Boiler feed pump

Boiler feed pumps are also referred to as feed pumps (see Reactor pump) and designed as
multistage radial flow pumps. (Also see Multistage pump.)

They serve to feed a steam generator such as a boiler or a nuclear reactor with a quantity of feed
water corresponding to the quantity of steam emitted. Today, all boiler feed pumps are
centrifugal pumps.

The design of boiler feed pumps regarding power input, material, type of pump and drive is
largely governed by the developments which have taken place in power station technology. The
trend in fossil-fuelled power stations is towards larger and larger power station units (> 1000
MW in 2011). This has led to boiler feed pumps with a drive rating of 30 - 50 MW.

Until 1950, the average pressure in the outlet cross-section of the pump (discharge pressure of
the feed pump) was in the 200 bar region. By 1955 the average discharge pressure had risen to
400 bar. The mass flow rates were in the region of 350 tonnes/h in 1950, compared to 3200
tonnes/h (in some exceptions up to 4000 tonnes/h) today. Boiler feed pumps operate at fluid
temperatures of 160 to 210 ºC. In exceptional cases the temperature of the fluid handled may be
higher still.

Feed pumps for 1600 MW nuclear power stations are constructed for mass flow rates of up to
4000 tonnes/h and feed pump discharge pressures of 70 to 100 bar.

Until 1950 approximately, boiler feed pumps were made of unalloyed steels; since then they
have been made of steels with a chrome content of 13 - 14 %. This change of materials was made
necessary by the introduction of new chemical feed water compositions. The development of
highstrength, corrosion and erosion resistant martensitic chrome steels with good anti-seizure
properties as well as the continuous development of all pump components (bearings, shaft seal,
pump hydraulic system, etc.) paved the way for present-day boiler feed pumps with rotational
speeds of 4500 to 6000 rpm.

The mass flow rates of centrifugal pumps rose rapidly in conjunction with the rise of unit outputs
in power stations. Today's full load feed pumps for conventional 800 to 1100 MW power station
units are constructed with four to six stages with stage pressures of up to 80 bar. Feed pumps for
1600 MW nuclear power stations are of the single-stage type.

Drive

In the case of conventional power stations above 500 MW full load feed pumps are increasingly
driven by steam turbines. In most cases condensing turbines running at 5000 to 6000 rpm are
used.

Electric motors usually drive part load feed pumps, both in fossil-fuelled and in nuclear power
stations. Speed control of electrically driven feed pumps is effected by either fluid coupling (e. g.
variable speed turbo couplings) or by electrical closed-loop control systems by means of
thyristors (up to a drive rating of approximately 18 MW in 2011).

Four options of installing boiler feed pump drives are commonly used at present. See Fig. 1
Boiler feed pump

Fig. 1 Boiler feed pump:

Model with VP-EM-RG-HP layout

The low-speed booster pump is usually driven by the free shaft end of the turbine via a step-
down gear or directly by the free end of the electric motor. See Fig. 2 Boiler feed pump

Fig. 2 Boiler feed pump:

Arrangement layouts of feed pump sets

The single or double suction booster pump serves to generate the necessary NPSHR of the
system for the high-speed boiler feed pump connected downstream. Fig. 3 Boiler feed pump
 Fig. 3 Boiler feed pump:
Double-suction boiler feed booster pump

Design

For conventional power stations boiler feed pumps are designed as:

 Multistage barrel pull-out pumps, see Fig. 4 Boiler feed pump

 Ring-section pumps, see Fig. 5 Boiler feed pump

Fig. 4 Boiler feed pump:

Barrel pull-out model with tapping stage
 Fig. 5 Boiler feed pump: Ring-
section model with tapping stage

These two types only differ in the construction of their pressure-retaining enclosure, which
influences the manufacturing costs and ease of installation. There are no differences with regard
to operating reliability and robustness also in abnormal operating conditions. The dimensions of
the rotating parts and flow passages can be designed identically.

Two aspects of deciding between a ring-section and a barrel pull-out pump are
described below:

 The smaller the mass flow rate and the higher the pressure, the higher the material and
manufacturing costs of barrel pull-out pumps. This does not apply to the same extent to
ring-section pumps.

