INDUSTRIAL BOILERS

Classifications or Types of Boiler:

Industrial boilers are classified based on various factors. Here are some
classifications of industrial boilers:
1. Classification according to tubing methods:
 Fire Tube Boilers: In fire tube boilers, the fire or flue gases are inside
the tubes, while water is on the shell side. They are typically used
for heating and producing hot water.
 Water Tube Boilers: Water tube boilers have water contained
inside the tubes, with hot combustion gases flowing on the other
side of the tubes. These boilers produce high-pressure steam and
are commonly used for power generation purposes. Water tube
boilers are more efficient and safer than fire tube boilers.
2. Classification according to the type of fuel used or fuel-burning methods:
 Coal-fired Boilers: These boilers use coal as the primary fuel for
combustion.
 Oil-fired Boilers: Oil-fired boilers utilize oil as the primary fuel
source.
 Gas-fired Boilers: Gas-fired boilers burn natural gas or liquefied
petroleum gas (LPG) as the fuel.
 Biomass Boilers: Biomass boilers use organic materials like wood
pellets, agricultural waste, or dedicated energy crops as fuel.
 Electric Boilers: Electric boilers heat water using electric resistance
heating elements.
 Circulating Fluidized Bed Boiler (FBC Boiler): FBC boilers use a bed
of particles suspended in air to combust fuel, providing enhanced
combustion efficiency and fuel flexibility.
 Pulverized Coal Boiler (PC Boiler): PC boilers grind coal into fine
powder and then combust it in a furnace.
 Waste Heat Recovery Boilers: These boilers recover waste heat
from industrial processes or exhaust gases to generate steam or hot
water.
 Nuclear Steam Generators: Nuclear steam generators are used in
nuclear power plants to produce steam by harnessing the heat
generated from nuclear reactions.
3. Classification according to steam pressure:
 Low-pressure Boilers: Boilers with a pressure below 300 psi are
considered low-pressure boilers.
 Medium Pressure Boilers: Boilers with a pressure range between
300 psi and 800 psi fall into the category of medium-pressure
boilers.
 High-Pressure Boilers: Boilers with a pressure above 800 psi are
classified as high-pressure boilers.
4. Classification according to the use of steam:
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  Process Boilers: These boilers are used for industrial processes that
require steam.
 Utility Boilers: Utility boilers are used in power plants to generate
electricity and are usually water tube type boilers.
 Marine Boilers: Marine boilers are used in ships and other marine
vessels for various applications.
5. Classification according to the application of the Boiler:
 Stationary Boilers: Stationary boilers are fixed in one location.
 Mobile Boilers: Mobile boilers are portable and can be moved from
one place to another. Examples include locomotive boilers and
marine boilers.
6. Classification according to the furnace position:
 Externally Fired Boilers: These boilers have the furnace outside the
boiler shell. They can be further classified into different types based
on the furnace design.
 Internally Fired Boilers: In internally fired boilers, the combustion
chamber and grate are enclosed within the boiler shell.

Various boiler mounting and accessories are attached to the boiler for its
efficient working:

1. Pressure Gauge: It measures the pressure of steam inside the boiler.

2. Safety Valve: It blows off the extra steam when the steam pressure inside the
boiler reaches above safety level.

3. Water level Indicator: The position of the water level in the Cochran boiler is
indicated by the water level indicator.

4. Stop Valve: Stop valve is used to transfer steam to the desired location when
it is required. Otherwise, it stops the steam in the boiler.

