Lab Manual

Boiler Control and
Burner Management Simulator
Laboratory Manual
Version 4.02
Copyright c 2002
Edutech
0
Win BoilerSim Student Lab Manual
Table of Contents
Topics Page
Introduction 3
1 Experiment - Boiler Start-Up

1.1 Objective 5
1.1.1 Burner Management Description 5
1.2 Procedure 7
1.3 Discussion 14
2 Experiment - Boiler Drum Level Control - 3 Element Control / 1 Element

Control
2.1 Objective: 15
2.2.1 Procedure - 3 Element Drum Level Control: 16
2.2.2 Procedure - 1 Element Drum Level Control: 20
2.3 Discussion 22
3. Experiment - Inverse Response of Drum Level

3.1 Objective 22
3.2.1 Procedure - Open Loop Drum Level Response -
Feedwater Shrink / Swell Effects Disabled 22
3.2.2 Procedure - Open Loop Drum Level Response -
Feedwater Shrink / Swell Effects Enabled 25
3.3 Discussion 26
4 Experiment - 3 Element Drum Level Control - Feedwater Shrink / Swell

Enabled
4.1 Objective 27
4.2 Procedure 27
4.3 Discussion 28
5 Experiment - Drum Level Shrink Swell Due to Steam Flow Changes

5.1 Objective 29
5.1.2 Procedure -Drum Level Steam 29
Flow Shrink / Swell - Disabled
5.1.3 Discussion 31
5.2.2 Procedure -Drum Level Steam 31
Flow Shrink / Swell - Disabled
5.2.3 Discussion 33
1
6 Experiment - Boiler Air Fuel Control System
6.1 Objective 34
6.1.2 Procedure - Cross Limiting Logic -
Step Change in Fuel Flow 34
6.1.3 Discussion 36
Step Change in Air Flow 36
6.2.3 Discussion 36
All Controllers in Automatic - Step Increase in Steam Demand 37
6.3.3Discussion 38
All Controllers in Automatic - Step Decrease in Steam Demand 38
6.4.3 Discussion 39
6.5.2 Procedure - Changing the Air / Fuel Ratio 39
6.5.3 Discussion 41
7 Experiment - Changing the Dynamics of the Boiler

7.1 Objective 41
7.1.2 Procedure 42
7.1.3 Discussion 44
7.2.2 Procedure - A "Faster" Boiler 44
7.2.3 Discussion 47
8 Suggestions for Additional Experiments 48
2
Introduction
The lab manual contains 7 experiments that cover the most important
fundamental concepts of Boiler Control and Burner Management.
The experiments are organized as follows:
Experiment
Objectives
This section will identify those concepts that will be developed in the
experiment
Procedure
This section will present the method of proceeding through the
experiment.
The following convention will be used to identify the where on the screen,
the mouse should be clicked required when maneuvering through the
program:
In the text of the lab manual, main menu items will be highlighted in
Bold, Italicized, and Underlined.
Shown below are the main menu items, as they will be highlighted
in the text of the lab manual.
File
Controller
Boiler Initialize
Trend Recorder
Equipment Switches
Window
Help
Sub menu items are those items that appear after a main menu
item has been clicked on. In the text of the lab manual, the sub
menu items will be highlighted in Bold and Italicized only. Shown
below are examples of highlighted sub menu items that appear
when main menu item File has been clicked.
File Boiler Variables
Exit
Where mouse clicks are required that are not menu or sub menu
items, the text will be highlighted in Bold only.
3
The screen capture below will be used to illustrate the convention used in
the highlighting text in the lab manual:
Menu Item
Trend Recorder
Sub-Menu Item
Steam Pressure
Not a Menu or
Sub-Menu Item
Pause
Discussion Section
This section will comment or explain the observations made at
various steps in the procedures.
4
1 Experiment - Boiler Start-Up
1.1 Objective:
• Understand the equipment and logic associated with burner management

• Proceed through a semiautomatic burner management startup from a cold
boiler state.
• Understand those procedures required for safely igniting both the main and
pilot valves.
In this experiment you will be required to ignite the pilot and main burner under
the supervision of the Burner Management System (BMS). When successfully lit,
the boiler steam pressure and steam flow will be slowly increased to operating
conditions.
1.1.1 Burner Management Description
The Burner Management system is shown below:
In the main gas line and pilot gas lines are double block and vent valves. When
the boiler is shutdown, the block valves are closed and the vent valves are open.
Limit switches and their indicator lights show the state of the valves. In the case
of the block valves, the upper indicator light turning green indicates the valve is
open, while the lower indicator light turning green indicates the valve is closed.
For the vent valves, the left most indicator light turning green indicates the valve
is closed, while the right most indicator light turning green indicates the valve is
open. In addition, the body of an open valve turns light blue while a closed valve
body is white.
Valve shown
open
Valve shown
5closed
When the Main Gas pushbutton is depressed after the pilot has been
successfully lit, Main Vent Valve 2 closes, but Main Block Valve 3 remains shut.
Main Block Valve 1 can only be latched open in the field after the burner
management logic starts ignition of the main burner.
When Main Block Valve 1 is latched open after the Main Gas pushbutton has
been depressed, the action will open Main Block Valve 3 (Main Vent Valve 2 was
closed when the Main Gas pushbutton was depressed).
To simulate the required field action, a command button with the caption "Open
Valve" is located next to the valve. Clicking on this command button will simulate
latching the valve open in the field. This pushbutton can be used to close the
Main Block Valve 1 shutting off the gas to the main burner.
The fan can be started or stopped from the burner management system window
by clicking the red Fan start pushbutton. In addition, it can be started or stopped
from the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window.
1.2 Procedure:
1. From your Windows operating system, start the Win Boiler Sim program.
2. The program starts with the boiler in the cold shutdown state. The Boiler
Indicates
controller in
Manual
Fuel Gas
controller
output at 10%,
Low Fire State
6
Controls and Monitoring window is displayed on the screen as shown below:
Notice all controllers are in manual. Notice the fuel gas controller is in the low fire
state (fuel gas controller output - solid black bar - is at 10 %). The feedwater
pump and the forced draft (FD) fan are off. The pilot and main gas shutdown
valves are closed - the vent valve on the pilot and main gas are open (the block
and vent valves can be observed from the Burner Management System Window
(click Window, click Burner Management System). Leave the Burner
Management System Window open for the next step. You may have to move the
window so that it doesn't hide the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window. This
can be done by left clicking the mouse with the cursor of the mouse somewhere
within the window (don't click on any switches) and dragging the window. Hold
down the left click button when dragging.
3. Load the Boiler:

