Paper EM2 – Energy Manager – Set B Solutions

NATIONAL CERTIFICATION EXAMINATION, 2004

FOR
ENERGY MANAGERS

PAPER – EM2: Energy Efficiency in Thermal Utilities

Date: 22.05.2004 Timings: 1400 - 1700 HRS Duration: 3 HRS Max. Marks: 150

General instructions:
o Please check that this question paper contains 6 printed pages
o Please check that this question paper contains 65 questions
o The question paper is divided into three sections
o All questions in all three sections are compulsory
o All parts of a question should be answered at one place

Section – I: OBJECTIVE TYPE Marks: 50 x 1 = 50

(i) Answer all 50 questions

(ii) Each question carries one mark
(iii) Put a () tick mark in the appropriate box in the answer book

1. Excess air can be derived by measuring percentage of …. in the flue gas

a) O2 b) N2 c) CO d) CH4
2. Which of the following fuel requires the least amount of excess air for complete
combustion?

a) Natural Gas b) LDO c) Coal d) Furnace oil

3. Natural Gas consists mainly of the following

a) Methane b) Butane c) Hexane d) Propane

4. Suitable atomizing viscosity of furnace oil (100 Redwood seconds-1) for use in
LAP/MAP burners requires a preheating temperature of about

a) 90oC b) 105oC c) 120oC d) 130oC

5. Stoichiometric air to fuel ratio for furnace oil is about

a) 20 b) 10 c) 21 d) 14
6. Element in fuel oil responsible for corrosion is

a) Carbon b) Hydrogen c) Sulphur d) Chlorine

7. A system in which the boiler is operated with both FD and ID fans is called

a) natural draft b) forced draft c) induced draft d) balanced draft

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 Paper EM2 – Energy Manager – Set B Solutions

8. Steam generation in a boiler is 72 tonnes in 3 hours. The fuel consumption in the

same period is 2 tonnes per hour. The evaporation ratio is

a) 12 b) 36 c) 24 d) 18
9. Boiler economizer is used to extract heat from flue gases for preheating

a) fuel oil b) air for combustion of fuel c) feed water d) blow down
10. The limiting temperature to which the flue gases can be cooled is influenced by
percentage of

a) volatile matter of fuel b) hydrogen in fuel

c) sulphur in fuel d) ash in fuel
11 An IBR steam boiler means any closed vessel exceeding ……… litres in capacity
and which is expressively used for generating steam under pressure.

a) 18.75 b) 20.75 c) 22.75 d) 24.75

12. Turn down ratio of a burner is the ratio of

a) maximum and minimum fuel input without affecting optimum excess air
levels
b) minimum and maximum fuel input
c) maximum and average fuel input
d) average and minimum fuel input
13. The heat necessary to change liquid water at boiling temperature to saturated steam
is called

a) sensible heat b) specific heat c) latent heat b) superheat

14. Which steam trap is temperature actuated?

a) mechanical trap b) thermostatic trap

c) orifice type d) none of the above
15. Heat loss through openings in furnaces is directly proportional to

a) fourth power of furnace temperature b) square of absolute furnace temperature

c) fourth power of absolute furnace temperature
d) absolute furnace temperature
16. Outer surface losses of a furnace do not depend on which of the following

a) temperature of external wall surfaces b) furnace draft

c) temperature around the furnace d) emissivity of external wall surfaces
17. Maximum heat transfer to the stock in a reheating furnace is by

a) radiation b) conduction c) convection d) none of the above

18. Which of the following influences energy savings by ceramic coatings in furnaces

a) conductivity b) convective heat transfer coefficient

c) emissivity d) none of the above

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 Paper EM2 – Energy Manager – Set B Solutions

19. Which of the following is the most important property of an insulating brick with
respect to energy savings?

a) porosity b) mechanical strength

c) colour d) compactness
20. Low combustion temperature in FBC boiler results in reduced formation of

a) SOx b) NOx c) CO2 d) CO

21. The function of lime stone used as bed material in FBC boilers is to remove

a) ash b) carbon c) sulphur d) unburnt

22. A major advantage of PFBC boilers over conventional pulverised coal fired boilers is

a) low excess air b) compactness in size

c) low radiation loss d) less ash removal
23. A cycle which generates electricity or mechanical power first is called

a) bottoming cycle b) topping cycle c) combined cycle d) cogeneration

24. Which of the following industries may not be ideal for cogeneration

a) Foundry b) Paper c) Refinery d) Fertilizer

25. What average rise in temperature of combustion air results in about 1 per cent
increase in the efficiency of an oil fired boiler.