5. Blow off Valve: It is used to blow off the settle down impurities, mud, and
sediments present in the boiler water.

Safety features on Boiler

Industrial boilers are equipped with various safety devices and features to
ensure safe and efficient operation. These safety systems help prevent
dangerous conditions and protect personnel, equipment, and the surrounding
environment. Here are some commonly installed safety devices and features on
industrial boilers:
1. Safety Valves: Safety valves are crucial safety components installed on
boilers. They are designed to release excess pressure inside the boiler
when it exceeds the maximum allowable pressure. Safety valves open to
discharge the pressure and close when the pressure falls back within the
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 specified range. Regular calibration and testing of safety valves are
necessary to ensure their proper operation and reliability.
2. Low Water Level Controls: Low water level controls are essential for
preventing damage caused by low or no water in the boiler. When the
water level drops below the minimum level, it can lead to overheating and
potential failure of the boiler's components. A control system
continuously monitors the water level and triggers the safety system to
shut down the boiler if low water levels are detected. The restart
condition of the boiler may vary based on user requirements, ranging
from automatic restart to manual restart after ensuring the appropriate
water level.
3. Flame Safeguard System: The flame safeguard system is responsible for
detecting the presence of a flame in the boiler continuously. If the system
does not detect a flame, it shuts off the fuel supply to prevent unburned
fuel accumulation. This feature is crucial for preventing the risk of
explosions that could occur if a significant amount of fuel accumulates in
the burner.
4. Pressure Relief Devices: Pressure relief devices, such as relief valves and
rupture disks, provide additional protection against excessive pressure in
the boiler. These devices are designed to relieve pressure by opening
when the pressure exceeds a certain threshold, thereby preventing a
catastrophic failure of the boiler.
5. Temperature and Pressure Monitoring: Industrial boilers are equipped
with instrumentation to monitor and control temperature and pressure.
Temperature sensors and pressure gauges allow operators to monitor the
boiler's conditions and take appropriate action if abnormal readings are
detected. These measurements provide important feedback for
maintaining safe operating conditions.
6. Burner Management System (BMS): The burner management system
ensures safe and reliable operation of the burner. It includes various
safety interlocks, flame detection mechanisms, and fuel shut-off valves.
The BMS monitors and controls the burner's operation, ensuring that it
functions properly and safely.
7. Overtemperature Protection: Overtemperature protection devices are
used to prevent the boiler from reaching excessively high temperatures.
These devices can include high-temperature limit switches or
thermocouples that trigger safety actions, such as shutting down the
burner or activating alarms, if the temperature exceeds safe limits.
8. Control and Alarm Systems: Industrial boilers are equipped with control
and alarm systems to monitor and manage various parameters. These
systems provide operators with information about the boiler's status and
trigger alarms or safety actions in case of abnormal conditions,
malfunctions, or emergencies.

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Boiler Feed Water Treatment
Boiler feed water is an essential part of boiler operations. The feed water is put
into the steam drum from a feed pump. In the steam drum the feed water is
then turned into steam from the heat. After the steam is used it is then dumped
to the main condenser.

Boiler feed water

A boiler is a device for generating steam, which consists of two principal parts:
the furnace, which provides heat, usually by burning a fuel, and the boiler
proper, a device in which the heat changes water into steam. The steam or hot
fluid is then recirculated out of the boiler for use in various processes in heating
applications.

The water circuit of a water boiler can be summarized by the following :

The boiler receives the feed water, which consists of varying proportion of
recovered condensed water (return water) and fresh water, which has been
purified in varying degrees (make up water). The make-up water is usually
natural water either in its raw state, or
treated by some process before use. Feed-water composition therefore
depends on the quality of the make-up water and the amount of condensate
returned to the boiler. The steam, which escapes from the boiler, frequently
contains liquid droplets and gases. The water remaining in liquid form at the
bottom of the boiler picks up all the foreign matter from the water that was
converted to steam. The impurities must be blown down by the discharge of
some of the water from the boiler to the drains. The permissible percentage of
blown down at a plant is strictly limited by running costs and initial outlay. The
tendency is to reduce this percentage to a very small figure.

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Proper treatment of boiler feed water is an important part of operating and
maintaining a boiler system. As steam is produced, dissolved solids become
concentrated and form deposits inside the boiler. This leads to poor heat transfer
and reduces the efficiency of the boiler. Dissolved gasses such as oxygen and
carbon dioxide will react with the metals in the boiler system and lead to boiler
corrosion. In order to protect the boiler from these contaminants, they should be
controlled or removed, trough external or internal treatment.

Methods of feed water treatment

1. Filtration and ultrafiltration.

2. Ion exchange/softening.
3. Membrane processes such as reverse osmosis and nanofiltration.
4. Deaeration/degasification.
5. Coagulation/chemical precipitation.

A boiler feed water treatment system might be made up of the technologies

necessary to remove problematic dissolved solids, suspended solids, and
organic material, including any number of the following:

i. Iron: either soluble or insoluble, iron can deposit on boiler parts and tubes,
damage downstream equipment, and affect the quality of certain
manufacturing processes
ii. Copper: can cause deposits to settle in high-pressure turbines, decreasing
their efficiency and requiring costly cleaning or equipment change-outs
iii. Silica: if not removed to low levels, especially in high-pressure boilers, silica
can cause extremely hard scaling
iv. Calcium: can cause scaling in several forms depending on the chemistry of
the boiler feed water (e.g. calcium silicate, calcium phosphate, etc.)

v. Magnesium: if combined with phosphate, magnesium can stick to the

interior of the boiler and coat tubes, attracting more solids and
contributing to scale

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 vi. Aluminum: deposits as scale on the boiler interior and can react with silica
to increase the likelihood of scaling
vii. Hardness: also causes deposits and scale on boiler parts and piping
viii. Dissolved gasses: chemical reactions due to the presence of dissolved
gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide can cause severe corrosion on
boiler pipes and parts

Makeup water intake

Makeup water, or the water replacing evaporated or leaked water from the
boiler, is first drawn from its source, whether raw water, city water, city-treated
effluent, in-plant wastewater recycle (cooling tower blowdown recycle), well
water, or any other surface water source.

