PRINCIPLE OF WORKING

To convert the chemical energy in fuel to heat energy in the

steam.

Steam is available to do work in a variety of systems.

There are basically two type of boilers

- Fire /smoke tube boiler – water present around the tubes

- Water tube boiler - water present in the tubes surrounded by fire.

In a water tube boiler, the furnace is surrounded by tube banks

which are connected through headers to the upper and lower
drums. The fuel is burned in the furnace and the heat is passed by
radiation to the surrounding steam generating tubes. The heat
energy is passed by conduction to the re-circulating water in the
tubes. In this way, the tube metal is cooled and steam is
generated.

As the water is heated, its density decreases and it tends to rise.

Colder heavier water tends to sink. As the hot water/steam rises in the
generating tubes and the colder water sinks in the downcomer tubes, a
natural circulation results in the boiler circuit.
WATER TUBE BOILER

As the steam/water mixture reaches the upper drum (steam

drum) it separates. The steam passes to the upper half of the
 drum, then leaves the top of the drum to the superheater or
directly to where it is needed as saturated steam. The re-
circulating water remains in the lower half of this drum, mixes
with incoming feed water and again passes through the complete
water circuit.

Steam is passed through any auxiliary systems, then enters the

condenser where it is condensed to form water which is pumped
back to the feed line, completing the boiler/feed system circuit.

On motor vessels - Usually two steam generating systems

- Exhaust gas economizer

- Auxiliary oil fired boiler.

These boiler systems function under the same principles of heat

transfer.

FIRE TUBE BOILER

AUXILIARY BOILER

SCOTCH BOILER MOUNTINGS

Water cock orifice- 127 mm above the top of C.C. and top to be
clearly marked on the outside.

Internal feed pipe is closed at one end and perforated

throughout its length in order to distribute the relatively cool
water over a large space to avoid local cooling of boiler plates and
tubes.

Boiler blow down internal pipes goes to the bottom of the boiler
in order that the boiler may be completed emptied. The blow
down valve is either non-return or a cock, usually the former to
prevent back flow.
Scum cock is usually fitted in the steam space for safety in case of
pipe holed, there is danger of lowered water level.

Main steam outlet is usually fitted with a dry pipe to reduce

moisture carry over.

Two gauge glasses fitted.

Whistle steam goes direct from the boiler.

Connections for boiler water circulation.

COCHRAN BOILER

The Cochran is a typical tank boiler of vertical type suitable for

producing relatively small amount of low-pressure steam for
auxiliary purposes.

The fuel is burnt in a furnace having seamless hemispherical

crown, attached to the boiler shell by means of an ogee ring. The
products of combustion pass from furnace through smoke tubes
into the oil fire uptake.
 The composite boiler generates steam using heat either from
main diesel engine exhaust gas or from oil firing or from both.
Thus the boiler can be called an exhaust gas boiler.

This boiler is therefore used as an exhaust gas boiler using only

exhaust-heat, as an oil-fired boiler or as an composite boiler.

The generating of steam can be maintained by oil firing when the

exhaust gas temperature falls during low load running of the
diesel engine or when in port.

Internal access to the boiler is provided by a manhole in the top

of the shell, while handholes in the lower section of the shell
provide access to the lower parts of the water space for cleaning
and inspection.

Hinged smoke box doors give access to the tubes and tube plate
at the front, while a removable rear panel fitted to the
combustion chamber give access to the back tube plate.

Most fire tube boilers are supplied as a complete package unit. This
includes the burner, fuel pump, forced draught fan, feed pumps and
automatic controls for the system.

ADVANTAGES OF WT BOILERS OVER FT BOILERS

1. High efficiency (generally greater than 85%) hence reduced fuel

consumption.

2. Flexibility of design- important space consideration.

3. Capable of high output (high evaporative rate).

 4. High pressures and temperatures improve turbine plant
efficiency.

5. Flexible in operation to meet fluctuating demands of the plant-

superheat control rapidly responsive to changing demands.

6. Generally all surfaces are circular hence no supporting stays are

required.

7. Steam can be raised rapidly from cold if the occasion demands (3

to 4 hours compared to 24 hours for a scotch boiler).

