[DEETAF COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING]

PLANT MAINTENANCE AND WORK SERVICE - PRACTICE March 5, 2021

What are boiler accessories, explain each accessories in detail.

Boiler accessories are those components which are installed either inside or outside the boiler to
increase the efficiency of the plant and to help in the proper working of the plant.

Various boiler accessories are:

1) Air Preheater - It is a waste heat recovery device in which the air to on its way to the furnace
is heated utilizing the heat of exhaust gases/flue gases. The function of air pre-heater is to
increase the temperature of air before enters the furnace. It is generally placed after the
economizer; so the flue gases passes through the economizer and then to the air preheater. An
air-preheater consists of plates or tube with hot gases on one side and air on the other. It preheats
the to be supplied to the furnace. Preheated air accelerates the combustion and facilitates the
burning of coal.

Degree of Preheating depends on:

(i) Type of fuel.

(ii) Type of fuel burning equipment.

(iii) Rating at which the boiler and furnaces are operated.

There are three types of air preheaters:

1. Tubular type

2. Plate type

3. Storage type.

2) Economizer - It is a device in which the waste heat of the flue gases is utilized for heating the
feed water. To recover some of the heat being carried over by exhaust gases, this heat is used to
raise the temperature of feed water supplied to the boiler.

Advantages :

i) The temperature range between various parts of the boiler is reduced which results in reduction
of stresses due to unequal expansion.

ii) If the boiler is fed with cold water it may result in chilling the boiler metal.

iii) Evaporative capacity of the boiler is increased.

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PLANT MAINTENANCE AND WORK SERVICE - PRACTICE March 5, 2021

iv) Overall efficiency of the plant is increased.

3) Super heater - The function of super heater is to increase the temperature of the steam
generated by boiler above its saturation point, using the hot flue or exhaust gases coming from
the combustion chamber of the furnace. Super heaters are heat exchangers.

Advantages :

i) Steam consumption of the engine or turbine is reduced.

ii) Losses due to condensation in the cylinders and the steam pipes are reduced.

iii)Erosion of turbine blade is eliminated.

iv) Efficiency of steam plant is increased.

4) Feed Pump - The feed pump is a pump which is used to deliver feed water to the boiler.
•Double feed pump is commonly employed for medium size boilers.
• The reciprocating pump are continuously run by steam from the same boiler to which water is
to be fed.
• Rotary feed pumps are of centrifugal type and are commonly run either by a small steam
turbine or by an electric motor.

Boiler accessories are devices which are not compulsory to be attached to it but if we use them it
increases efficiency and overall performance.

Some accessories are listed below:-

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PLANT MAINTENANCE AND WORK SERVICE - PRACTICE March 5, 2021

 Feed water pump - it is used to feed water into the boiler.

 Pre-heater - its function is to heat the air before it enters the combustion
chamber.
 Super-heater - it is used mainly for stationary boilers. It converts the dry
saturated steam into superheated steam to the desired temperature.
 Economizer - Considerable amount of heat is carried away with the flue gases,
so in order to utilize this heat an economizer is placed in the path of flue gases
to pre-heat the water and save energy which directly leads to the increase in the
efficiency of the boiler.
 Injector - as the name states injecting means to supply, it’s function is the same
as the pump but it delivers the water under huge pressure.
 Pressure reducing valve - it’s function is to deliver a constant amount of
pressure on the delivery side irrespective to the fluctuating demand of the
steam.
 Steam drier or Separator - it is used to separate water particles from the steam
before it reaches to the point of application.

Boiler Accessories means are the equipment or devices which are supportive to the boiler in
order to run the boiler efficiently continuously.

The Main Boiler Accessories are

 Forced Draught (FD) Fan

 Induced Draught (ID) Fan
 Superheater (SH)
 Desuperheater
 Soot Blower
 Deaerator
 Boiler Feed Pump
 Dosing System
 Fuel Supply System
 Economiser
 Air Heater
 Ash Removal System

Boiler accessories are the equipment installed for increasing the efficiency of boiler plant. They
effectively utilizes the heat of waste flue gases in order to preheat the air and water before
heating in boiler. The important boiler accessories are economiser, air preheater and superheater,
feed pump , ejector, steam strap etc.

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PLANT MAINTENANCE AND WORK SERVICE - PRACTICE March 5, 2021

Steam stop valve, level indicator, pressure gauge, safety valve, air draught control valve, fuel
control valve, valve that is used to flush out dirt/sludge at the bottom. Then there is waste heat
extractor, air preheater, water preheaters etc.

What are boiler mountings?

Boiler mountings are the safety devices which are fitted on the boiler for its safe and efficient
working.

The list of main boiler mounting is as below

1. Water level indicator ( Water level gauge)

Water level indicator is used to check the water level present in the boiler.

