Marine Boilers

Units 7.1 to 7.5

Types of Marine Boilers

• Basically boilers are of two types – Water Tube and Fire Tube.

• Water tubes boilers have water inside the tubes and the heating

agent that produces the steam flows outside of the tubes. These

boilers have a large number of tubes through which the water

passes creating convection currents that help to provide circulation.

Fire tube boilers have water outside the tubes and the fire or heating

agent flowing through the tubes. These boilers are also known as tank

boilers and have a large amount of water as compared to the water

tube boilers.

Exhaust gas boilers are essentially waste heat recovery systems where

the steam is produced from heat which would otherwise go to the

atmosphere as waste. These are mainly water-tube boilers.

Types of Boilers in Marine use
Main Boiler - Propulsion of the vessel

Auxiliary Boiler - Heating of heavy fuel oil using a steam heater,

necessary for propulsion would qualify the supplying boiler to be

referred to as an auxiliary boiler.

Exhaust Gas Boiler - Boiler operated by hot gas from engine or other

exhaust gas sources.

Fire Tube or Smoke Tube Boilers

Scotch fire tube marine steam boiler

The single-ended return tube Scotch

boiler consists of a cylindrical boiler shell

of large diameter and short length,

provided with two or more furnaces in

corrugated fire-tubes.
The Scotch fire tube boiler contained a large quantity of water,

about six times more than a water-tube boiler, and was

therefore slow to steam up and to change the output capacity.

Due to the boiler's stiff construction it required also a long

steaming up period to avoid leaks caused by thermal

expansion of the material.

Water Tube Boilers – Foster Wheeler ‘D’ Type

D‑type boilers are built to produce

steam up to 60 bar pressure and
temperature up to 510 C with
evaporation rate up to 52,000 kg/hour.
Boiler Mountings

• Boilers are pressure vessels that are fitted on all merchant ships.

For operation of the Boiler there are a number of components

attached to the boiler shell. All such attachments are there for a

specific purpose and are called Mountings.

A list of boiler mountings and their uses are listed below:

1. Main Steam Stop valve: This the valve from which steam produced in
the boiler leaves the boiler and is sent to consumers.
2. Safety Valves: There are usually two fitted. SOLAS regulations dictate
that all boilers have a heating surface area of 50 sq. m. or more must
be fitted with two safety valves. These valves are present to
safeguard the boiler from overpressure that could cause damage to
the structure. It is a requirement that all vessels that are normally
pressurized must be fitted with a pressure releasing device.
3. Water Level Indicators (Gauge Glasses): Since the boiler shell is
made of steel and is not transparent some means is necessary
for the operator to determine the level of water in the boiler,
this is done by the water level indicator also called the gauge
glass.
4. Water Level Controller: The level of water in a boiler is a critical
parameter, hence it requires to be carefully controlled, this is
achieved by the water level controller.
5. Remote water level transmitter: Since nowadays ships are being
operated in the UMS (unmanned machinery space) mode it is
necessary to have a instrument that indicates the boiler water
level at the remote location
6. Water level alarm and cut-out assembly: This is the instrument
that triggers a alarm when the water level is low and also causes
the burner to shut down (trip) to prevent a dangerous situation
developing due to low water level.
 7. Pressure Gauge and pressure switch: The pressure gauge is an
instrument to measure the pressure in the boiler. The pressure switch
is an instrument that starts and stops the boiler burner to maintain the
required pressure in the boiler.
8. Feed Water valves: These are valve through water is introduced into
the boiler.
9. Vent valve: A valve placed on top of the boiler steam drum to remove
air from the boiler.
10. Water sampling valve: A valve used to remove a water sample for
testing water quality.
11. Burner Assembly: A attachment that contains the burner and its associated
equipments used for firing the boiler using fuel.
.

12. Manhole doors and mudhole doors and peepholes: Manhole doors are
provided for entry into the boiler for cleaning and inspection. Mudhole
doors are provided for cleaning the inside of the boiler for removing mud,
rust, and sludge. Peepholes are provided to observe the flame in the
furnace to assess its quality.

13. Scum and bottom blowdown valves: A scum valve is provided to remove
floating impurities in the boiler water. The bottom blowdown valve is
provided to control the boiler water TDS.
14. Soot Blower valve: This is a valve that introduces high pressure
.

compressed air or live steam into the boiler to clear the

accumulated soot on the boiler tubes.

15. Furnace Drain valve: To drain the furnace for removing

accumulated fuel if present.
Uses of steam

• Heating duties: ME Fuel oil heater, Purifier heater, Oil tank heating,
Cargo heating, Air conditioning & heating plant, Calorifier, Galley
supply, sea-chests, tracer lines for pipeline heating etc.

• Run Turbo Generators

• Run Cargo pump turbines in Tankers

• Drive steam driven deck machinery like winches, windlass, etc.