Coagulation and chemical precipitation

After all the large objects are removed from the original water source, various
chemicals are added to a reaction tank to remove the bulk suspended solids and
other various contaminants. This process starts off with an assortment of mixing
reactors, typically one or two reactors that add specific chemicals to take out all
the finer particles in the water by combining them into heavier particles that
settle out. The most widely used coagulates are aluminum-based such as alum
and polyaluminum chloride.

Sometimes a slight pH adjustment will help coagulate the particles, as well.

Filtration and ultrafiltration

The next step is generally running through some type of filtration to remove any
suspended particles such as sediment, turbidity, and certain types of organic
matter. It is often useful to do this early on in the process, as the removal of
suspended solids upstream can help protect membranes and ion exchange resins
from fouling later on in the pretreatment process. Depending on the type of
filtration used, suspended particles can be removed down to under one micron.

Ion exchange softening

When pretreating boiler feed water, if there’s high hardness complexed with
bicarbonates, sulphates, chlorides, or nitrates, a softening resin can be used.
This procedure uses a strong acid

cation exchange process, whereby resin is charged with a sodium ion, and as the
hardness comes through, it has a higher affinity for calcium, magnesium, and
iron so it will grab that molecule and release the sodium molecule into the
water.

Dealkalization
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After the softening process, some boiler feed water treatment systems will
utilize dealkalization to reduce alkalinity/pH, an impurity in boiler feed water
that can cause foaming, corrosion, and embrittlement. Sodium chloride
dealkalization uses a strong anion exchange resin to replace bicarbonate,
sulfate, and nitrate for chloride anions. Although it doesn’t remove alkalinity
100%, it does remove the majority of it with what can be an easy-to-implement
and economical process. Weak acid dealkalization only removes cations bound
to bicarbonate, converting it to carbon dioxide (and therefore requiring
degasification). It is a partial softening process that is also economical for
adjusting the boiler feed water pH.

Reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF)

Reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) are often used down the line in
the boiler feed water treatment system process so most of the harmful
impurities that can foul and clog the RO/NF membranes have been removed.
Similar processes of separation, they both force pressurized water through
semipermeable membranes, trapping contaminants such as bacteria, salts,
organics, silica, and hardness, while allowing concentrated, purified water
through. Not always required in boiler feed water treatment, these filtration
units are used mostly with high-pressure boilers where concentration of
suspended and dissolved solids needs to be extremely low.

Deaeration or degasification

At this point in the boiler feed water treatment process, any condensate being
returned to the system will mix with the treated makeup water and enter the
deaeration or degasification process. Any amount of gasses such as oxygen and
carbon dioxide can be extremely corrosive to boiler equipment and piping when
they attach to them, forming oxides and causing rust. Therefore, removing these
gases to acceptable levels (nearly 100%) can be imperative to the service life and
safety of the boiler system. There are several types of deaeration devices that
come in a range of configurations depending on the manufacturer, but
generally, you might use a tray-or spray-type deaerator for degasification or
oxygen scavengers.

Industrial Uses of Steam

Industrial uses of steam are diverse and span across various sectors. Here are
some common applications of steam in industries:
1. Power Generation: Steam is extensively used in power plants to generate
electricity. Steam turbines, fueled by coal, natural gas, or nuclear
reactions, drive generators to produce electrical power.

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2. Heating and District Heating: Steam is used for heating purposes in
residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. In district heating
systems, steam is distributed through pipelines to provide heat energy for
space heating and hot water.
3. Industrial Processes: Steam plays a vital role in many industrial processes.
It is used to transfer heat and facilitate chemical reactions. Industries such
as chemical, petrochemical, and food processing utilize steam for
reactions, sterilization, drying, and cleaning.
4. Sterilization: Steam under pressure is employed for sterilization in
microbiology laboratories, medical facilities, and other environments
where microbial decontamination is essential.
5. Soil Sterilization: In agriculture, steam is utilized for soil sterilization to
eliminate harmful organisms and pests without the use of chemical
agents. It promotes soil health and prepares it for cultivation.
6. Industrial Cleaning: Steam is an effective cleaning agent due to its high
temperature and low water consumption. It is used for cleaning fibers,
equipment, kitchen floors, and even internal combustion engines and
parts.
7. Wood Bending and Processing: In the lumber industry, steam is employed
to soften wood fibers, making it easier to bend and shape the wood.
Steam is also used for insect control and increasing plasticity in wood
processing.
8. Concrete Curing: Steam is used to accelerate the drying and hardening of
concrete in prefabrication processes. However, caution must be exercised
to avoid excessive heat that may adversely affect the concrete's reaction
processes.
9. Energy Storage: Steam is utilized as an energy storage medium in various
industrial applications. It stores thermal energy that can be extracted or
introduced through heat transfer processes.

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