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Chapter IV

BOILER EFFICIENCY
4.1. Heat Balance Equation
Heat supplied to boilers (heat generated in the chamber) is the total of heat of steam with
the parameters given (useful heat) and the heat losses.
QLH = Qhi + Qtt
Considering 1 kg solids, liquids or 1 m3 of gas we have heat balance equation generalized as
follows:
Qdv = Q1 + Q2 + Q3 + Q4 + Q5 + Q6; (kJ / kg), (kJ / m3tc)
Qdv: The heat to the boiler, kJ / kg
Q1: The useful heat supplied to steam, kJ / kg
Q2: Heat loss carried away by exhaust gas, kJ / kg
Q3: Heat loss due to incomplete chemical combustion, kJ / kg
Q4: Heat loss due to incomplete mechanical combustion, kJ / kg
Q5: Heat loss due to heat emission into the environment , kJ / kg
Q6: Heat loss due to cinder carried out (often for solids), kJ / kg
If we expressed as %:
6
Q
qi = i 100
Qdv q
i 1
i  100%

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 4.1. Heat Balance Equation

* Boiler Efficiency Q
  1 .100%
Qdv
 q1  1  (q2  ...  q6 )

Also known as coarse efficiency because not to mention utilizing energy.

Qtd
qtd  .100%
Qdv
t    td Is total efficiency
* If the boiler thermal efficiency is determined by the positive method
Q1
 .100%
Qdv
called as positive balance method (designing method)
* Method of determining the negative performance
 = 1 – (q2 + … + q6)
called as checking calculation method

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4.1. Heat Balance Equation
4.1.1. Input Heat
In general:
Qdv  Qtlv  Qnl  Qkkn Q p ; kJ/m3tc
Qtlv : low heating value of fuel.
Qnl : thermo-physics of fuel (nhiệt vật lý của nhiên liệu), Qnl = Cnl.tnl
Cnl : specific heat of fuel
tnl : the temperature of the fuel after heating

Qnkk - Heat from the air which is heated by an external heat source

Qp : Heat from steam injected into the combustion system

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4.1. Heat Balance Equation
4.1.1. Input Heat
* Heat from the air which is heated by an external heat source Qnkk:

Qkkn   skkVkko Ct kkn  Ct kkl 

With:
 skk : excess air coefficient in air heater
(Ct)kkn, (Ct)kkl: the product between the specific heat and temperature
difference between the hot source and the cold source.

Qp : heat from steam injected into the combustion system.

Qp = Gp(ip – 2500); kJ/kg
Gp : injected steam flow with 1kg of fuel (kg/kg)
ip : enthalpy of injected steam
If injected steam is overheated steam: look up i”
If injected steam is dry saturated steam: look up dryness x
2500 : enthalpy of steam in the smoke (was rounded, the other
component is negligible) 5
 4.1. Heat Balance Equation
4.1.2. Useful Heat
In general:
Dtg
Q1  iqn  inc  
D
B B
i  inc  
Dbh "
B
i2tg  i1tg   i  inc  ; kJ/kg
Dx '
B
Where:
D : steam output (kg/h)
B : fuel consumption (kg/h)
Dbh: saturated steam quantity (kg/h)
Dtg : steam quantity used for intermediary
Dx : water blow down (kg/h)
iqn : enthalpy of overheated steam
inc : enthalpy of feed-water
i’: water begins to boil ; i” = iqn
p p : blow down coefficient (hệ số xả lò)
Dx : is calculated according to D: Dx  D
100 p < 2% : Dx can be skip
i : look up according to boiler
pressure.
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 4.1. Heat Balance Equation
4.1.2. Useful Heat
In the small industrial boiler, the blow down coefficient typically less than
2%, not using superheated steam, with no intermediate super heater then:
Q1  
D "
B
i  inc 

If one boiler with D = 500 kg /h, the DO oil consumption is 30-40 l/h
- Because the boiler is small, so fuel consumption is small, then we
can calculate 
- For large boilers (in thermal power plants), the amount of fuel consumption
B is quite large, the capacity can not be computed, so someone used inverse
method which given the thermal performance by estimating the heat loss from
q2 – q 6
Then we calculate the fuel consumption B
D
iqn  inc .100 D iqn  inc 100
 B
lv  B
 .Qtlv
, kg / h
Qt
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 4.2. Heat Losses
4.2.1. Heat loss due to exhaust fume

 q4 
Q 2  I th  I kkl  1   , kJ / kg
 100 
Where:
Ith : enthalpy of exhaust outlet is calculated: Ith = Vth.tth.Cth; kJ/kg
Vth : volume of exhaust outlet
tth, Cth : temperature and specific heat of exhaust outlet
Ikkl : enthalpy of the cold air,

I kkl   th .Vkko .C .t kkl   th .I kkl

o

 th : excess air coefficient in the output of exhaust outlet

q4 : Heat loss due to incomplete mechanical combustion.
 increases >> q2 increases

