Air Preheater Seal Upgrades Renew Plant Efficiency

3/20/23, 4:24 PM Air Preheater Seal Upgrades Renew Plant Efficiency

Featured Categories  
O&M
Air Preheater
Oct 1, 2010 Seal Upgrades

by POWER
Renew Plant
Efficiency
ALSO IN THIS
ISSUE
October 1, 2010 The air preheater is a critical, yet often

overlooked, component of the boiler
Coal Oct 1, 2010
combustion air system. Evaluating and
Map of Coal-Fired
optimizing a heater’s performance is
Generation in the
difficult given how entwined it is with the
United States
entire combustion system and the lack of
by POWER
standardized calculation tools. Reducing
leakage by using modern seal technology
O&M Oct 1, 2010 will improve combustion efficiency,
FBC Control maintain fan performance, and keep your
Strategies for
downstream air quality control equipment
Burning Biomass
operating within spec.
by POWER
The regenerative air heater or air

preheater (APH) on a large utility boiler
close x
often accounts for about 10% of the unit’s

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© 2023 Access Intelligence, LLC - All Rights Reserved.
https://www.powermag.com/air-preheater-seal-upgrades-renew-plant-efficiency/ 1/28
O&M Oct 1, 2010 thermal efficiency. Its performance is so

Taming
Featured Categories 
critical that just a 10F change in gas exit 
Condenser Tube
temperature can change the boiler
Leaks, Part II
efficiency by a quarter of a percent,
by POWER representing hundreds of thousands of
dollars per year in purchased fuel cost.
News Oct 1, 2010 For an aging fleet of boilers operating with
Deep Excavation ultra-low-NOx firing equipment, accurate
Support Systems measurement, control, and containment of
Speed Plant the air and flue gas flowing through the
Construction
APH is critical.
by POWER
The major advantage of using an APH is
that it is the least expensive heat-recovery
Coal Oct 1, 2010
device available that is capable of
U.S. Coal-Fired
operating in the harsh environment of a
Power
fossil-fueled boiler’s flue gas exhaust. A
Development:
major drawback of the regenerative APH
Down but Not Out
is the undesired leakages that are

by POWER
inherent to its design.
FOLLOW US
Air leakage has the largest single effect
on APH performance. Ignore the health of
   your APH long enough and you’ll soon
experience some combination of
corrosion, fouling, ammonium bisulfate
We are first in your plugging, increased auxiliary power
inbox with the most consumption, and higher-pressure close x
important news in differentials that can limit combustion air

About Us Contact Us
thePrivacy Policy fan
Siteoperation.
Map
industry―keeping On balanced-draft boilers, additional air

you smarter and in-leakage upstream of the APH from 
one-step ahead in leaky penthouses, casings, and
this ever-changing expansion joints quickly makes accurate
and competitive control of excess oxygen problematic.
market. Also, both APH leakage and upstream air
in-leakage degrade air pollution control
Start your free equipment performance by increasing the
subscription velocity of suspended fly ash and
reducing electrostatic precipitator
residence time. (See “Real-Time
Monitoring System Measures Air In-
Leakage,” August 2010 and “Air Heater
Leakage: Worse Than You Think,” April
2006 in our archives at
https://www.powermag.com.)
APH Design
Fundamentals
A typical APH is illustrated in Figure 1. A

regenerative air heater captures the heat
in boiler exhaust gases by passing them
over a heat-absorbing metallic element. In
this most common design of a
regenerative APH (Ljungström) the
close x
element is continually rotated so that it

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alternately
Site Map
contacts the hot gases (red
arrow) and the cool inlet air (blue arrow)

Categories 
producedFeatured
by the plant’s forced-draft (FD) 
fans. Typically, about 50% to 60% of the
total heat content of the exit gases is
captured and recycled, resulting in about
a 10% improvement in boiler efficiency
when compared to an identical unit
without an APH.
Also shown on Figure 1 are the various

leakage paths through the APH. Each
leakage type is discussed in detail below.
close x