a) 10oC b) 20oC c) 30oC d) 40oC

26. The ideal heat recovery device for very high temperature gases is

a) plate heat exchanger b) heat pipe

c) regenerator d) thermocompressor
27. Water hammer in a steam pipe line system is caused by

a) long steam pipe b) collection of condensate in pipe work

c) sudden closure of governor valve d) sudden variation of steam pressure
28. Heat required to change the liquid phase of water at boiling point to saturated steam
at the same pressure is called

a) sensible heat b) super heat c) latent heat d) specific heat

29. As the pressure of water increases from 1kg/cm 2 to 8 kg/cm2, the values of enthalpy
of steam and enthalpy of evaporation respectively

a) increases & remains the same b) increases & decreases

c) decreases & increases d) decreases & remains the same
30. The axis of the burner in a furnace should be kept

a) slightly inclined towards the roof b) slightly inclined towards the stock
c) parallel to stock d) none of the above

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 Paper EM2 – Energy Manager – Set B Solutions

31. Instrument used for measuring billet surface temperature in a reheating furnace is

a) infrared pyrometer b) Pt/Pt-Rh thermocouple with indicator

c) thermograph d) chrome alumnel thermocouple with indicator
32. Supply of large amounts of excess air to a furnace burner above its optimum value

a) increases both furnace temperature and flue gas losses

b) decreases furnace temperature and increases flue gas losses
c) increases furnace temperature and decreases flue gas losses
d) decreases both furnace temperature and flue gas losses
33. The best insulation for a batch type furnace is

a) ceramic coating b) ceramic fibre c) rock wool d) glass wool

34. The most common refractory used in furnaces is

a) zirconia brick b) magnesite brick c) fire brick d) silica brick

35. As the furnace temperature increases, the emissivity of most refractory materials

a) increases upto a certain level and then decreases b) increases

c) decreases d) decreases upto a certain level and then increases
36. While retrofitting of FBC systems to conventional boilers, the important aspect to be
considered is

a) water/steam circulation design b) furnace bottom-grate clearance

c) type of particulate control device d) all the above
37. Which of the following affect the combustion performance?

a) temperature b) time c) turbulence d) all the above

38. The efficiency of which of the following turbine systems is the highest

a) condensing b) back pressure

c) double extraction condensing d) extraction condensing
39 A waste heat recovery steam generator is used with

a) steam turbines b) back pressure turbines

c) gas turbines d) condensing turbines
40. The Brayton cycle is a characteristic of

a) Steam turbine b) Otto Engine c) Gas turbine d) none of the above

41. The air compressor of a gas turbine alone consumes about … of the power out put
generated by gas turbine

a) 30% - 40% b) 50% - 60% c) 20% - 30% d) 40% - 50%

42. Combined cycle is a combination of

a) conventional boiler first followed by cogeneration system

b) Brayton cycle first followed by a standard Rankine cycle
c) Rankine cycle first followed by a Brayton cycle
d) extraction in the first portion and then a condensing cycle

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 Paper EM2 – Energy Manager – Set B Solutions

43. Recuperator is a waste heat recovery system mainly found with

a) blast furnace b) compressor

c) billet reheating furnace d) none of the above
44. Which of the following is not a waste heat recovery device

a) heat pump b) thermocompressor c) heat wheel d) diesel engine

45. The major limitation of metallic recuperator is

a) limitation of handling SOx, NOx gases

b) limitation of reduced life for handling temperature more than 10000C
c) manufacturing difficulty of the required design
d) none of the above
46. Ceramic recuperators can withstand temperatures up to

a) 17000C b) 6000C c) 13000C d) 9500C

47. Regenerator is widely used in

a) reheating furnaces b) baking ovens

c) heat treatment furnaces d) glass melting furnaces
48. For every 6oC rise in feed water temperature through an economizer the fuel savings
in an oil fired boiler is of the order of

a) 1.5% b) 1% c) 2% d) 3%
49. In a low to medium temperature waste heat recovery system which of the device is
finding increasing applications.

a) heat wheel b) recuperator c) economizer d) air preheater

50. The insulation refractory which can be used for lining furnaces operating up to
temperature of 1800oC is

a) zirconia b) calcium silicate c) alumina d) dolomite

Solution Key for Objective

Question Manager B
1 a
2 a
3 a
4 b
5 d
6 c
7 d
8 a
9 c
10 c
11 c
12 a
13 c

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 Paper EM2 – Energy Manager – Set B Solutions

14 b
15 c
16 b
17 a
18 c
19 a
20 b
21 c
22 b
23 b
24 a
25 b
26 c
27 b
28 c
29 b
30 c
31 a
32 b
33 b
34 c
35 c
36 d
37 d
38 b
39 c
40 c
41 b
42 b
43 c
44 d
45 b
46 c
47 d
48 b
49 a
50 c

……. End of Section – I …….