 Barrel pull-out pumps have some advantages over ring-section pumps when it comes to
repairing a pump installed in the system. If a rotor has to be replaced, the barrel (see
Pump casing) can remain installed in the piping. This is significant with regard to the
availability of a power station unit, if no full pump back-up is available or if pump
replacement is very time-consuming.

In the case of nuclear power stations, single-stage feed pumps with double-entry impeller (see
Double-suction pump) and double volute casing are usually adopted. See Fig. 6 Boiler feed pump
 Fig. 6 Boiler feed pump:
Double-suction reactor feed pump made of cast iron

Cast pressure-retaining casing parts are increasingly replaced by forged parts. As an example,
such a feed pump could be designed with a flow rate of about 4200 m3/h and a head of about 700
m at a rotational speed of 5300 rpm. See Fig. 5 Boiler feed pump

Heads of reactor feed pumps are in the region of 800 m for boiling water reactors and 600 m for
pressurised water reactors. The flow rates are about twice as high as those of a comparable boiler
feed pump in a fossil-fuelled power station.

Casing

For boiler feed pumps two factors have to be considered regarding the wall thickness of the
casing: the pressure loads and the different temperature conditions it needs to withstand. These
two criteria are satisfied by adopting a high-strength ferritic casing material which enables the
wall thickness to be kept thin enough to avoid any overloads as a result of temperature
fluctuations, yet of adequate thickness to guarantee the requisite safety against internal pressure.

Barrel casing 

 The casings of barrel pull-out pumps and barrel casing pumps are usually made of
unalloyed or low-alloyed ductile forged steel. Deposit welding is used on all surfaces in
contact with the feed water to coat them with corrosion and erosion resistant material.

 In order to weld the pump into the piping, an adapter must be provided if the materials of
the nozzles to be connected are from different material groups.

 The discharge-side (discharge pressure containing) barrel cover is fastened by means of

large non-torqued studs. Sealing is provided by a profile joint which is pressurised purely
 by the prevailing pressure (of up to several 100 bar) without any external forces acting on
it. See Fig. 7 Boiler feed pump

Fig. 7 Boiler feed pump:

Profile rings

Ring-section pumps

 The casings of ring-section pumps are preferably made of forged chrome or carbon steel
plated with austenitic (iron solid solution) material.

 The sealing element between the individual stage casings (see Stage) seals off by metal-
to-metal contact, the individual casings being clamped together axially by tie bolts
between the suction and discharge casings (see Pump casing).

 Thermal shocks causing various thermal expansions mainly lead to additional loads on
the tie bolts and sealing surfaces of the stage casings.

A common feature of barrel pull-out pumps and ring-section pumps is that the greater the wall
thickness, the greater the thermal stress caused by thermal shocks, which in turn reduces the
service life of the pump. The provision of injection water at a pressure situated between the
suction and discharge pressure of the pump is a frequent requirement. This is taken care of by
tapping water from one of the pump stages of both barrel pull-out pumps and ring-section
pumps.

Tapping a stage of a boiler feed pump

 In the case of ring-section pumps, a partial flow at an intermediate pressure can easily be
tapped through a tapping nozzle in one of the stage casings. See Fig. 5 Ring-section pump
  In the case of barrel pull-out pumps, the inside of the barrel is divided into three pressure
zones so that a partial flow at the required intermediate pressure can be led off directly to
the outside. See Fig. 4 Barrel pull-out pump
The sealing function is taken care of by a profile joint between the discharge and the
tapping pressure, and by a metal-to-metal joint between the tapping and the inlet
pressure. See Fig. 7 Boiler feed pump
Especially the profile joint allows a great degree of relative motion of the sealing surface,
as required for any temperature shocks.

Rotor design

The pump shaft of boiler feed pumps has a very small static deflection as the bearings are spaced
as closely as possible, the shaft diameter is relatively large and the impellers are usually shrunk
onto the shaft (for high performance). The pump shaft is generally insensitive to vibrations and
runs smoothly (see Smooth running) without any radial contact during normal operation. The
hub diameter at the back of the impeller is increased and the impeller inlet geometry is designed
with a minimum diameter, so as to reduce the remaining axial forces (see Axial thrust) which
have to be absorbed by the balancing device.