• Operate bilge, stripping and other steam driven pumps

• Drive boiler feed pump turbines

• Evaporator/Fresh water generator heating media

• Tank washing in tanker ships and general cleaning

• In boilers - Soot blowing of tubes and for steam atomized burners

• Fire fighting - used in steam smothering systems

Main engine Jacket F.W. preheater and Lubricating oil sump

and drain tanks

Use in the waste oil, incinerator, slop tanks

Use as a steam ejector media for ejector pumps

Boiler Water level Control

• A regulated supply of water must exist for a boiler generating

steam. With the system in balance without leaks the flow of water

to the boiler will be equal to the flow of steam. When there is a

change in steam demand then the flow of water will have to be

changed.
Boiler Gauge
Glass
Importance of water level in a Boiler
Water level below Gauge Glass
Shut-off burner (if not cut-out automatically).
Take the boiler out of load.
Confirm boiler water level by blowing through Lowest visible
water level

gauge glass. Lowest permissible

51m
m
water level
25m
Ensure no internal damage due to overheating. m

Open and inspect internals

Heating
surface
Do not bring-up the water level in haste until
the boiler parts are cooled down.
Action when water level too high.
Reduce firing rate.
Check & confirm high water level
Operate blowdown system.
Throttle feed check valves.
If bad water hammer due to carry-over
is experienced, close steam outlet valve
to prevent damage to pipe lines and
machinery.
Water Related Problems

Scale

Deposits Corrosion
Water contains lots of dissolved substances which will precipitate upon

evaporation

On continuous evaporation these chemicals form scale deposits on the

heating surface and acts as insulators causing over heating of tubes

Some dissolved chemicals are corrosive

Water contains dissolved oxygen which causes corrosion.

 Need for Boiler Water Treatment

• Effects of Dissolved Salts in Boiler Water : Mainly dissolved

solids in boiler water tend to get deposited on the tube
surfaces when the water evaporates to form steam. They act
as insulators causing over heating of tubes

• Some dissolved chemicals are corrosive

• Water contains dissolved oxygen which causes corrosion

Measures adopted for treating boiler water

Using distilled water

Using chemicals to facilitate the formation for soft deposits which

can be blown down

Using oxygen scavengers to remove oxygen from water

Regular blowing down to clear settled solid particles

Maintaining the boiler water slightly alkaline to prevent acidic

corrosion

The water quality is checked periodically and the amount of

chemicals to be dosed calculated

Systems affected

• Boilers

• Feed System

• Condensate system
The problems in the boiler due to feed water can be categorised as:

Corrosion

Scale formation

Carry-over
The focus of any water treatment should be to minimise the above
problems and try to:
• Maintain a clean, scale-free heat-transfer surface;
• Prevent metal loss due to corrosion;
• Ensure efficient production of steam without priming or carry-
over;
• Prevent formation of deposits in steam/condensate systems;
• Minimise heat loss through excessive blowdown from boilers.
Factors influencing scale formation :

● Solubility of a compound in water

● Affected by concentration of compound and temperature

of water

● Precipitation

● Water can no longer hold compound in solution

 Factors that accelerate scale formation

● High Concentration of Dissolved Solids

● High Water Temperature

● Areas of Evaporation in Water Lines

● Treating the boiler water with various chemicals inhibit scale

formation, damage to boiler components, and improves efficiency.

● Treatment also extends boiler life and helps prevent accidents.

 Consequences of scale build up
● Insulates Metal Surfaces

● Inefficient Heat Transfer

● Wasted Fuel

● Loss of Production Capacity

● Potential for Under Deposit Corrosion

● Equipment Damage

● Localized overheating and metal failure

 Total Dissolved Solids
• During steaming, boiler water TDS tends to increase
• High TDS causes foaming and carryover
• TDS is controlled by blowdown
• TDS can be measured in ppm, conductivity or density

• Daily
• Surface blow
• Bottom blow
• Measurement
• PPM
• Conductivity
• Relative density
 Boiler Water Tests

• Hydrazine Test - for the presence of oxygen

• Alkalinity Test - “P-alkalinity” and “Total Alkalinity”
• Chloride Test – to check for salt water leakage
• Phosphate Test - Presence of phosphate in sample means there
won’t be any hardness salts present
• pH-Value
• Dissolved Solids - The basis of this determination lies in the fact
that the electrical conductance of water is proportional to the
quantity and nature of the substances dissolved in it.
Heat Recovery Systems

Heat
Balance
Oil fired and exhaust boiler layout
WHR Units’ Hazard – Soot Fire

Soot build up

• Low-grade fuel oils, resulting in more soot in exhaust gases.

• Another problem is the growing number of long-stroke diesel

engines, which calls for larger quantities of cylinder lubrication oil,
also adding to the soot build-up
Three stages of a soot fire
Combating a soot fire

• Stop the main engine, and thereby the oxygen supply to the fire.

• Continue operating the water circulating pump.

• Never use soot blowers for fire fighting, as air will feed the fire with

oxygen, and steam will involve a risk of high temperature fire.

Water washing, if fitted, may be used to extinguish the fire. This is

normally connected to the ship’s fire fighting water system. In a

well-run plant any fire that starts will be small, and if the above

emergency action is taken immediately, the fire will be damped

down quickly, and water circulated by the pump will help keep the

tubes cool and reduce any heat damage caused by the fire.
 Recommended operation procedure for EGE
MAN B&W
• Soot blow- daily

• Preheat feed water during start-up - 140°C

• Water circulation after engine stop – continue circulation till cool

down.

• Heavy smoke from engine – indicates worsening situation

Safety Features
• A boiler is a high pressure high temperature apparatus. Since it is

located in the confined space of a ship’s engine room it has many

safety features that are designed to protect the equipment as well

as persons who work on it as well as go near it.

• Safety Valves: These are spring loaded pressure release devices

that are mandatory on all pressure vessels. As their name implies

they are designed to relieve pressure from the boiler in case the

pressure inside the shell goes above the set value. This is

dependent on the design pressure of the boiler.

• The level indicating gauge glasses are provided with protection in

the event of the glass shattering.

• Since temperatures in an around the boiler are always very high it
is necessary to always have personal protection when working in
the vicinity.
• Great care must be taken when any valve or cock is opened or
closed as the boiler pressure is liable to cause an accident.
• Steam valves must be opened gradually to prevent pipeline
damage due to “water hammer”.