There are at least two water level indicator fitted on the front side of boiler. The construction of
water level indicator is like glass manometer. The same indicator is used to indicate the amount
of steam present in the boiler.

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PLANT MAINTENANCE AND WORK SERVICE - PRACTICE March 5, 2021

What is function of boiler mountings?

Steam Boiler is a pressurized Closed vessel. Proper function of this of equipment is always
necessary. There are various mountings fitted on the sides of boiler, so that it can work properly.

Boiler mountings (Valves & Fittings) are the machine components that are mounted / Fitted over
the body of the boiler itself for the safety of the boiler and for complete control of the process of
steam generation.

Various boiler mountings are as under:

1) Pressure gauge
2) Water Level Indicator
3) Fusible plug
4)Safety Valve
a) Lever Safety Valve
b) Spring Loaded safety Valve
5) Steam stop valve

What is difference between water tube boiler and fire tube boiler?

Usually, there are 4 types of boilers available; low pressure stack boiler, flued boiler, water tube
boiler, fire tube boiler. The most useful types are water tube boiler and fire tube boiler as they
offer valuable benefits over the low pressure stack boiler and flued boiler.

Fire Tube Boiler-

This type of boilers contains several small tubes which are connected to a heat source. Hot
vapors from the energy source flow through the tubes. And as the tubes work through a sealed
box of water, thermal conduction transpires and the water boiled as it reaches the exterior of the
tubes.

Boiler is a pressure vessel, you can consider a Boiler as a pressure cooker filled with water, at a
particular pressure cooker gives whistle, that is, steam comes out of it with heat and pressure.

Boiler are of two type

1. STB (Smoke tube Boiler) or donkey boiler

2. WTB (Water tube Boiler) or High pressure boiler

On board a vessel, STB or WTB may be used as per the requirement.

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PLANT MAINTENANCE AND WORK SERVICE - PRACTICE March 5, 2021

Usage of

1. WTB: vessel that are steam driven (steam turbine) or Tanker fitted with IGG
(inert gas generator)
2. STB: these are fitted on vessel with Internal Combustion Engine, and maybe
used for COPT(Cargo Oil Pump Turbine)

Use of Boiler on board a vessel.

1. for heating purpose, Fuel oil, Lube Oil, Water, etc.

2. Maintain minimum positive pressure of Inert Gas in Tankers tanks.
3. For propulsion, in case of steam ship, like Titanic.
4. Production of electricity by turbo alternator.

What are the steam boiler accessories?

Boiler operation requires the assistance of many boiler fittings to form a complete system. The
auxiliary equipment accessories required for different types of boilers are different. Take the oil
and gas fire tube boiler produced by ZBG as an example. The auxiliary equipment accessories
required include:

1. Fuel preparation system: oil tank, daily fuel tank, gas pressure regulator
2. Wind smoke system: blower (G), induced draft fan (Y), chimney
3. Dust removal system: Multi-tube dust collector, granite dust collector, electric
precipitator, bag filter
4. Electric control system: Common control cabinet (box), DCS control system,
power distribution cabinet (high voltage cabinet, low voltage cabinet, etc.),
supporting secondary instrument valves, wires, cables
5. Steam and water system: dosing device, silencer, temperature reducing and
pressure reducing device
6. Combustion system: combustion engine, control box, matching instrument
valve
7. Water treatment system: Automatic water softener, reverse osmosis water
treatment system

The purpose of boiler blowdown is to remove accumulated impurities. Any particulates carried
into a boiler in the feedwater stay in the boiler instead of being carried away with the steam, so
they accumulate in the boiler, generally toward the bottom. Boiler blowdown is basically a feed
and bleed process. Removing some of the feedwater already contaminated with impurities
removes those impurities and replaces the water with cleaner water.
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PLANT MAINTENANCE AND WORK SERVICE - PRACTICE March 5, 2021

What are boiler troubles?

Most boilers come with a manufacturer’s warranty. But after a few years, we experience some
common boiler problems. Such problems can be addressed without the need to call a heating
engineer; others will require the services of a qualified and experienced professional. Problems
like weird noises, drips and leaks, are among the 9 common boiler problems you should
consider:

1. No heat or hot water

2. Leaking and dripping
3. Strange banging, whistling or gurgling noises
4. Pilot light goes out
5. Frozen condensate pipe
6. Thermostat issues
7. Kettling
8. Radiators not getting hot
9. Boiler keeps switching itself off

What is difference between boiler accessories and boiler mountings?

Boiler mountings are fitted on the boiler for its proper and safety functioning. Some boiler
mountings are blow off valve, feed check valve, fusible plug, steam stop valve, safety valve,
pressure gauge and water level indicator.

Boiler accessories are considered to be as integral part of the boiler for increasing its efficiency.
Some of the boiler accessories are superheated ,feed pump, economiser and air preheater.