The rotors of single-stage reactor feed pumps are even stiffer than those of boiler feed pumps,
and their static deflection is smaller than that of multistage boiler feed pumps.

Axial thrust balancing

Some impeller arrangements of boiler feed pumps for conventional power stations cause axial
thrust at the impellers. See Figs. 10 to 12 Axial thrust

The magnitude of this axial thrust depends on the position of the operating point on the
characteristic curve, the rotational speed and the amount of wear on the internal clearances (see
Controlled gap seal). Additional disturbing forces can arise in the event of abnormal operating
conditions, e.g. cavitation.

On larger boiler feed pumps the axial forces at the pump rotor are balanced by means of a
hydraulic balancing device through which the fluid handled flows. The balancing device is often
combined with an oil-lubricated thrust bearing (see Plain bearing). As this balancing device
absorbs more than 90 % of the axial thrust, a relatively small thrust bearing can be used. The
balancing device may comprise a balance disc with balance disc seat, or a balance drum or
double drum with the corresponding throttle bushes.

Axial thrusts arising in reactor feed pumps with double-entry impeller (see Double-suction
pump) are balanced hydraulically; residual thrusts are absorbed by an oil-lubricated thrust
bearing. See Fig. 6 Boiler feed pump

Balancing of radial forces on the pump rotor

Radial forces arise from the weight of the rotor, mechanical unbalance or hydraulic radial thrust.
The radial forces are balanced by two oil-lubricated radial bearings as well as by throttling
clearances through which the fluid handled flows in axial direction. Such throttling clearances
are located at the impeller neck on the impeller inlet side, or in the case of multistage boiler feed
pumps for conventional power stations on the discharge side of the impeller (interstage bush) and
at the balance drum. If the rotor is in an off-centre position, a re-centring reaction force will be
generated in these clearances, which largely depends on the pressure difference and the clearance
geometry (LOMAKIN effect). 

The LOMAKIN effect is severely reduced when, due to abnormal operating conditions, the feed
water in the clearance is not in a purely liquid phase (see Cavitation).

The hydrostatic action of the clearances contributes more to reducing shaft deflection than the
mechanical stiffness does. The system is designed in such a way that operating speed always
remains well away from the critical speed of the rotor, allowing hydraulic exciting forces
(particularly in low flow operation) to be absorbed in addition.

An additional diffuser or a double volute can reduce radial thrust. See Fig. 6 Volute casing pump

Shaft seal

Common shaft seals for boiler feed pumps are mechanical seals, floating ring seals and labyrinth
seals. Gland packings are less common these days. (Also see Shaft seal). 

Warming up and keeping warm

Transient or low flow operating conditions cause additional loads on boiler feed pumps. This
leads to additional stresses and strains as well as to deformation of components with various
consequences on their functionality.

Nowadays, almost all boiler feed pumps must be able to handle both cold starts (high-
temperature shock loads) and semi-warm starts without any damage. In these start-up procedures
hot feed water abruptly flows into the cold pump, which results in the inner components heating
up much faster than the pressure boundary. Depending on the frequency of starts and the gradient
curves of pressure and temperature (load cycles) this can shorten the service life of the pump.

On machines with particularly thick walls the heat will propagate more slowly in the thick-
walled components, thus increasing internal stresses.

Contact between parts of the rotor and the stator cannot, generally, be ruled out as narrow
clearances are used as controlled gap seals. This applies to the impeller neck on the impeller inlet
side, the discharge-side clearance between impeller, diffuser and interstage bush as well as the
balancing device with several throttling clearances (depending on the design).

Critical operating conditions such as the formation of vapour bubbles, for example, cannot be
completely avoided in the inlet line. Brief contact between the stator and the rotor leads to high
unbalance forces in the narrow clearances. For this reason the material pairs have to be resistant
not only to corrosion and erosion but also especially to wear (incorporating good anti-seizure
properties). Profiled chrome steels and a special clearance geometry have proven successful.

In operating conditions with a very low or zero flow, e.g. in the turning gear mode of a turbine-
driven boiler feed pump, temperature layers establish in the fluid handled, which may cause
deformation of the rotors and, after a slight delay, also of the non-rotating components. Once the
clearance gaps are closed the rotor will be subjected to a significantly higher friction moment,
leading to overload of the turning gear and to standstill of the pump. In this case, the temperature
will no longer be equalised at the rotor, which will further aggravate the rotor deformation.