In this step, you will be setting the load on the boiler to about 10%. This is done
from the Boiler Controls and Monitoring Window by clicking Window and then
clicking Steam Demand Settings . Click the Base Demand scroll bar until the
demand has been set to 10%.
Click here to
raise demand
1% for each
click
In this step, you have essentially created a load to discharge boiler steam flow
after the boiler has begun producing steam. Close the Variable Demand
Generator window by clicking on the Close command button in the lower right
hand corner of the Variable Demand Generator window.
4. Select Trend Variables:

In this step you will select those variables to be plotted on the trend recorder.
From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring Window, click Trend Recorder. Click
Steam Pressure. Repeat and select by clicking Steam Flow, Drum Level,
Feedwater Flow, Air Flow, Fuel Flow, and Steam Demand.
5. Set the drum level to Single Element:

In this step you will select single element drum level control. At low loads this is
an effective way to control the drum level. Essentially the feedwater flow control
7
valve directly takes the output from the drum level controller. Set the level control
system to one element control by clicking Equipment Switches, clicking 3
Element 1 Element Drum Level, and then clicking 1 Element Control.
6. Start the feedwater Pump:

In this step you will start the feedwater pump. Because the feedwater control
valve is closed, starting the pump will not result in any feedwater flow into the
drum. Some minimum flow will recirculate from pump discharge back to pump
suction.
From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring Window, start the feedwater pump
by clicking Equipment Switches, clicking Feedwater Pump and then
clicking Start.
7. Set the drum level to Approximately 50%.

In this step you will open the feedwater control valve using the manual
adjustment on the drum level controller output. The feedwater controller
output is not used because the drum control is in single element mode, with
the output of the drum level controller directly adjusting the feedwater control
valve. When the drum level begins to rise, you will reclose the feedwater
valve, setting the drum level to between approximately 50% and 70%. You
Drum level Click to

manual increase drum
controller level set point
output adjust. 1% per click
Click to
increase 1%
per click
8
will also set the drum level controller set point to 50%. The drum level
controller remains in manual mode.
The method to set the drum level is as follows:

From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring Window, click on the drum level
controller output scroll bar (right arrow). This will cause the feedwater flow to
increase. Continuously clicking the right scroll bar will raise the feedwater flow
(alternately drag the scroll bar to the right) to increase the drum level
controller output. Since steam is not being produced the level control valve
must be shut to stop the drum from being flooded. This is done by setting the
drum level controller output back to 0. Do this by dragging the scroll bar all
the way to the left until the drum level controller output is 0. If you need to
reduce the drum level, this can be done by opening the boiler blowdown
valve. This is done as follows: from the Boiler Controls and Monitoring
Window, open the blowdown valve by clicking Equipment Switches, clicking
Blowdown Valve and then clicking Open Blowdown Valve. The level will
continuously drop. The boiler blowdown valve must be reclosed by doing the
following: from the Boiler Controls and Monitoring Window, open the
blowdown valve by clicking Equipment Switches, clicking Blowdown Valve
and then clicking Close Blowdown Valve.
8. Set the drum level controller set point to 50 % by clicking on the vertical arrow
(upper) to the left of the "M" manual / auto command button of the drum level
controller.
9. In addition to observing the operation of the Boiler from the Boiler Controls
and Monitoring window, the operation of the boiler can be observed by
viewing the Boiler Dynamic Graphic Window. From the Boiler Controls and
Monitoring window, click Window, and then click Boiler Dynamic Graphic.
Click the Close button in the lower righthand corner to close the window.
10. Start Forced Draft (FD) fan.
In this step you will start the forced draft fan that supplies combustion air to
the boiler. When the fan is first started, no air is supplied because the
combustion air damper is closed.
From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring Window, start the fan by clicking
Equipment Switches, clicking Fan and then clicking Start. Note that it is
possible to start the fan from the Burner Management System window as
well.
11. Establish Adequate Combustion Air.
Air flow will have to be established to the boiler. The air must be set to 70% or
greater in preparation for the purge step that is part of the liteoff sequence.
9
From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring Window, click on the air flow
controller output scroll bar right arrow. This will cause the air flow to increase.
Continuously clicking the right scroll bar will raise the air flow (alternatively,
drag the scroll bar to the right to open the combustion air damper). Set the
damper to 67% open to provide about 70% of maximum air flow (a
requirement to satisfy the startup permissives of the Burner Management
System).
Click to
increase air
flow controller
output 1% per
click to 67%
12. Burner Management Status:
In this step you will observe the status of the burner management system. If
the Burner Management System window is closed, open from the Boiler
Controls and Monitoring window by clicking Window followed by Burner
Management System.
10
The states of the lamps and switches must be as follows:
Combustion Air Adequate Light Green/steady

Combustion Air Valve Open Light Green/steady
Fuel Gas Low Fire Light Green/steady
Burner Ready Light Off (Grey)
Fan Light Green/steady
Purge Light Off (Grey)
Ignition Light Off (Grey)
Main Gas Light Off (Grey)
Fan Pushbutton On (Depressed)
The Enable switch should be OFF (disabling the alarms and shutdowns).
Burner ignition cannot be started unless the lamp status indicating
permissives have been met, as shown in the list on the previous page..
Note:
The "Combustion Air Adequate" may take a few seconds to indicate the
permissive has been met. This is due to the short lag in air flow reaching its
maximum value after the combustion air damper has been fully opened. If the
permissives haven't been met repeat steps 3 to 12.
The valves should be in the following state:
Main Block Valve 1 Closed White