1. Circumferential leakage through an APH. The left blue line represents the
bypass seal leakage around the air preheater into the warm airflow. The bottom blue
line represents the bypass seal leakage (also called peripheral seals) passing the
axial seals into the gas path. The red line on the right represents the bypass seal
leakage passing around the air preheater (APH) into the cold gas flow. The top
yellow arrows represent the hot radial seal leakage, while the bottom yellow arrows
represent the cold radial seal leakage. Courtesy: Storm Technologies Inc.
Sealing these dynamic structures is close x
extremely difficult due to their large

diameter
Site Map
(up to 60 feet across)©and the
2023 Access Intelligence, LLC - All Rights Reserved.
large temperature difference between

Categories 
their hot Featured
and cold ends (about 400F). 
Together, these characteristics produce
significant radial thermal expansion
difference between the hot and cold sides
of the APH’s rotor after unit start-up. It’s
not uncommon for the outer edges of a
large APH at operating temperature to
droop or “turn down” by 3 inches or more
compared with the cold condition (Figure
2).
close x
2. Thermal turndown. The typical APH may be as much as 60 feet in diameter.

About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy When the APH rotor is heated ©
Site Map from a cold condition (blue), thermal expansion
(yellow) can cause the rotor to droop or “turn down” up to 3 inches on the periphery.
Categories 
KnowingFeatured
the amount of turndown is important when presetting the seal position 
before operation, because seal positions will change as the rotor warms to its
operating temperature. Source: Storm Technologies Inc.
This thermal distortion droop opens gaps
in the sealing surfaces that separate the
cold incoming air from the outlet gases as
well as in the sealing surfaces around the
circumference of the APH. Turndown
changes the gaps between both the radial
and circumferential seals and their
respective sealing surfaces where gas
and air bypass the rotor and heat
exchange elements.
Two Types of Seal
Leakage
Consider APH leakage as being one of

two types and taking one or more of four
distinct leakage paths through
regenerative APH seals (Paths A, B, C,
and D in Figure 3). Each leakage path
affects the economic operation and heat
rate of the plant in a different way:
close x

3. Four leakage paths through an APH. Path 1 is the normal airflow path through
the APH and Path 2 is the normal flue gas flow path. Path A shows the forced draft
(FD) fan flow leaking ambient air directly to the gas outlet duct (through the radial or
circumferential seals). Path B shows preheated FD fan airflow that short-circuits
back to the gas outlet duct. Path C represents ambient FD fan air that leaks around
the APH and enters the boiler unheated. Path D represents hot flue gas exiting the
boiler, bypassing the APH, and exhausting at a high temperature. Source: Storm
Technologies Inc.
Circumferential/bypass leakage close x
(Paths C and D) has an effect on

About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy heat transfer and boiler heat
Site Map rate. A
portion of the leakage Path C will

Featured Categories
also travel around the outside
 
circumference of the rotor, joining
the flow of leakage Path A and
increasing fan horsepower
requirements.
Radial seal leakage (Paths A and B)
is typically calculated as a
percentage of the boiler exit gas
flow (Path 2), not as a percentage of
fan input airflow (Path 1).
Knowing the gas flow leakage (as a

percentage) is convenient when
calculating the “correction” in gas exit
temperature that results from air in-
leakage when doing overall boiler
efficiency tests.
Circumferential Seal Leaks.