This can result in several hours of downtime for the pump. Usually the only remedy is to let the
machine cool down to reduce or eliminate the critical temperature layers and the deformation.

Several actions can be taken to optimise the thermal behaviour of the pump:

Avoid large differences in temperature in and on the pump

 Thermally separate the cold areas (shaft seal area) from the area through which the hot
fluid passes (hydraulic system and balancing device) by means of an insulation chamber
system; provide a thermal seal to prevent convection flows and special thermosleeves.

 Insulate the outside of the pump.

 Warm up or keep warm the pump by means of forced flow through the machine, usually
via throttled pressure supply.

 Temporarily or permanently interrupt the cooling water supply in the area of the
mechanical seal (secondary circuit).

 Limit the operating parameters for critical operating conditions (ΔT) (top/bottom of the
barrel casing) and/or ΔT between casing and feed water.

Reduce the effects of large temperature differences 

 Rotate the pump in stand-by mode using turning gear.

 Employ synchronised turning gear (minimise or prevent actual standstill time).

 Drain water from critical thermal areas.

Select good thermal characteristics when choosing shaft seals

 Fit a non-contacting seal (floating ring seal). 

The above measures are frequently used for barrel casing pumps (barrel pull-out pumps) as their
outer dimensions, wall thickness, drive (turbine with turning gear) and operating modes are
considered more critical than those of ring-section pumps. If possible, these measures are always
automated to safeguard the availability of the pump set.

Minimum flow valve

A minimum flow valve (automatic recirculation valve) ensures a minimum flow rate and thus
prevents damage which could occur in low flow operation as a result of either an impermissible
increase in temperature leading to vaporisation of the pump content or low flow cavitation.

 The pump range of efficient and reliable boiler feed pumps

Pompa umpan boiler

Pompa umpan boiler juga disebut sebagai pompa umpan (lihat pompa Reaktor) dan dirancang sebagai
pompa aliran radial multistage. (Juga lihat pompa Multistage.)

Mereka bertugas memberi makan generator uap seperti boiler atau reaktor nuklir dengan jumlah air
umpan yang sesuai dengan jumlah uap yang dipancarkan. Saat ini, semua pompa umpan boiler adalah
pompa sentrifugal.

Desain pompa umpan boiler mengenai input daya, material, jenis pompa dan penggerak sebagian besar
diatur oleh perkembangan yang terjadi pada teknologi pembangkit listrik. Tren pembangkit listrik
berbahan bakar fosil mengarah ke unit pembangkit listrik yang lebih besar dan lebih besar (> 1000 MW
di tahun 2011). Hal ini menyebabkan pompa umpan boiler dengan rating drive 30 - 50 MW.

Sampai tahun 1950, tekanan rata-rata di bagian penampang outlet pompa (tekanan debit pompa
umpan) berada di area bar 200. Pada tahun 1955 tekanan debit rata-rata meningkat menjadi 400 bar.
Laju aliran massa berada di wilayah 350 ton / jam pada tahun 1950, dibandingkan 3200 ton / jam (dalam
beberapa pengecualian sampai 4000 ton / jam) hari ini. Pompa umpan boiler beroperasi pada suhu
cairan 160 sampai 210 ºC. Dalam kasus yang luar biasa, suhu cairan yang ditangani mungkin lebih tinggi
lagi.

Pompa umpan untuk pembangkit listrik tenaga nuklir 1600 MW dibangun untuk laju alir massa hingga
4000 ton / jam dan tekanan pelepasan pompa umpan 70 sampai 100 bar.

Sampai tahun 1950 kira-kira, pompa umpan boiler terbuat dari baja yang tidak disukai; Sejak saat itu
mereka telah terbuat dari baja dengan kandungan krom 13 - 14%. Perubahan bahan ini perlu dilakukan
dengan diperkenalkannya komposisi air umpan kimia baru. Pengembangan baja kisi martensitik
berkapasitas tinggi, korosi dan tahan erosi dengan sifat anti-perampasan yang baik serta pengembangan
terus menerus dari semua komponen pompa (bantalan, segel poros, sistem hidrolik pompa, dll.)
Membuka jalan untuk umpan ketel saat ini Pompa dengan kecepatan putar 4500 sampai 6000 rpm.