Main Vent Valve 2 Open Light Blue (Cyan)
Main Block Valve 3 Closed White
Pilot Block Valve 1 Closed White
Pilot Vent Valve 2 Open Light Blue (Cyan)
Pilot Block Valve 3 Closed White
13. From Burner Management System Window, click the Enable switch.
The Main "Burner Ready" light will turn green/steady, The purge, ignition, and
main gas pushbuttons become visible allowing the burner ignition to proceed
(any active shutdowns will prevent Burner Ready lamp from turning to
green/steady and the ignition from proceeding (purge, ignition, and main gas
pushbuttons remain invisible). The alarms and shutdowns will be enabled (to
check this, from the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window click Window
followed by Alarm and Shutdown Settings . Close the Alarm and Shutdown
window by clicking Close in the lower right hand corner of the window).
14. In this step the boiler will be purged of any pockets of fuel gas that could
create a safety hazard. Essentially, air passes through the boiler for
approximately 10 seconds, enough time to adequately clear any pockets of
remaining fuel gas.
11
15. From Burner Management System Window, click the red Purge pushbutton.
The green "Purge" lamp will flash for 10 seconds. After 10 seconds, the lamp
will stay green/steady indicating the Boiler has been purged and the ignition
may proceed to the pilot ignition.
16. In this step the pilot burner will be ignited. The pilot and main burners of this
boiler have been supplied with a flame scanner that is wired into the burner
management system logic. The scanner detects proof of, and loss of flame. A
loss of flame alarm and shutdown occurs when both the pilot and main flame
are lost.
The pilot in this boiler will be blown out causing a loss of flame alarm and
shutdown if the main flame is not lit and the air flow is greater than 40% of
maximum. In this step, the air flow must be set to less than 40%.
From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring Window, click on the air flow
controller output scroll bar left arrow. This will cause the air flow to decrease.
Continuously clicking the left scroll bar will lower the air flow (alternatively,
drag the scroll bar to the left to close the combustion air damper). Set the
damper to 40% open to provide about 32% of maximum air flow. If the air flow
is not reduced, then when igniting the pilot you will get a loss of flame
shutdown at the end of the 10 second ignition period, requiring you to start
the liteoff sequence again.
From Burner Management System window, click the red Ignition pushbutton
(clicking on the Ignition pushbutton before purge is complete, will not allow
pilot ignition to proceed - the "Ignition" light will remain OFF - grey lamp, and
ignition transformer OFF. The ignition will automatically start after "Purge
Complete"). The 2 pilot block valves will open and the pilot vent valve will
close. The pilot must light before 10 seconds of ignition is complete and must
remain on for 2 seconds as detected by flame scanner. During the time that
the ignition is on and before the pilot has been proven for 2 seconds, the
green ignition light will flash. After the pilot light has been proven for 2
seconds, the green flashing light will turn to steady green. When the pilot has
been proven the ignition of the main burner can proceed.
17. In this step the main burner will be ignited. From Burner Management System
Window, click the red Main Gas pushbutton.
With a proven pilot (step 16 above), the Main Block Valve 3 remains closed
and Main Vent Valve 2 will close. The solenoid to Main Block Valve 1 will also
energize; however, in order to open Main Block Valve 1, an operator must
manually unlatch the valve open. Main Block Valve 3 does not require an
operator to manually unlatch the valve - only Main Block Valve 1 requires this.
The "Main Gas" lamp flashes green. The operator must unlatch and open
Main Block Valve 1 before 10 seconds expires after clicking Main Gas
pushbutton. On Win Boiler Sim, the unlatch is simulated by clicking on the
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Open Valve command button above Main Block Valve 1. When Main Block
Valve 1 opens, Main Block Valve 3 will then open. The main burner requires 2
seconds to be proven. When the burner is proven, the flashing green "Main
Gas" light stops flashing and remains steady green.
Note that clicking on the Main Gas pushbutton before the pilot is proven, will
not allow burner ignition to proceed. The "Main Gas" light will remain OFF -
grey lamp, while the 2 Main Block Valves remain closed and Main Vent Valve
open. Only after the pilot is proven will the main burner ignition automatically
start.
18. Return to the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window. You may or may not
want to close the Burner Management System window.
19. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window, click on the Steam Pressure
Controller set point button and raise the steam pressure set point to about 5%
by clicking on the vertical arrow (upper) to the left of the "M" manual / auto
command button of the Steam Pressure Controller .
20. Click on the Auto/Manual pushbuttons starting with the feedwater controller,
followed by the fuel gas controller, air flow controller, drum level controller,
and finally steam pressure controller. The low combustion air alarm will be
Click to set
controllers to
automatic
Click to increase
steam pressure
controller set
point 1% per
click
13
triggered and require acknowledging. This is done by clicking the Alarm
Acknowledge pushbutton in the lower left corner of the Alarm Acknowledge
window. Close the window by clicking Close in the lower right hand corner of
the window.
21. When the boiler variables are approximately at steady state (not changing),
increase the steam pressure by another 5%. Continue this process until the
steam pressure is 50%.
22. If the Variable Demand Generator (steam demand is set from this window) is
not open then from the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window, click Window
followed by Steam Demand Settings. Increase the Base Demand from 10 to
15 % (as in step 3). When the Boiler variables are at steady state, increase
the demand by another 5 %. Continue this process until the demand is 50%.
23. In this step you will switch the drum level control to 3 element mode. In this
mode the output of the drum level controller is summed with the steam flow
signal and a bias. This combined signal becomes the set point for the
feedwater controller. The output from the feedwater controller is connected to
the feedwater control valve.
From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window, click on the Equipment
Switches followed by 3 Element 1 Element Level, followed by 3 Element
Control.
This completes experiment 1. The Boiler is at a steady state operating condition

of 50% steam flow and 50% steam pressure.
1.3 Discussion
The National Fire Protection Association has standards for Burner Management
systems. The NFPA 85 Chapter 2 Single Burner Boilers has been used as the
basis for Win Boiler Sim's Burner Management system.
14
With the boiler at 50% steam pressure and 50% steam flow, the Boiler Controls
and Monitoring window should look like that below:
The previously described start up procedure is for educational purposes

only. There are many variations of startup procedures and the user must
follow the regulations for his / her jurisdiction when starting up a boiler.
2 Experiment - Boiler Drum Level Control - 3 Element Control / 1 Element

