2
Vibration ....................................................................................................... 2
Flame Rod Sensitivity .................................................................................... 2
Ignitors ..................................................................................................................... 3
Tips Burning Off............................................................................................ 3
Plugging ........................................................................................................ 3
Burners ..................................................................................................................... 3
Setup ............................................................................................................. 3
COMMON AIR SYSTEM PROBLEMS AND TYPICAL SOLUTIONS.............................. 4
Damper ..................................................................................................................... 4
Sticking ......................................................................................................... 4
Slippage in the Mechanical Linkage................................................................ 4
Nonlinear Flow .............................................................................................. 4
Damper Drive Unit Calibration....................................................................... 4
Combustion Air Flow Measurement .......................................................................... 4
Water in Lines ............................................................................................... 5
Incorrect Installation...................................................................................... 5
Plugged Lines ................................................................................................ 5
Nonlinear Flow .............................................................................................. 5
Stack O2 Analyzer Maintenance ................................................................................ 5
Placement ...................................................................................................... 5
Plugged Lines ................................................................................................ 5
In-situ............................................................................................................ 5
Tramp Air in Boiler........................................................................................ 6
COMMON FEEDWATER SYSTEM PROBLEMS AND TYPICAL SOLUTIONS............. 7

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Engineering Encyclopedia Instrumentations
Typical Boiler Problem
Probable Causes And Solution

Level Measurement ................................................................................................... 7

Lack of Pressure Compensation ..................................................................... 7
Incorrect Piping ............................................................................................. 7
Air in Lines.................................................................................................... 7
Insulation on Lines......................................................................................... 7
Transmitter Calibration .................................................................................. 7
Deaerator Pressure–(Cavitation Across Boiler Feedwater Pumps) ............................. 7
Eroding Boiler Feedwater Valves .............................................................................. 8
PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH OPERATING AT MINIMAL LOADS WHILE IN
AUTOMATIC ...................................................................................................................... 9
Inaccurate Flow Measurements ................................................................................. 9
Air, Fuel, Feedwater, Steam........................................................................... 9
Low Steam Temperature ........................................................................................... 9
High Oxygen Content................................................................................................ 9
Tuning Adjustments .................................................................................................. 9
GLOSSARY........................................................................................................................10

Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards

Engineering Encyclopedia Instrumentations
Typical Boiler Problem
Probable Causes And Solution

INFORMATION

INTRODUCTION

This module provides an overview of problems that typically occur in the operation of boilers and
of the causes of and solutions to these problems. Specifically, this module discusses problems
associated with the following boiler systems and operational conditions:
• Common System
• Air System
• Feedwater System
• Operating at minimal loads while in automatic.

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Engineering Encyclopedia Instrumentations
Typical Boiler Problem
Probable Causes And Solution

COMMON COMBUSTION SYSTEM PROBLEMS AND TYPICAL SOLUTIONS

Common problems associated with Flame scanners, Ignitors, and burners affect the performance
of the combustion control system.

Flame Scanners

Alignment

Flame sensors must be aligned to detect the burner flame. If the flame scanners are not aligned, a
reliable, repeatable signal will not be detected. The causes of poorly aligned flame scanners are
bad installation or vibration. The solution to the problem of poorly aligned flame scanners is to
test for proper alignment.

Purging

If purging is not done to the flame detector glass, the glass will get dirty and the flame light will
not be detected. The cause of poor purging is insufficient air flow to keep the dirt away from the
glass. To keep the flame detector glass clean, a purge air supply is blown into the flame detector
mounting tube to blow soot, smoke, and oil away from the flame detector face.

Vibration

Excessive vibration results in damaged equipment, decreased operating efficiency, increased

operating cost, and inaccurate measurements. The electronics should be kept from vibrating to
ensure that they do not fall apart nor deteriorate. All sources of vibration should be eliminated.

Flame Rod Sensitivity

Carbon deposits on the flame rods can cause high resistance and blocking conduction. More
seriously, any leakage can cause current flow and fool the flame safeguard circuitry. Unless
precautions are taken, a short circuit caused by faulty insulation can simulate the presence of a
flame. The rods require frequent cleaning and become brittle. They cannot detect reliably when
fuels high in sulfur are burned, because the flames have a low resistance. The low flame-rod
current may result in nuisance shutdowns.