Circumferential seals are located on the
entire circumference of the APH rotor, on
both the hot end and cold end of the APH.
On the flue gas side of the APH, all of the
leakage through the inlet side
circumferential seals will short-circuit
around the APH (bypassing the heat
transfer element) and exit through the
close x
downstream circumferential seals. This

About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy leakage
Site Mapresults in a loss of enthalpy
transfer into the element and increases

the temperature (and therefore the actual 
volume) of gas entering the induced-draft
(ID) fans.
On the air side of the APH, the volume of

leakage through the first set of
circumferential seals will enter the
annulus around the perimeter of the rotor,
where the leakage will split in two
directions. The volume of leakage in each
direction depends on the differential
pressures between points of exit. A
portion of the flow will continue in a
straight path and exit through the second
set of circumferential seals. The
remainder of the flow will be directed
around the perimeter of the rotor and exit
into the exhaust gas stream (through the
axial seals), and that volume will, in turn,
exit the APH through the gas-side cold
end circumferential seals.
Most difficult to account for is air or gas

bypassing the APH around the
circumference of the APH. There is no
simple or effective way to take an actual
measurement of leakage around the
close x
circumference of the APH. These leakage

About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy rates must be calculated using©pressure
Site Map
differentials and measuring gaps between

Categories 
the rotor Featured
and the circumferential/bypass 
seals, with an allowance for structural
deformation at operating temperature,
including rotor expansion and chord
distortion between diaphragms.
One simple estimating approach is to

consider the total leakage cross section
as equivalent to that of a flat plate orifice
to calculate the leakage flow rate.
Although it is not a perfect match to
perimeter leakage in an APH, it provides a
closer approximation than traditional crack
flow equations for ventilation systems,
which are more appropriate for very small
openings with very small differential
pressures.
Radial Seal Leaks. Radial seal leakage

represents the percentage increase in
outlet gas flow caused by the mass of
inlet air leaking into the gas outlet stream.
(The majority of this leakage, as
measured, is flowing past the radial seal
area, but in reality, this measurement also
includes other leakage paths, including
entrained leakage and axial seal leakage.)
close x
Shockingly, leakage rates attributed to

About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy radial seals have been measured
Site Map at over
40% in some APHs, and leakage rates

around 20% are often accepted as a 
“normal” condition. However, this much
leakage places a significant extra burden
on the boiler fans in order to move gas
and air that serves no useful purpose.
In addition, changes in fuels and

operating conditions over the years often
push ID fans to near rated capacity. When
a fan is operating at over 80% of capacity,
the slope of the horsepower/volume curve
becomes very steep. At near full capacity,
a 1% increase in fan volume often results
in a 3% increase in required fan
horsepower.
Two Radial Leakage
Penalties
Two penalties to boiler performance occur

with excessive radial seal leakage. The
first is the thermal losses associated with
the leakage air cooling the APH. The
second is the additional auxiliary
horsepower consumed by the fans for
pushing more flow.
close x
The first step in determining the thermal

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Site Map
temperature corrected for no leakage. The

ASME performance test code (PTC) 
assumes that all of the air in-leakage
occurs on the cold side. However, in
reality it is a mix of the hot and cold side
radial leakage. The hot side radial
leakage does not cool the outlet
temperature as much as the cold side
leakage does. Though the exact split will
vary and can’t be directly measured, a
good assumption is that the leakage is
biased 60/40 to the cold side due to
higher differential pressures and the
higher density of cooler air at the cold end
of the APH. Because the hot side radial
seal leakage returns some of its heat to
the cold air, use the gas outlet
temperature instead of the air outlet
temperature in your calculations.
Once a representative gas outlet

temperature is calculated, the total
enthalpy drop for the gas and the enthalpy
rise for the air can be calculated to find
the heat transfer efficiency. Dividing the
enthalpy rise of the air by the enthalpy
drop of the gas will give you the overall
heat transfer efficiency for the APH. close x

The other impact that radial leakage has

on plant efficiency is the increased air and 
gas flow through the fans. The flow and
static pressures at a fan can be used to
find the fan efficiency and, hence, the
additional horsepower load placed on the
fan(s).
Other Causes of Seal
Leakages
Erosion caused by fly ash has resulted in

the rapid loss of a heat exchange element
as well as damage to perimeter seals,
radial seals, and rotor diaphragms. The
high ash content associated with many of
the coals used at plants experiencing
these problems is obviously a contributing
factor. However, two other factors with
regard to erosion are actually more
important than ash content: abrasiveness
and ash velocity.
The abrasiveness of fly ash increases as

the amount of silica and alumina
increases. In the case of some low-rank
coals, the silica and alumina content of
the ash can amount to about 90% of the close x
total mineral content by weight.