Control
2.1 Objective:
• Understand the differences between three element and single element drum
level control.
• Understand the effects on drum level of changes in steam demand.
In the first experiment on burner management systems and start up, you went
through a complete start up from a cold boiler state to a steady state operating
15
point. This took a significant amount of time to complete. In this experiment, you
will use a feature of Win Boiler Sim that allows you to set or initialize the boiler to
an immediate steady state operating point. This will enable you to quickly see the
effect of changing various boiler control parameters and disturbances without
having you to go through a complete start up.
2.2.1 Procedure - 3 Element Drum Level Control:

The program starts with the boiler in the cold shutdown state. The Boiler
Controls and Monitoring window is displayed on the screen as shown on
page 10.
2. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window, Click Window.
16
3. Click Boiler Dynamics. Continuously click the right hand arrow of the Select
Boiler Dynamics Scroll Bar and select the set of boiler dynamics shown
below.
Click File
Click to select
the set of
dynamics
shown
4. From the Boiler Dynamics window, click File

5. Click Accept Dynamics and Return
6. Click Yes to close the Boiler Dynamics window.
The Boiler Dynamics window allows the boiler to behave with different
responses. In effect, the response can be shaped to create different sizes of
boilers, for example a large slow boiler or a small fast boiler.
The previous steps in this procedure have selected a set of dynamics that will
change how the boiler drum responds to changes in feedwater flow and
steam demand. The parameters have been chosen so that the drum level will
not display any shrink or swell effects.
The following step will initialize the boiler.
7. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window, Click Boiler Initialize, click
Select Steady State Operating Conditions.
17
Click on Boiler Initialize
8. Continuously click the right hand arrow of Select Boiler Initialize Set and
find the set of operating conditions where the comment is "50% Operating
Point (50% steam flow, demand, and pressure)."
Click File
Click to select
operating
conditions
18
9. On the Boiler Initialization window menu Click File
10. Click Accept Initial Conditions and Return
11. Click Yes
The above steps have set the Boiler to a steady state operating point of 50%
steam pressure, steam demand, steam flow, etc.
The following steps select the variables to be plotted on the trend recorder.
12. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window, click Trend Recorder
13. Click Steam Flow
14. Repeat steps 12 and 13 to select , Drum Level, Feedwater Flow, and Steam
Demand
In the following steps you will create a step increase in steam demand
15. On the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window, click the trend recorder Pause
command button at the bottom of the screen underneath the trend recorder.
This will halt the simulation and hold all variables at their current value (the
Pause button will have red text saying "Paused".
16. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window click Window followed by
Steam Demand Settings
17. Continuously the Click top of Base Demand Scroll bar until Base Demand is
set to 60% (an increase of 10%). This step increase in base demand will be
applied when the simulation is unpaused.
18. Click Close to close the Variable Demand Generator.
Click to
increase Base
Demand to
60%
19. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window click Paused, starting the
simulation.
The response should look similar to that on the next page:
19
Drum Level Transient on Steam Demand Step Change - 3 Element Control
No shrink swell effects enabled. Demand 50% to 60% step change
Steam Demand
Steam Flow
Feedwater Flow
Drum Level
Notice that shortly after the change in demand corresponding to an increased

load such as that of a steam turbine, steam flow (red) begins to increase followed
by the feedwater flow (blue). The feedwater flow reacts relatively quickly due to
feedforward action of the steam flow on feedwater flow. The minimum drum level
(green) transient is relatively small (minimum drum level about 38% or 12 %
transient)
2.2.2 Procedure - 1 Element Drum Level Control:
The experiment will be repeated but with the drum level controller switched to
single element (see figure below). No change will be made to the controller
tuning constants.
1. Repeat steps 1. through 18. In section 2.2.1 - the 3 element control

procedure. After step 18, the simulation should be paused.
20
2. Before restarting the paused simulation switch to 1 element drum level control
as follows:
3. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window, click Equipment followed
by 3 element / 1 element drum level followed by 1 element control
4. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window click Paused, restarting the
simulation.
The response should look similar to that below:
Drum Level Transient on Steam Demand Step Change - 1 Element Control, No

shrink swell effects enabled, Demand 50 to 60% step change
Steam Demand
Steam Flow
Feedwater Flow
Drum Level
Notice that the feedwater (blue) increase occurs after the drop in level due to the
action of the level controller output rather than the action of feedforward on
steam flow (red). The minimum drum level transient (approximate minimum level
of 32%) is significantly greater than (about 18% vs 12% ) for 3 element control.
3 Element/ 1 Element Comparison of Responses
Steam Demand
Steam Flow
Feedwater Flow
Drum Level
Steam Demand
Steam Flow
Feedwater Flow
Drum Level
21
2.3 Discussion
One element control is not as effective in controlling drum level as three element
control when large changes in steam demand occur. With 3 element control
steam flow changes adjust the feedwater flow to the drum providing tighter
(smaller deviation from set point) drum level control.
3. Experiment - Inverse Response of Drum Level

3.1 Objectives:
• To determine the effect of a step change in feedwater flow, with no shrink /
swell effects enabled.
In this experiment the steam flow and demand will be initialized to 50% and the
feedwater controller output will be put into manual mode. This will allow the user
to observe the effects on drum level due to a step change in feedwater flow.
The first time the step change is made, the shrink swell effects will be disabled.
The experiment will be repeated after shrink swell effect on feedwater flow has
been enabled. The user will be able to observe the shrink effect on the drum
level of quenching the drum level with relatively cooler feedwater.
3.2.1 Procedure - Open Loop Drum Level Response - Feedwater Shrink /

Swell Effects Disabled
1. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window, Click Window

Boiler Dynamics Scroll Bar and select the set of boiler dynamics shown below
(this is the same set of dynamics as for the previous part of the experiment).
22
6. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window click Boiler Initialize, click
Steady State Operating Conditions.
7. Continuously click the right hand arrow of Select Boiler Initialize Set and
find the set of operating conditions where the comment is "50% Operating
Point (50% steam flow, demand, and pressure)."
8. From the Boiler Initialization window, click File