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Engineering Encyclopedia Instrumentations
Typical Boiler Problem
Probable Causes And Solution

Ignitors

Tips Burning Off

If ignitor tips burn off, there will be a poor distribution and the flame may not be able to be lit.
Ignitor tips may burn off if there is not enough air flow (minimum air) needed to keep the ignitor
cool. Burning off ignitor tips can be avoided through the installation of ignitor tips in the right
area and through proper positioning of these tips. Specifically, ignitor tips must not be installed
too close to the flame, and they must have sufficient air flow to assure proper cooling.

Plugging

If ignitors become plugged, there may not be enough flow and the burner will not light. Ignitors
can become plugged with improperly strained oil, therefore, causing no flame or the inability to
light the flame. Soot buildup can also plug the ignitors. If ignitors become plugged, they must be
removed and replaced.

Burners

Setup

If burners are not setup properly, there will be poor flame qualities of either incomplete
combustion or too much excess air. To set up the burners air registers must be adjusted to get
proper turbulence and velocity of air flow. Minimum fuel pressure must be set for proper
combustion at minimum flow. During burner setup, the burner is tested throughout the full load
range of the boiler and adjusted to get good, stable flame.

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Engineering Encyclopedia Instrumentations
Typical Boiler Problem
Probable Causes And Solution

COMMON AIR SYSTEM PROBLEMS AND TYPICAL SOLUTIONS

Common problems associated with the damper, the combustion air flow measurement, and the
stack O2 analyzer affect the performance of the air system.

Damper

Sticking

The problem caused by sticking dampers is that air flow cannot be controlled over the full range
of the boiler. Causes of sticking include dirty and/or broken dampers. Dampers must be properly
calibrated, adjusted, and arranged to avoid sticking.

Slippage in the Mechanical Linkage

The problem causes by slippage in the mechanical linkage is a lack of repeatability. The cause of
the slippage is periodic wear. Linkage should be tightened and checked periodically for wear.
Pins, bearings, and joints should be replaced when they become worn.

Nonlinear Flow

Damper nonlinear flow causes poor air flow control. Causes of nonlinear flow are the damper
linkages are not linearized and the inherent characteristics of the damper. Damper characterization
is used to correct for nonlinear flow. Damper characterization includes: A) Mechanical
characterization by arranging linkages to linearize the relationship of control signal versus flow or
by cutting mechanical cams of the drive positioner and B) Electronic characterization through
distributed control system output characterization.

Damper Drive Unit Calibration

If the damper drive unit is not calibrated, air flow cannot be controlled over the full range of the
boiler. The cause of poor calibration is that the drive unit was not calibrated correctly. The
damper drive unit should be kept calibrated to ensure accurate and full control range of the
damper.

Combustion Air Flow Measurement

Water in the air lines, incorrect air line installation, plugged air lines, and nonlinear flow all can
cause improper combustion air flow measurements, which will affect the combustion control
system behavior.

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Engineering Encyclopedia Instrumentations
Typical Boiler Problem
Probable Causes And Solution

Water in Lines

Water in the air lines can cause errors in air flow measurements. During periodic calibration and
maintenance, any water in the air lines should be drained.

Incorrect Installation

Air lines should be sloped away from the transmitter toward the process so that any accumulated
moisture does not drain back to the point of measurement.

Plugged Lines

Plugged lines occur when dirt accumulates in the lines. Plugged lines should be cleaned
periodically of accumulated dirt.

Nonlinear Flow

The cause of nonlinear flow is that the measurement device does not produce a linear signal.
Nonlinear flow causes measurement errors. All air flow measurement devices should be checked
for nonlinearity and verified at operating conditions.

Stack O2 Analyzer Maintenance

Improper O2 analyzer placement, plugged lines, in-situ, and tramp air in the boiler all can cause
the boiler to burn inefficiently. To optimize for complete combustion, an accurate O2
measurement is needed.