Section – II: SHORT DESCRIPTIVE QUESTIONS Marks: 10 x 5 = 50

(i) Answer all Ten questions

(ii) Each question carries Five marks

S-1. Explain the importance of furnace draft. What pressure should be

maintained in a furnace for efficient operation?

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 Paper EM2 – Energy Manager – Set B Solutions

Neglecting furnaces pressure could mean problems of cold metal and non-
uniform metal temperatures, which could affect subsequent operations like
forging and rolling and result in increased fuel consumption.

For optimum fuel consumption, slight positive pressure should be maintained

in the furnace because this will prevent cold air infiltration into the furnace.

S-2. The evaporation ratio of a coal fired boiler is 4. Estimate boiler efficiency if
steam enthalpy is 640 kcal/kg; feed water temperature is 55 0C and Calorific
Value of coal is 4000 kcal/kg.

Boiler efficiency = output/input * 100

Boiler efficiency = 100 x Q (H-h) / (q x GCV)

= 4x (640-55) x 100
----------------------- = 58.5 %.
1 x 4000

S-3. Explain how cogeneration is advantageous over separate production of

electricity and heat.
Conventional power plant efficiency is about 35% and remaining 65% energy
is lost. Cogeneration is the simultaneous generation of heat and power, both
of which are utilized. In cogeneration system, efficiency can go up to 90%.
Apart from maximizing efficiency of energy use in cogeneration, there would
be price advantages by way of procuring locally available fuel.

S-4. Explain the constructional and usage differences between fire tube and
water tube boiler.
Fire tube boilers contain steel tubes through which the hot gasses from a
furnace pass and around which the water to be converted to steam circulates.
Water tube boilers in which the conditions are reversed with the water passing
through the tubes and the hot gasses passing outside the tubes. Fire tube
boilers are used for low and medium pressure requirement and sluggish,
while water tube boilers are used for medium and high pressure steam
requirements.

S-5. Briefly explain the principle of a ‘thermocompressor’.

It is possible to compress low pressure steam by very high pressure steam
and reuse it as a medium pressure steam. The major energy in steam is in its
latent heat value and thus thermo compressing would give a large
improvement in waste heat recovery.

The thermo compressor is simple equipment with a nozzle where HP steam is

injected in a convergent divergent nozzle, this creates a large velocity. The

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low pressure steam is entrained by momentum transfer and then

recompressed in the divergent venture section to an intermittent pressure.

S-6. What is the economic thickness of insulation?

The economic thickness of insulation is the thickness at which, if we make the

insulation even thicker, the additional costs would not be recovered by the
additional savings through reduction of heat losses.

S-7. Explain the difference and common properties between saturated steam and
saturated water at the same pressure.
The differences are
(i) Steam is a gas while water is a liquid
(ii) Steam has a higher enthalphy because heat of evaporation is added.
The common properties are
(i) The temperature is the same.

S-8. Given the choice would you paint the outer surface of a reheating furnace
black, or with a shiny glossy colour (such as silver colour). Explain!

The emissivity of the outer surface should be kept to a minimum since the
skin losses would increase with high emissivity. A black colour acts like a
black body with highest emissivity, while a glossy and shiny aluminium foil
has about the lowest emissivity. Therefore, radiation loss is minimized. Shiny
glossy colour, which has a lower emissivity should be used.

S-9. What is meant by excess air? Why it should be optimized?

A fuel specific amount of air called theoretical or stoichiometric air is required

for perfect combustion. In practice some additional air is required for ensuring
complete combustion, which is known as excess air.

Excess air should be optimised because any additional air will increase the
amount of stack gas and with it increases the stack gas losses.

S-10. What is the function of air distribution in FBC boiler?