10. Click Yes
11. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window click Trend Recorder.
12. Click Drum Level
13. Repeat the previous two steps and select Feedwater Flow, Feedwater
Controller Output for the trend recorder
14. Click on A, the feedwater controller Auto / Manual command button. This will
switch the controller to manual allowing you to manually step increase the
feedwater flow.
23
Feedwater
controller
Auto/Manual
command
button
Feedwater
Horizontal
Scroll Bar
15. Left Click and drag to the right the Feedwater Horizontal Scroll Bar. The
manual controller output will step change the feedwater.
The plot should look like that on the next page:
24
Step Change to Feedwater Control Valve, (feedwater controller in Manual)
Boiler demand and steam flow constant at 50%. No Inverse response effect of
drum level when feedwater increasing.
This is the response of the drum level for a step increase in feedwater flow. The
level control system is open looped. That is, there is no feedback to correct the
drum level. The drum will eventually fill up, the "drum high level" trip will
shutdown the boiler.
3.2.2 Procedure - Open Loop Drum Level Response - Feedwater Shrink /

Swell Effects Enabled
In this experiment, the shrink / swell effects of feedwater will be enabled.

The effect of an increase in feedwater flow will be examined on boiler drum level.
This is a real phenomenon, that makes drum level more difficult to control. It is
counterintuitive (opposite of "common sense"), because normally increasing the
mass flow of water into a vessel should increase the level.
1. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window, click Window

Click Boiler Dynamics
2. Continuously click on the right hand side Select Boiler Dynamics Scroll Bar
and select the boiler dynamics shown on the following page.
25
Continuously
click to select the
boiler dynamics
shown
3. Repeat steps 3. to 15. in section 3.2.1
The plot should look like that below:
Step Change to Feedwater Control Valve, (feedwater controller in Manual)

Boiler demand and steam flow constant at 50%
The increase in feedwater flow results in a transient decrease in drum level due
to the quenching effect of the relatively cool feedwater flow followed by a rise in
drum level.
3.3 Discussion
Inverse response of drum level on changes to feedwater flow, occurs when the
relatively cool feedwater has a quenching effect on the steam and water mixture
in the drum. This quenching results in a temporary drop in drum level when the
feedwater is increased. This results in a degradation of drum level control. If the
drum level controller is tuned too tightly it will respond to further increase
feedwater flow when this temporary drop in level occurs.
26
4 Experiment - 3 Element Drum Level Control - Feedwater Shrink / Swell
Enabled
4.1 Objective:
• To determine the effects on drum level control when feedwater shrink swell
effects are enabled
In this experiment, the drum level will be operated closed loop in 3 element
mode. The boiler will be initialized to steady state. A steam demand step
increase will be created. The resultant boiler level transient will be compared to
the transient when the drum shrink swell effect disabled - Experiment 2, section
2.2.1.
4.2 Procedure
Controls and Monitoring window is displayed on the screen as shown on
page 6.
below.
Continuously
click to select the
boiler dynamics
shown
27
4. Repeat steps 4 to 19 described in section 2.2.1
The response should look similar to that below:
Drum Level Transient on Steam Demand Step Change - 3 Element Control

Feedwater shrink / swell effects enabled
Steam Demand
Feedwater Flow
Steam Flow
Drum Level
Demand 50% to 60% step change
4.3 Discussion
Notice that shortly after the change in demand corresponding to an increased
load such as that of a steam turbine, steam flow begins to increase followed by
the feedwater flow. The feedwater flow reacts relatively quickly due to
feedforward action of the steam flow on feedwater flow. The minimum drum level
transient is larger than that which occurred with feedwater shrink / swell disabled,
shown in section 2.2.1, (minimum drum level about 33% or 17 % transient,
compared with 38% and 12% for transient with shrink / swell disabled). The
shrink / swell effect makes control of the drum level more difficult.
Inverse Response Disabled /Enabled Comparison
Inverse Response Disabled Inverse Response Enabled
28
5 Experiment - Drum Level Shrink Swell Due to Steam Flow Changes
5.1 Objective:
• To determine the effects on drum level control when steam flow shrink swell
effects are enabled
In this part of the experiment, the level control system will be set to 1 element
and placed in manual mode (no feedback from the controller to compensate the
change in level). In the first part of the experiment, the shrink swell factor on
steam flow will be set to 0.0 to disable the effect. The steam demand will then be
increased from 50 to 60%. In the second part of the experiment, the shrink / swell
factor on steam flow will be enabled. Again, the steam demand will then be
increased from 50 to 60%. The drum level responses will then be compared.
5.1.2 Procedure -Drum Level Steam Flow Shrink / Swell - Disabled

Controls and Monitoring window is displayed on the screen as shown below:
Click to select
Click to select
Boiler Initialize
Window
Click to select
Drum Level
Trend Recorder
Auto/Manual
variables
Command
Click to select Button
Equipment
Switches
29
below. This set of dynamics will disable shrink / swell effects.

7. Click Boiler Initialize , click Select Steady State Operating Conditions.

8. Click Select Boiler Initialize Set and find the set of operating conditions
where the comment is 50% Operating Point (50% steam flow, demand, and
pressure).
11. Click Yes
14. Repeat the previous two steps and select Steam Flow, Steam Demand for
the trend recorder
15. Click Equipment Switches
16. Click 3 Element / 1 Element Drum Level
17. Click 1 Element Control
30
18. Click the drum Level controller Auto / Manual command button. This will
switch the controller to manual preventing the feedwater from increasing,
thereby isolating the effect of steam flow on drum level.
19. Pause the simulation
20. Click Window
21. Click Steam Demand Settings and increase the Base Demand settings to
60%
22. Click Close to close the Variable Demand Generator window.
23. Click Unpause to restart the simulation and observe the transient. It should
look as follows:
5.1.3 Discussion
Notice that the drum level decreases with increasing steam flow. This is to be
expected when the steam flow and feedwater flow is not balanced, with the
steam flow greater than the feedwater flow.
5.2.2 Procedure -Drum Level Steam Flow Shrink / Swell - Enabled