Placement

The stack O2 analyzer should be placed as close to the firing range as possible, but should be
within the temperature limits of the probe. Typically, the O2 analyzer is installed after the
economizer, but before the air heater. The O2 analyzer should be placed in a nonstagnant portion
of the flow stream.

Plugged Lines

Plugged lines occur when dirt accumulates in the lines. Plugged lines should be cleaned
periodically of accumulated dirt.

In-situ

A problem with in-situ type analyzers is that the element could fail and has a limited life
expectancy. The failed element must be replaced or there must be redundant elements.

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Engineering Encyclopedia Instrumentations
Typical Boiler Problem
Probable Causes And Solution

Tramp Air in Boiler

Tramp air in the boiler can cause incorrect O2 analyzer readings. Air gets into the boiler because
of air leaks downstream of the firing zone. To fix this problem, the probe must be properly placed
and any air leaks must be fixed.

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Engineering Encyclopedia Instrumentations
Typical Boiler Problem
Probable Causes And Solution

COMMON FEEDWATER SYSTEM PROBLEMS AND TYPICAL SOLUTIONS

Common problems associated with the level measurement, deaerator pressure, and eroding boiler
feedwater valves affect the performance of the feedwater system.

Level Measurement

The problem is lack of pressure compensation, incorrect piping, air in the lines, leakage, insulation
on the lines, poor alignment with sight glass of chamber elevation, or improper transmitter
calibration may all cause inaccurate level indication.

Lack of Pressure Compensation

Lack of pressure compensation causes level measurement error. Level measurement must be
compensated for changes in pressure and temperature.

Incorrect Piping

Incorrect piping will cause air to be trapped in the piping and a measurement error will occur.
Piping must be sloped away from the tank to avoid an air trapping error. Transmitters must be
mounted below the location of the tapping point/line.

Air in Lines

Air in the feedwater impulse lines causes measurement errors. Proper installation of piping will
eliminate potential air in the lines.

Insulation on Lines

Sensing lines should be at ambient temperature and should not, therefore, be insulated. If the
sensing lines are insulated, temperature excursions can occur in the lines themselves.

Transmitter Calibration

Level transmitters should be calibrated to assure correct level measurement. If the level
transmitter is not properly calibrated, the boiler can be operating at the wrong level. Operation at
the wrong level can cause carry-over or a too low level, which can burn up the boiler.

Deaerator Pressure–(Cavitation Across Boiler Feedwater Pumps)

An overly low head can cause cavitation across a boiler feed pump. If the pressure at the suction
side to the pump is too low, there will not be enough pressure to cause feedwater flow. To fix this
problem, proper deaerator level and pressure must be maintained.

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Engineering Encyclopedia Instrumentations
Typical Boiler Problem
Probable Causes And Solution

Eroding Boiler Feedwater Valves

High delta-p across the valve seats can be caused by sustained operation at a very small opening
of the feedwater valves. High delta-p across the valve seats can reduce the ability to turn down
the valve because of poor sealing of the valve seat and plug due to erosion damage. This can
cause the inability to have control across low ranges. To avoid this problem, feedwater valves
should not be allowed to operate at minimum loads for long periods of time.

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Engineering Encyclopedia Instrumentations
Typical Boiler Problem
Probable Causes And Solution

PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH OPERATING AT MINIMAL LOADS WHILE IN

AUTOMATIC

Typically boilers are not designed to operate at very low loads (less than 30%), therefore,
problems may occur.

Inaccurate Flow Measurements

Inaccurate flow measurements may occur for air, fuel, feedwater, and steam.

Air, Fuel, Feedwater, Steam

One problem that causes inaccurate flow measurements is the nonlinearity of delta-p signals
attributed to large error in flows at low operating ranges or low loads (low delta-p's). Another
problem is, flow measurements may start to deviate from flow element design temperature and
pressure. To fix the problems that cause inaccurate flow measurements, operate at higher
minimum delta-p's and employ pressure and temperature compensation.

Low Steam Temperature

A problem occurs because design steam temperatures are not obtained at minimum load. Poor
steam temperature can degrade the process efficiency. To solve this problem, keep steam loads
above minimum designated minimum load.