The purpose of the air distributor is to introduce the fluidizing air evenly
through the bed cross section thereby keeping the solid particles in constant
motion, and preventing the formation of de-fluidization zones within the bed.

……. End of Section – II ……..

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 Paper EM2 – Energy Manager – Set B Solutions

Section – III: LONG DESCRIPTIVE QUESTIONS Marks: 5 x 10 = 50

(i) Answer all Five questions

(ii) Each question carries Ten marks

L-1. Condensate return at a pressure of 20 atm (enthalpy of saturated water at 20

atm = 235 kcal/kg) is released at atmospheric pressure (enthalpy of
saturated water at 1 atm = 100 kcal/kg). Calculate the percentage of
flash steam and the heat carried away by the flash. The latent heat of
evaporation of water at 1 atm is equal to 540 kcal/kg.

Flash steam available % = S1—S2 

L2
Where: S1 is the sensible heat of higher pressure condensate.
S2 is the sensible heat of the condensate at lower pressure (at which it
has been flashed).
L2 is the latent heat of flash steam (at lower pressure).

235  100
% of flash steam generated = * 100  25%
540

0.25 * 640
% of heat carried by flash steam = * 100  68%
235

L-2. Explain four types of topping cycle cogeneration systems?

The four types of topping cycle cogeneration systems are:

(1) Combined-cycle topping system: A gas turbine or diesel engine

producing electrical or mechanical power followed by a heat recovery
boiler to create steam to drive a secondary steam turbine.

(2)   Steam-turbine topping system: The second type of system burns fuel (any
type) to produce high-pressure steam that then passes through a steam
turbine to produce power with the exhaust provides low-pressure process
steam.

(3)   Diesel Generator topping system: Hot water from an engine jacket cooling
system flowing to a heat recovery boiler, where it is converted to process
steam and hot water for space heating.

(4)   Gas-turbine topping system: A natural gas turbine drives a generator. The
exhaust gas goes to a heat recovery boiler that makes process steam
and process heat.

L-3. What are waste heat recovery boilers? Explain the need and benefits?
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 Paper EM2 – Energy Manager – Set B Solutions

Waste heat recovery boilers are ordininarily water tube boilers in which the
hot exhaust gases from a gas turbine, reciprocating engines, furnaces,
incinerator are used to generage steam.

The need and benefits are:

(i) It meets or augments the process steam demand .
(j) separate fuel fired steam boiler may be avoided or reduces the fuel
requirement.
(k) Reducing stack gas temperature by an order of 20 deg C i.e. waste
heat recovery will save also 1% fuel

L-4. Why is it advantageous to use steam at the lowest acceptable pressure in a

process.
The latent heat in steam reduces as the steam pressure increases. It is only
the latent heat of steam, which takes part in the heating process when applied
to an indirect heating system. Thus, it is important that its value be kept as
high as possible. This can only be achieved if we go in for lower steam
pressures.

The lower the steam pressure, the lower will be its temperature. Since
temperature is the driving force for the transfer of heat at lower steam
pressures, the rate of heat transfer will be slower and the processing time
greater. Therefore, there is a limit to the reduction of steam pressure.
Depending on the equipment design, the lowest possible steam pressure with
which the equipment can work should be selected without sacrificing either
on production time or on steam consumption.

L-5. Explain the difference between batch type and continuous furnace. Where
and how does additional heat loss take place in a batch type furnace
compared to continuous furnace?

i) The differences between batch furnace and continuous furnace are:

a) Batch type
The charging and discharging of the ‘material’ is done manually.
There is fixed time cycle for the stock to be heated and processed and all the
stock material are ready for further processing at one time.
Efficiency of batch type furnaces are low as compared to continuous type.
b) Continuous Type:
The charging and discharging of the ‘material’ is done mechanically and the
stock is available on a one in one out basis resulting in better productivity of
the down stream equipments.
The material or stock recovers a part of the heat in flue gases as it moves
down the length of the furnace.

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Heat absorption by the material in the furnace is slow, steady and uniform
throughout the cross-section compared with batch type.

ii) The additional heat loss take place in a batch type furnace compared to
continuous furnace in the following areas:
The batch type furnaces cools down between batches and the refractories
need to be heated to the process temperature consuming additional heat.
More over the stack gases leaves the furnace at higher temperature in a batch
furnace as compared to continuous furnace wherein the stack gases pass
through the stock and preheats them to considerable temperature before they
leave the furnace.

……. End of Section – III …….

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