Tingkat aliran massa pompa sentrifugal meningkat dengan cepat bersamaan dengan kenaikan output
unit di pembangkit listrik. Pompa umpan beban penuh hari ini untuk unit pembangkit listrik 800 sampai
1100 MW konvensional dibangun dengan empat sampai enam tahap dengan tekanan panggung hingga
80 bar. Pompa umpan untuk pembangkit listrik tenaga nuklir 1600 MW adalah tipe single-stage.
Mendorong

Dalam kasus pembangkit listrik konvensional di atas 500 MW pompa umpan beban penuh semakin
didorong oleh turbin uap. Pada kebanyakan kasus, turbin pengkondensasi yang berjalan pada 5000
sampai 6000 rpm digunakan.

Motor listrik biasanya menggerakkan pompa umpan beban bagian, baik yang berbahan bakar fosil
maupun di stasiun tenaga nuklir. Kontrol kecepatan pompa umpan yang digerakkan secara elektrik
dilakukan dengan kopling kopling kecepatan variabel (e. G) turbo kopling variabel) atau dengan sistem
kontrol loop tertutup listrik dengan menggunakan thyristor (sampai nilai drive kira-kira 18 MW pada
tahun 2011).

Empat pilihan memasang drive pompa umpan boiler biasanya digunakan saat ini. Lihat Gambar 1 Pompa
umpan boiler

Pompa umpan boiler: Model dengan tata letak VP-EM-RG-HP

Gambar 1 Kumparan umpan boiler: Model dengan layout VP-EM-RG-HP

Pompa penguat kecepatan rendah biasanya didorong oleh ujung poros bebas dari turbin melalui roda
gigi turun-turun atau langsung oleh ujung bebas dari motor listrik. Lihat Gambar 2 pompa umpan boiler
Pompa umpan boiler: Tata letak susunan pompa umpan
Gambar 2 Kumparan umpan boiler: Susunan pengaturan set pompa umpan

Pompa penguat hisap tunggal atau ganda berfungsi untuk menghasilkan NPSHR sistem yang diperlukan
untuk pompa umpan boiler berkecepatan tinggi yang terhubung ke hilir. Gambar 3 Pompa umpan boiler
Pompa umpan boiler: pompa boiler feed boiler ganda
Gambar 3 Kumparan umpan boiler: pompa boiler feed boiler ganda
Desain

Untuk pembangkit listrik konvensional pompa umpan boiler dirancang sebagai:

    Pompa pull-out multistage barrel, lihat Gambar 4 Boiler feed pump

    Ring-section pumps, lihat Gambar 5 pompa umpan boiler

Boiler feed pump: Barrel pull-out model dengan sadap panggung

Gambar 4 Pompa umpan boiler: Model tarik-keluar barel dengan tahap penyadapan

Pompa umpan boiler: Model ring-section dengan tapping stage

Gambar 5 Pompa umpan boiler: Model ring-section dengan tapping stage

Kedua jenis ini hanya berbeda dalam konstruksi kandang penahan tekanan mereka, yang mempengaruhi
biaya pembuatan dan kemudahan pemasangan. Tidak ada perbedaan yang berkaitan dengan keandalan
dan ketahanan operasi juga pada kondisi operasi yang tidak normal. Dimensi bagian yang berputar dan
bagian aliran dapat dirancang secara identik.
Dua aspek menentukan antara bagian cincin dan pompa pull-out barel digambarkan di bawah ini:

    Semakin kecil laju alir massa dan semakin tinggi tekanan, semakin tinggi biaya bahan dan manufaktur
dari pompa pull-out barel. Ini tidak berlaku pada tingkat yang sama dengan pompa ring-section.
    Barel pull-out pump memiliki beberapa keunggulan dibandingkan pompa ring-ring ketika harus
memperbaiki pompa yang terpasang di sistem. Jika rotor harus diganti, laras (lihat Pompa casing) tetap
bisa dipasang di pipi