Ash velocity is as much as three times

more important than ash content or 
abrasiveness when it comes to
determining the rate of erosion. One way
to defeat high ash velocity is to increase
the fineness of the coal particles leaving
the pulverizers and balancing the coal and
air flows to each of the burners.
Many combustion experts recommend a

coal fineness of 75% through a 200-mesh
screen to reduce the abrasive effects of
ash in the furnace and downstream
equipment (see “Finessing Fuel
Fineness,” October 2008). Non-uniform
flows can also cause high-velocity
slipstreams that result in severe erosion of
the outer basket rings (Figure 4). Also,
pay careful attention to excessive
turbulence of the flue gas entering the
APH by adding flow straighteners and
turning vanes as determined by
computerized flow modeling studies.
close x

4. Typical erosion damage. The outer ring basket erosion shown was caused by fly
ash abrasiveness and excessive particulate velocity. Courtesy: Paragon Airheater
Technologies Inc.
Cut Your Losses
The calculable savings for improving APH

leakage are substantial. In addition, there
are significant costs related to the impact
that suboptimal airheater performance close x
has on the combustion process and on

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Siteand
MapID fans. Other impacts©include
erosion concerns downstream,

Featured Categories
precipitator performance issues due to
 
higher inlet velocities (offset slightly due to
decreased flue gas temperature), and
other possible costs of colder combustion
air, as discussed.
In some plants, just the fan horsepower

wasted in handling radial seal leakage
can exceed 3 MW, which can result in an
overall net heat rate penalty in the range
of 50 to 75 Btu/kWh—a 0.5% to 0.75%
decrease in overall unit efficiency. On a
typical 500-MW unit, this magnitude of
radial seal leakage results in increased
coal consumption in the range of 15,000
to 20,000 tons per year.
Research and modeling performed by

Teodor Skiepko and Ramesh K. Shah
(“Influence of Leakage Distribution on the
Thermal Performance of a Rotary
Regenerator,” Applied Thermal
Engineering, Vol. 19, 1999 and “Modeling
and Effect of Leakages on Heat Transfer
Performance of Fixed Matrix
Regenerators,” International Journal of
Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol. 48, 2005) close x
concluded that, in some cases, just 10%

About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy leakage
Site Mapcan reduce the overall©thermal
efficiency of an APH by 9.8% to 13.2%,

Featured Categories
depending on the proportion of flow that
 
goes through each leakage path. This is a
very substantial decrease in performance
that can be prevented.
To assess APH performance, the

temperatures in and out of both sides of
the APH need to be known as well as the
oxygen concentrations before and after
the gas side of the APH. Velocity heads
need to be measured, where practicable,
to determine if there are any significant
flow stratifications in the ducts. If so, the
temperature and oxygen should be
averaged on a flow-weighted basis.
Furthermore, to perform a proper thermal
heat balance, the air and gas flows must
be known before and after the APH.
These temperatures can be calculated as
a function of O2 levels, static pressure,
temperature, and velocity head measured
at the both entrances and exits of the
APH.
Calculating the motor horsepower and

understanding the heat rate impacts of the
APH, system draft, and unit load is close x
extremely important when conducting an