The program starts with the boiler in the cold shutdown state. The Boiler Controls
and Monitoring window is displayed on the screen as shown on the next page:
Boiler Dynamics Scroll Bar and select the set of boiler dynamics shown on
the next page. This set of dynamics will enable steam flow shrink / swell
effects.
31
Click to select
Click to select
4.
Boiler Initialize
Window
Click to select
Drum Level
Trend Recorder
Auto/Manual
variables Command
Click to select Button
Equipment
Switches
32
4. Repeat steps 4 to 23 from Procedure section 5.1.2
After step 23 has been completed the response should look like that below.
5.2.3 Discussion
In the plot, the drum level transiently rises a few percent after the steam flow
begins increasing. This is a counterintuitive result. No additional feedwater is
entering the drum, yet the drum level transiently rises.
The reason for transient rise is due to the increased fuel firing and resultant
increase in boiling. This results in a decrease in water/steam density and a
momentary rise in drum level. With an imbalance between feedwater flow and
steam flow, the drum level eventually falls.
The shrink / swell effects have been analyzed in isolation. In fact the steam / flow
shrink swell and feedwater shrink swell are somewhat self-compensating.
Inverse Response Disabled /Enabled Side By Side Comparison
33
6 Experiment - Boiler Air Fuel Control System
6.1 Objective:
• To understand the air / fuel control system and how cross limiting protects a
boiler from producing a fuel rich mixture
• To observe the effects of excess air on boiler efficiency
In the first part of the lab, the action of the cross-limiting logic will be
demonstrated. The boiler will be initialized to steady state. The fuel flow controller
will be put into manual and the controller output will be increased in a stepwise
manner manually.
6.1.2 Procedure - Cross Limiting Logic - Step Change in Fuel Flow

and Monitoring window is displayed on the screen as shown below:
2. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window, Click Window. To view the
Click to select
Boiler Initialize
Click to select
Trend Recorder
variables Click to select
Window
followed by Air
Fuel Flow Fuel Control
Controller Auto
Manual
Command
Button
Click to select
Equipment
Switches
34
air / fuel control window when doing experiment 3, click Air Fuel Control.
Air Fuel Control System
3. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window, click Boiler Initialize , click
pressure).
7. Click Yes
9. Click Air Flow
10. Repeat the previous two steps and select Fuel Flow, Fuel Flow Controller
Out
11. Click on the Auto/Manual command button (A) for the fuel gas flow controller
putting the controller into Manual
12. Click and drag to the right the scroll bar of the fuel flow controller, creating a
step increase the fuel flow controller output.
35
The response should resemble that shown below:
Air Flow
Fuel Flow
Controller
Output Air Flow
6.1.3 Discussion
As the fuel flow increases, the air flow controller set point also increases. This
happens because the air flow controller set point receives the output from the
high selector FY2A. Since the firing rate (one of the inputs to the high selector)
remains constant, the increasing fuel flow gets selected causing the set point of
the air flow controller to increase. This will ensure that fuel flow increases cannot
occur without an accompanying increase in air flow. Leaving the boiler in this
state will result in a shutdown on high steam pressure.
6.2.2 Procedure - Cross Limiting Logic - Step Change in Air Flow

In the second part of the lab, the air flow controller will be put into manual and the
controller output will be increased in a stepwise manner manually.
1. Repeat steps 1 to 8 in Procedure section 6.1.2

2. Click Air Flow.
3. Repeat the previous two steps and select Fuel Flow, Air Flow Controller
Out
4. Click on the Auto/Manual command button (A) for the air flow controller
putting the controller into Manual
5. Click and drag to the right, the scroll bar of the air flow controller, creating a
step increase the air flow controller output.
The response should resemble that shown below:
Air Flow
Controller Air Flow
Output
Fuel Flow
6.2.3 Discussion
The increase in air flow results in no accompanying rise in fuel flow. Air flow is
allowed to lead fuel flow. The fuel flow controller set point is set by the output
from the low selector FY2B. One of the inputs to FY2B is from the air flow
measurement while the other is from the firing rate. Since the input from air flow
rises while the firing rate remains constant, the low selector output remains
constant. Fuel flow set point eventually begins to increase due to the drop in
36
steam flow caused by the additional air flow. The drop in steam flow results in a
drop in pressure with a subsequent rise in firing rate and ultimately fuel flow.
6.3.2 Procedure - Cross Limiting Logic - All Controllers in Automatic - Step

Increase in Steam Demand
In the next part of the lab all controllers will be in automatic. A step change in
steam demand will occur. The fuel flow, air flow, and steam demand will be
trended
3. Click Air Flow
4. Repeat the previous two steps and select Fuel Flow, Steam Demand
In the following steps you will create a step increase in steam demand
7. Continuously the Click top of Base Demand Scroll bar until Base Demand is
set to 60% (an increase of 10%). This step increase in base demand will be
Click to
increase Base
Demand to
60%
simulation.
The response should look similar to that on the next page:
37
Air Flow
Steam Demand
Fuel Flow
6.3.3 Discussion
With an increase in steam demand, air flow leads followed by fuel flow. This will
ensure adequate combustion air.
6.4.2 Procedure - Cross Limiting Logic - All Controllers in Automatic - Step

Decrease in Steam Demand
In the next part of the lab you will observe the air flow, fuel flow, and steam
demand when a step decrease in demand occurs. All controllers will be in
automatic as for the previous part.

3. Click Air Flow
4. Repeat the previous two steps and select Fuel Flow, Steam Demand
In the following steps you will create a step decrease in steam demand
7. Continuously the Click bottom of Base Demand Scroll bar until Base Demand
is set to 40% (a decrease of 10%). This step decrease in base demand will be
Click to
decrease Base
Demand to
40%
40
38
simulation.
The response should look similar to that shown below:
Air Flow
Steam Demand
Fuel Flow
6.4.3 Discussion
With a decrease in steam demand, fuel flow leads (is decreased) followed by a
decrease in air flow. This will ensure adequate combustion air.
6.5.2 Procedure - Changing the Air / Fuel Ratio

In the next part of the lab, the air / fuel ratio will be increased from 1.0 to 1.1. The
fuel flow, air flow, and boiler efficiency will be plotted. In addition the process
variables window will be opened and the values of the fuel flow, air flow, and
efficiency will be noted before and after the air / fuel ratio has been changed.