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4.2. Heat Losses
4.2.2. Heat loss due to incomplete chemical combustion (Q3)

In the incomplete combustion, gasses CO, H2, CH4 do not give us heat,
they can lead to heat loss Q3 due to incomplete combustion.
 q4 
Q3 = Vkkho(126CO + 108H2 + 358CH4 +  QC m H n .Cm H n )1  
 100 
CO, H2, CH4,…the percentage of unburned components. Usually when
incomplete combustion of the mixture is CO.
Q3  Vkkho
100  q4 
.CO.126
100
 C lv  0,375S lv 
Vkkho= 1,866   ; for solid and liquid fuel

 RO2  CO 
233 C lv  0,375 S lv   q 
 Q3  .CO 1  4 
RO 2  CO  100 
Approximate equation: Q3  3, 2    CO
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4.2. Heat losses
4.2.2. Heat loss due to incomplete chemical combustion (Q3)

* The factors affect Q3:

1). Excess air coefficient Q3  3, 2    CO

 increases, Q3 decreases, but q2 increases

Selecting  to (q3 + q2)min.
2). Combustion chamber temperature : When tbl is low, Q3
increases
3). Structure of the chamber: Length of the chamber does not
guarantee of incomplete combustion, so q3 increases.

The small boiler often has q3 = 2%.

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4.2. Heat losses
4.2.3. Heat loss due to incomplete mechanical combustion (Q4)
A part of the fuel to the boiler which was not involved in combustion would
discharged causing heat loss Q4. Fuel are discharged by 3 lines: the cinder
(tro xỉ), the exhaust smoke (khói thải) and the grate bar drop (lọt thanh ghi).

 kx kb kl 
Q4  326 A  a x
lv
 ab  al , kJ / kg
 100  k x 100  k b 100  k l 
Heat along with the smoke, the cinder or the grate bar = 32600 kJ/kg
For gaseous fuel : Q4 = 0
- ax, ab, and al: the ratio of ash (tỉ lệ độ tro) in the cinder, the exhaust smoke and
the grate bar.
- kx, kb, and kl: the ratio % of combustible components (tỉ lệ % thành phần cháy) in
the cinder, the exhaust smoke and the grate bar.
We have: ax + ab + al = 1
The grate bar drop belongs to the cinder >> ax + ab= 1

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4.2. Heat losses
4.2.3. Heat loss due to incomplete mechanical combustion (Q4)
Note: the heat losses through the grate mostly in the cinder.
Boiler firing coal which has many components:
Clinker boiler: ax = 0,1, ab = 0,9
Fluid slag boiler: ax = 0,6 – 0,7 and ab = 0,3 – 0,4

The factors affect Q4: depend primarily on the design of the boiler, for the
coal-fired boilers having large gaps between grates, q4 increases because
fuel fallen pass through the grate.
Air regulator mode : When the air flow is high, the q4 increased.

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4.2. Heat Losses
4.2.4. Heat loss due to heat emission into the environment (Q5)
The external surface of the boiler temperature is always higher than the
ambient temperature so causing heat loss Q5:

Q5  f t w2 , Fw 
Q5 depends on external temperature and the external surface area of the boiler.
If tw2 increases, q5 increases. They decrease by wrapping insulation,
thickness of calculation,
t w 2  55 C
0

If wrapping glass insulation, the possible thickness is :

 CN = 25, 50, 75, 100mm

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4.2. Heat Losses
4.2.4. Heat loss due to heat emission into the environment (Q5)
Q5 
B
1
 F  
Wi  t
2 w2  t f C t w2 
273
4
 
 t f  273  
4

Fwi : ith surface area

; thermal convection coefficient of the external environment, the environment of
strong winds
 = 20 ÷ 30 W/m2 K,
If the boiler placed in safe location  = 6 ÷ 8 W/m2K

tf : ambient temperature.
q 5 (%)
C : coefficient of radiation.

3,4
Characteristic line:
2
1,2

3 8 20 D (t/h)
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4.2. Heat Losses
4.2.5. Heat loss due to cinder carried out ( Q6)
Due to temperature of cinder discharged. For grate boiler: t = 600 – 700 C
Fluid slag boiler: t = 1400 – 1500 oC
Input solid fuel temperature: tnl = 20 – 40oC
Alv
Q6  a x C x .t x , kJ / kg
100

ax : ratio of ash went out along with cinder

lv
ax A : content of ash went out along with cinder
100
Cx, t x : cinder specific heat and cinder temperature (usual content
given % ax)

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4.3. The ability to utilize waste heat

Utilizing waste heat of smoke

Condensated water recovery
Blown-down water reccovery
Waste cinder recovery

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 4.3. The ability to utilize waste heat
Discussion:
- Economizer or expanded boiler?
- Parallel flow arrangement?
- Measure steam capacity?

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