High Oxygen Content

The problem of high oxygen content (i.e., high excess air) includes high stack temperature, and
decreased efficiency. Care must be taken to keep oxygen content at a minimum to maintain steam
temperature.

Tuning Adjustments

Significant nonlinearity of control elements that occurs at low loads requires different tuning
settings than at normal operating conditions. This can be accomplished with sophisticated on-line
tuning programs.

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Typical Boiler Problem
Probable Causes And Solution

GLOSSARY
burner A device or group of devices for the introduction of fuel
and air into a furnace at the required velocities, turbulence,
concentration to maintain ignition and combustion of the
fuel within the furnace.
burner management system The Burner Management System supervises the admission
of fuel and air into a boiler and provides all the on/off
control and monitoring necessary for the start-up, running,
and shutdown of a fuel supply system.
explosive mixture A combustible mixture in a confined space.
FSS Flame Safety Shutdown.
flame The visible or other physical evidence of the chemical
process of rapidly converting fuel and air into products of
combustion.
flame detector A device that senses the presence or absence of flame and
provides an audible signal.
fuel trip The automatic shutoff of a specific fuel as a result of an
interlock action.
fuel-rich A ratio of air to fuel supplied to a furnace that provides less
than the minimum excess air required for optimum
combustion of the fuel.
Ignitor A device that provides ignition energy to immediately
lightoff the main burner.
Ignitor, Continuous (Class 1) An Ignitor applied to ignite the fuel input through the
burner and to support ignition under any burner lightoff or
operating conditions. Its location and capacity are such that
it will provide sufficient ignition energy (generally in excess
of 10 percent of full load burner input) as its associated
burner to raise any credible combination of burner inputs of
both fuel and air above the minimum ignition temperature.
Ignitor, Intermittent (Class 2) An Ignitor applied to ignite the fuel input through the
burner under prescribed lightoff conditions. It is also used
to support ignition under low load or certain adverse
operating conditions. The range of capacity of intermittent
ignitors is generally 4 percent to 10 percent of full load
burner fuel input. It will not be used to ignite main fuel
under controlled or abnormal conditions. The burner will be
operated under controlled conditions to limit the potential
for abnormal operation, as well as to limit the charge of
fuel to the furnace in the event that ignition does not occur
during lightoff. Class 2 Ignitors may be operated as Class 3
Ignitors.

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Typical Boiler Problem
Probable Causes And Solution

Ignitor, Intermittent (Class 3) A small Ignitor applied particularly to gas and oil burners to
ignite the fuel input to the burner under prescribed lightoff
conditions. The capacity of such Ignitors generally does not
exceed 4 percent of the full load burner fuel input. As a
part of the burner lightoff procedure, the Ignitor is turned
off when the timed trial for ignition of the main burner has
expired. This is to ensure that the main flame is self-
supporting, is stable, and is not dependent upon ignition
support from the Ignitor.
interlock A device or group of devices arranged to sense a limit or
off-limit condition or improve sequence of events and to
shut down the offending or related piece of equipment, or
to prevent proceeding in an improper sequence in order to
avoid a hazardous condition.
light-off To establish combustion of fuel entering the furnace.
logic system The decision making and translation elements of the burner
management system.
master fuel trip A device for rapid automatic shutoff of all fuel, including
Ignitors. This device will have provision for both manual
and automatic.
monitor To sense and indicate a condition without initiating
automatic corrective action.
NFPA National Fire Protection Association.
purge A flow of air through the furnace, boiler gas passages and
associated flues and ducts that will effectively remove any
gaseous combustibles and replace with air. Purging can also
be accomplished by an inert medium.
SAES Saudi Aramco Engineering Standard.
safety trip valve A fast-closing valve that automatically and completely
shuts off the fuel supply to main burners or Ignitors in
response to the master flame detector or other actuating
devices.
shutdown Normal. Stopping burner operation by shutting off all fuel
and ignition energy to the furnace.
Safety. Stopping burner operation by shutting off all fuel
and ignition energy to the furnace by means of a safety
interlock or interlocks and requiring a manual restart.

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