3. Click Air Flow
4. Repeat the previous two steps and select Fuel Flow, Boiler Efficiency
5. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window Click Window
6. Click Boiler Process Variables
The window should show the following values:
39
7. Click From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window Controller
8. Click Air Flow
9. Click the right side of the Air / Fuel Ratio increase/decrease button and set
the ratio to 1.1
Click to increase
Air / Fuel Ratio
10. Click Close to close the Air Flow Controller Tuning Window
The transient behaviour of the air flow, fuel flow, and boiler efficiency should look
like that shown on the next page.
Boiler Efficiency
Fuel Flow
Air Flow
Notice the rise in the air flow followed by the rise in fuel flow. The fuel flow rises
as a result of the drop of steam flow and steam pressure. In the steady state the
fuel flow has increased and the boiler efficiency decreased.
11. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window Click Window
12. Click Boiler Process Variables
The window should show the following value:
40
6.5.3 Discussion
Notice from the Boiler Process Data Window that:
1) the air flow has risen from 54738 to 61683 lbs/hr
2) the fuel flow has increased from 65.68 to 67.29 MMBTU/HR
3) the boiler efficiency has decreased from 91.3 to 89.2 %
4) the excess Oxygen has increased from 3.1 to 5.4 %
When the air/fuel ratio was increased, the excess oxygen increased. Because of
the extra air passing through the boiler there is a transient cooling effect resulting in
a drop in steam flow. The resulting drop in pressure is sensed by the master
pressure controller. This results in an increase in boiler firing rate. This increased
firing for the same steam demand results in a drop in boiler efficiency.
If the air/fuel ratio had been decreased, the opposite effect would have occurred. Of
course the boiler must never be operated with less air than is required for complete
combustion because of the possible build up of pockets of fuel rich mixture in the
firebox where it could present an explosion or fire hazard. In addition these
unburned hydrocarbons depositing on the inner surface of some of the boiler's
components such as an air preheater could also eventually present a fire hazard.
While there is an economic penalty when too much excess oxygen is supplied to a
boiler, there is also an economic penalty when unburned fuel is released up the
stack. In fact most industrial boilers operate at excess oxygen levels of at least 1.5
%. This is to compensate for the fact that in the burner, mixing is imperfect and as
such, the excess oxygen must be held at some value above the value required for
complete combustion (sometimes referred to as stoichiometric).
On many boilers the excess oxygen set point is programmed as a function of boiler
load. i.e. At higher loads the excess oxygen can be reduced due to the better
mixing at the burners. Frequently boiler control systems make use of a carbon
monoxide measurement and controller to constrain the excess oxygen controller's
output from decreasing the air by too much.
7 Experiment - Changing the Dynamics of the Boiler

7.1 Objective:
• Observe the effects of changing the dynamics (response) of a boiler.
• Observe the effects of retuning the controllers to accommodate "faster" and
"slower" boilers.
This exercise will be implemented by initializing the boiler to a predefined steady
state operating point. The boiler loading will then be changed by altering the
steam demand in a stepwise manner. The response will be plotted. The
dynamics of the boiler will then be changed along with the controlle r tuning
constants. The steam demand will be will be changed as for the previous set of
boiler dynamics and the plotted results will then be compared.
41
7.1.2 Procedure:
Click to select
Boiler Initialize
Click to select
Trend Recorder
variables Click to select
Window
and Monitoring window is displayed on the screen as shown on the next page:
pressure).
7. Click Yes
42
9. Click Steam Pressure
10. Repeat the previous 2 steps for Steam Flow, Drum Level, Feedwater Flow,
Air Flow, Fuel Flow, Steam Demand
55%
look as follows:
The response should look like that shown below:
Steam Flow
Fuel Flow
Air Flow
Drum Level
Feedwater Flow
Steam Pressure
Note that the dynamics settings for the above response are shown below:
43
7.1.3 Discussion
The response shown is for a boiler with dynamics given in the Boiler Dynamic
window shown on the previous page. If the time constants are reduced from 5
seconds, the boiler will be given a faster response, perhaps mimicking a smaller
boiler. A "faster" boiler will be explored in the next part of the experiment.
7.2.2 Procedure - A "Faster" Boiler

In the next part of the lab, the time constants of the boiler will be decreased in
effect making the boiler response faster. The same 5 % step change in steam
demand will be created and the response plotted and compared with that in
7.1.2.
and Monitoring window is displayed on the screen as shown page 42.
below. The decrease in the time constants will result in a boiler with a faster
response.
44
pressure).
11. Click Yes
13. Click Steam pressure
14. Repeat the previous 2 steps for Steam Flow, Drum Level, Feedwater Flow,
Air Flow, Fuel Flow, Steam Demand
55%
look as follows:
Notice that the maximum transient is slightly less than for the previous (slower)
set of boiler dynamics.
Steam Flow
Fuel Flow
Air Flow
Drum Level
Feedwater Flow
Steam Pressure
45
Slower Boiler / Faster Boiler Comparison - Tuning Constants the Same
Slower Dynamics
Faster Dynamics
In the next exercise, the dynamics will stay as for the previous transient, except
that the controllers will be tuned to take advantage of the faster boiler response.
20. Repeat steps 7 through 14 of Procedure section 7.2.2

21. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window click Controller
22. Click Fuel Flow
23. Set Proportional to 15%, Integral to 30 sec, Derivative to 0. Do this by clicking
the appropriate increase / decrease button. Click Close to close the Fuel Gas
Controller tuning window.
25. Click Air Flow
26. Set Proportional to 15%, Integral to 30 sec, Derivative to 0. Do this by clicking
the appropriate increase / decrease button. Click Close to close the Air Flow
28. Click Feedwater
29. Set Proportional to 40%, Integral to 25 Sec, Derivative to 0. Do this by clicking
the appropriate increase / decrease button. Click Close to close the
Feedwater Flow Controller tuning window.
30. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window Click Controller
46
32. Set Proportional at 150%, Integral at 40 Sec, Derivative at 0. Do this by
clicking the appropriate increase / decrease button. Click Close to close the
Drum Level Controller tuning window.
33. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window click Controller. Click
Pressure
34. Set Proportional to 80%, Integral to 45 Sec, Derivative to 7. Do this by clicking
the appropriate increase / decrease button. Click Close to close the Pressure
55%
look as follows:
Air Flow Steam Flow

Fuel Flow
Feedwater Flow
Steam Pressure
Drum Level
7.2.3 Discussion
The transient response of the "faster" boiler has been improved significantly by
retuning the boiler controllers. The gains of the controllers were increased and
the integral times decreased. Derivative was increased for the pressure
controller. Tuning boilers must be done on an individual basis. The constants
used are a function of the dynamics of a boiler. The performance can be
significantly improved when controllers are properly tuned. Notice the drop in
steam pressure of about 7% for the retuned boiler, whereas a drop in steam
pressure of about 12% occurred when using original tuning constants with the
"faster boiler". The retuned boiler displays a decaying oscillatory response.
47
Comparison of Boiler Responses - Original Tuning and Retuned
Original Tuning of
Controllers
Retuned Controllers
8 Suggestions for Additional Experiments
Win Boiler Sim is equipped with many features that will allow you to experiment
with Boiler Control. The following are a few suggestions:
1. Try running the boiler at different operating conditions. These can be

selected from the Boiler Initialize window. You may also want to create some
additional sets of steady state operating conditions. This procedure is
described in section 4 of the user's manual.
2. Try using square wave, triangle wave, and sine wave steam demand signals
with or without random drift.
3. Try optimizing the tuning for various different sets of boiler dynamics and see
how the boiler behaves for the various types of steam demand signals
described in the previous step. Remember to tune the fuel gas and air flow
first, then the feedwater, followed by the drum level, and finally the steam
pressure controller. This is essentially a cascade feedforward control system.
The secondary loops are always optimally tuned first.
4. Run the boiler, and observe the operation using the Dynamic Graphic
window.
5. Study the Drum Level Control and Air / Fuel Control windows to determine
what the control system is doing for various operating conditions. Observing
48
the various numerical values from the text box gives the user a good
understanding of what the control system is doing.
6. Try initiating various alarm and shutdown conditions. This could be done by
manually shutting down the fan and /or feedwater pump, or manually closing
control valves.
7. Try igniting the pilot with the air flow set higher than 40% during startup.
8. Try to determine how the boiler efficiency changes as the boiler is operated at
different loads.
9. Try experimenting with the shrink swell factors to see how the boiler drum
transient performance is affected.
10. Try decreasing the air to fuel ratio by a small amount, say .02, .03, .04, .05,
and observe the effect on the boiler efficiency.
49

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Boiler Control and

Burner Management Simulator

1 Experiment - Boiler Start-Up

2 Experiment - Boiler Drum Level Control - 3 Element Control / 1 Element

3. Experiment - Inverse Response of Drum Level

4 Experiment - 3 Element Drum Level Control - Feedwater Shrink / Swell

5 Experiment - Drum Level Shrink Swell Due to Steam Flow Changes

7 Experiment - Changing the Dynamics of the Boiler

8 Suggestions for Additional Experiments 48

The experiments are organized as follows:

• Understand the equipment and logic associated with burner management

1.1.1 Burner Management Description

The Burner Management system is shown below:

3. Load the Boiler:

4. Select Trend Variables:

5. Set the drum level to Single Element:

6. Start the feedwater Pump:

7. Set the drum level to Approximately 50%.

Drum level Click to

The method to set the drum level is as follows:

10. Start Forced Draft (FD) fan.

11. Establish Adequate Combustion Air.

12. Burner Management Status:

Combustion Air Adequate Light Green/steady

The valves should be in the following state:

Main Block Valve 1 Closed White

This completes experiment 1. The Boiler is at a steady state operating condition

The previously described start up procedure is for educational purposes

2 Experiment - Boiler Drum Level Control - 3 Element Control / 1 Element

2.2.1 Procedure - 3 Element Drum Level Control:

2. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window, Click Window.

4. From the Boiler Dynamics window, click File

The following step will initialize the boiler.

The response should look similar to that on the next page:

Notice that shortly after the change in demand corresponding to an increased

2.2.2 Procedure - 1 Element Drum Level Control:

1. Repeat steps 1. through 18. In section 2.2.1 - the 3 element control

The response should look similar to that below:

Drum Level Transient on Steam Demand Step Change - 1 Element Control, No

3 Element/ 1 Element Comparison of Responses

3. Experiment - Inverse Response of Drum Level

3.2.1 Procedure - Open Loop Drum Level Response - Feedwater Shrink /

1. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window, Click Window

8. From the Boiler Initialization window, click File

The plot should look like that on the next page:

3.2.2 Procedure - Open Loop Drum Level Response - Feedwater Shrink /

In this experiment, the shrink / swell effects of feedwater will be enabled.

1. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window, click Window

3. Repeat steps 3. to 15. in section 3.2.1

The plot should look like that below:

Step Change to Feedwater Control Valve, (feedwater controller in Manual)

2. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window, Click Window.

The response should look similar to that below:

Drum Level Transient on Steam Demand Step Change - 3 Element Control

Demand 50% to 60% step change

Inverse Response Disabled /Enabled Comparison

Inverse Response Disabled Inverse Response Enabled

5.1.2 Procedure -Drum Level Steam Flow Shrink / Swell - Disabled

2. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window, Click Window.

4. From the Boiler Dynamics window, click File

7. Click Boiler Initialize , click Select Steady State Operating Conditions.

5.2.2 Procedure -Drum Level Steam Flow Shrink / Swell - Enabled

2. From the Boiler Controls and Monitoring window, Click Window.