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Site Map of this system. For example,
draft increases also affect fan power

consumption. Total draft and flow impacts 
can be evaluated on a case-by-case basis
provided the system leakage and static
pressures have been measured along
with design APH and fan data.
The ASME PTC 4.3 Air Heater Test Code

is somewhat outdated and differs slightly
from how a modern field test is
conducted. The code suggests comparing
the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2)
before and after the APH instead of
oxygen, which is much more easily
measured. Unfortunately, not all of the
possible leakage paths discussed above
are identified by the code, and CO2 is
typically a calculated value, not a
measured one. The code also has no
provision for air or gas bypassing the APH
through the circumference of the APH. It
only includes the effect of air that
bypasses the APH and short-circuits to
the flue gas flow.
Reducing APH Outlet
Gas Temperature
close x

To minimize fuel consumption, the flue

gas exit temperature from an APH must 
be kept as low as practical. Go too low
and the baskets and cold end structural
elements will experience destructive acid
condensation and therefore corrosion.
However, compared with the cost of the
excess fuel burned to maintain a gas
outlet temperature well above the dew
point to reduce cold end corrosion, the
cost of a replacement set of cold end
baskets is almost incidental.
The chemical process that causes the

cold end acid corrosion is well
understood. Acid condensation occurs
wherever the gas temperature is reduced
to less than the saturation pressure
(partial pressure) of the SO3 present in
the flue gas. Under those conditions, a
dilute solution of sulfuric acid condenses
on and is corrosive to APH structures and
baskets. That is why, in most plants, the
cold end element layer in an APH is
sacrificial and is designed to be replaced
relatively easily and at modest cost.
In modern power plants, operations strive close x
to minimize gas outlet temperatures by

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Site Map APH heat transfer ©
efficiency.
There are two principal ways to decrease

the exit gas temperature on an existing 
unit: increased element depth and APH
speed of rotation.
Some of the APHs installed today were

originally designed with some open space
that can accommodate several inches to
several feet depth of additional heat
transfer surface area. Adding additional
heat transfer surface will decrease the exit
flue gas temperature. For those units
without extra space, alternate basket
designs are available that have the same
outside depth as the original baskets, but
they can accommodate up to 3 inches of
additional element depth by modifying the
traditionally deep structural bars at the top
and bottom of each basket.
Most air heaters were designed to operate

at a single, fixed speed of rotation. The
recent studies by Skiepko and Shah
indicate that it may be possible to
increase the thermal efficiency of an
existing air heater by changing its speed
of rotation. The practical application of this
concept is unproven, but preliminary full- close x
scale experimentation at a plant in North

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Site Maphas shown encouraging results.
Additionally, slowing the speed of rotation

Categories 
during airFeatured
heater sootblowing operation 
can be used to increase the sootblower
residence time in the faster-moving outer
radius of the air heater, which can help
maintain air heater cleanliness.
Leakage Repair
Solutions
A cost-effective and simple method for

reducing APH leakage is replacement of
the original equipment gas seals with
newer design high-performance, full-
contact radial seals and self-reinforcing
circumferential or bypass seals. Full-
contact seals have a proven performance
record in reducing APH leakage by as
much as 50% when used to replace the
original equipment type of radial seals
commonly found today on most APHs.
An example of a high-performance, full-

contact radial seal is shown in Figure 5.
The full-contact DuraMax radial seal is
constructed with a spring bellows that
allows the seal to maintain continuous but
flexible contact with the sealing plate at all close x
times, effectively eliminating the main

path for radial seal leakage. It is designed

to maintain contact even when the mating 
sealing surfaces (sector plates) have
become distorted or out of plane. In
comparison, the original design seal was
more of a rigid “proximity” air dam that is
much less effective, especially with an
aging air heater that has drifted from its
as-new dimensional tolerances (Figure 6).
5. Seal of approval. The continuous-contact DuraMax seal is shown, before (left)

and after (right) sector plate contact. The full-contact seal is constructed with a
spring bellows that allows the seal to maintain a continuous but flexible contact with
the sealing plate at all times, effectively eliminating the main path for radial seal
leakage. Courtesy: Paragon Airheater Technologies Inc.
close x

6. Original recipe. The original style of radial seal was more of an air dam rather
than a seal. Courtesy: Paragon Airheater Technologies Inc.
The new DuraFlex circumferential seals
have an interlocking and self-reinforcing
structural design that allows them to be
set in close proximity to the rotor sealing
surface without being damaged, thus
minimizing gaps and leakage openings
(Figure 7). The original style seals that
this design replaces are shown in Figure
8.
close x

7. Sealed tight. The DuraFlex circumferential/bypass seal has an interlocking and

self-reinforcing structural design that allows the seals to be set in close proximity to
the rotor sealing surface to minimize leakage. Courtesy: Paragon Airheater
Technologies Inc.
close x

8. Old seal technology. The original circumferential/bypass seal design can be

easily damaged if it makes contact during operation, and it may often be set with an
excess gap to reduce the potential for damage, but with resulting increased leakage.
Courtesy: Paragon Airheater Technologies Inc.
An example illustrates the positive benefit
of APH leakage reduction when replacing
standard, rigid seals with full-contact
radial seals to reduce just radial seal
leakage. After replacement with full-
contact DuraMax seals at American
Electric Power’s 500-MW Welch Station
Unit 3, the ID fan amperage decreased by
over 23%. The motor amperage is directly
close x
proportional to the motor power

requirements
Site Map
(see table).
Seal the deal. Test results from AEP’s Welch Station Unit 3 found a 23% reduction
in induced draft fan amps with full-contact radial seals when compared with the
original style of circumferential seals. Source: Storm Technologies Inc.
— Stephen K. Storm
(stephen.storm@stormeng.com) is
executive vice president, technical field
services at Storm Technologies Inc. John
Guffre (jguffre@paragonairheater.com) is
chief research scientist for Paragon
Airheater Technologies.
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3/20/23, 4:24 PM Air Preheater Seal Upgrades Renew Plant Efficiency

Oct 1, 2010 Seal Upgrades

October 1, 2010 The air preheater is a critical, yet often

The regenerative air heater or air

often accounts for about 10% of the unit’s

O&M Oct 1, 2010 thermal efficiency. Its performance is so

is the undesired leakages that are

important news in differentials that can limit combustion air

industry―keeping On balanced-draft boilers, additional air

A typical APH is illustrated in Figure 1. A

element is continually rotated so that it

arrow) and the cool inlet air (blue arrow)

Also shown on Figure 1 are the various

About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Site Map

extremely difficult due to their large

large temperature difference between

2. Thermal turndown. The typical APH may be as much as 60 feet in diameter.

Two Types of Seal

Consider APH leakage as being one of

About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Site Map

(Paths C and D) has an effect on

portion of the leakage Path C will

Knowing the gas flow leakage (as a

Circumferential Seal Leaks.

downstream circumferential seals. This

transfer into the element and increases

On the air side of the APH, the volume of

Most difficult to account for is air or gas

circumference of the APH. These leakage

differentials and measuring gaps between

One simple estimating approach is to

Radial Seal Leaks. Radial seal leakage

Shockingly, leakage rates attributed to

40% in some APHs, and leakage rates

In addition, changes in fuels and

Two Radial Leakage

Two penalties to boiler performance occur

The first step in determining the thermal

temperature corrected for no leakage. The

Once a representative gas outlet

About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Site Map

The other impact that radial leakage has

Other Causes of Seal

Erosion caused by fly ash has resulted in

The abrasiveness of fly ash increases as

total mineral content by weight.

Ash velocity is as much as three times

Many combustion experts recommend a

About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Site Map

Cut Your Losses

The calculable savings for improving APH

has on the combustion process and on

erosion concerns downstream,

In some plants, just the fan horsepower

Research and modeling performed by

concluded that, in some cases, just 10%

efficiency of an APH by 9.8% to 13.2%,

To assess APH performance, the

Calculating the motor horsepower and

extremely important when conducting an

draft increases also affect fan power

The ASME PTC 4.3 Air Heater Test Code

Reducing APH Outlet

About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Site Map