8. Considering a scotch boiler and a water tube boiler with similar

evaporative rates the W.T. boiler would be compact and relatively
light and its water content would be about 7 tonnes or less
compared to 30 tonnes for scotch boiler.

With double casing radiation loss can be cut to 1% or less.

BOILER MOUNTINGS

Boiler mountings are the valves and cocks fitted to the boiler

Water gauge.

It is a glass tube gripped in steam tight glands with steam and water
cocks. The water level in the boiler can be seen as it takes up same level
in the glass. The water gauge has three cocks, a steam cock, a water
cock and a drain cock. The handles of the steam and water cock must
lie vertically downwards when in full open position, while the drain
cock handle must be in this position when closed. This is to prevent
vibration etc, causing the cock to move to such a position that a false
indication of the water level could result.
 A ball valve is fitted to the lower end of the gauge in order to shut
off the water in the event of the glass breaking. Otherwise, as the
water is blown out, the large volume of scalding steam will be
formed that could cause injury to personnel.

If doubt exists about the accuracy of the reading indicated by a

water level gauge, it should be tested by blowing through in the
correct manner.

To blow through this gauge, the following sequence is followed:

1. Close steam and water cocks and open drain cock. Nothing
should then blow out of the gauge if the water and steam cocks are not
leaking.

2. Open and close water cock to check that the water cock connection
to the boiler is clear.

3. Open and close steam cock to check that the steam cock connection
to the boiler is clear.

4. Close drain cock.

5. Open water cock. Water should gradually rise up to the top of the
gauge glass.

6. Open the steam cock and the water in the glass should fall to the
level of the water in the boiler.
One of the most common diagnostic tools on a boiler is the gauge glass.
Through this device, boiler operators can determine both the water
level and the general condition of the water in the boiler. The gauge
glass is also important when blowing a boiler down. By observing water
levels, an operator can judge how much water has left the boiler and
how much needs to be added.

Reflex glass is used due to the fact that light falling on the glass is
reflected by the steam but not by water, and so the glass appears
bright where there is steam and dark where there is water.
SAFETY VALVE

This is a safety device fitted to the boiler to prevent overpressure. The

regulations demand a minimum of two safety valves to each boiler.

The valves are required to be

1. Blow off at a pr. not exceeding 3% of the working pressure and

2. Must lift sufficiently so that the pressure does not rise above 10%
of designed blow-off pressure, It is also called accumulation of
steam test for boiler.
 3. Specially shaped lips on the valve and seat assist in minimizing
accumulation of steam pr. Assisted by waste steam to give further
increased valve lift.

4. Fitted with hand operated easing gear- manually floated in case of

emergency.

When the inlet static pressure rises above the set pressure of the
safety valve, the disc will begin to lift off its seat. However, as soon as
the spring starts to compress, the spring force will increase; this means
that the pressure would have to continue to rise before any further lift
can occur, and for there to be any significant flow through the valve.

In order to achieve full opening from this small overpressure, the

disc arrangement has to be specially designed to provide rapid opening.
This is usually done by placing a shroud,(cover) skirt or hood around
the disc. The volume contained within this shroud is known as the
control or huddling chamber

As lift begins (Figure), and fluid enters the chamber, a larger area of the
shroud is exposed to the fluid pressure. Since the magnitude of the
lifting force (F) is proportional to the product of the pressure (P) and
the area exposed to the fluid (A); (F = P x A), the opening force is
increased. This incremental increase in opening force overcompensates
for the increase in spring force, causing rapid opening. At the same
time, the shroud reverses the direction of the flow, which provides a
reaction force, further enhancing the lift.

MAIN STEAM STOP VALVE

• Its function is to isolate the boiler from the man steam line and

therefore fitted on top of the boiler on main steam line.

• It is either full open when boiler is supplying steam to the main

turbines or tight closed when the boiler is not supplying steam.

• This is a screw down valve mostly non-return type.

• Auxiliary Steam Stop Valve.

This is basically a smaller version of the main steam stop valve, fitted
for the purpose of isolating the boiler from the auxiliary steam lines. An
auxiliary steam line carries steam to various steam pumps, winches,
heaters etc. Again these must be screw down, non-return type valves.

OTHER MOUNTINGS

Main Feed Check Valve.

These are fitted to give final control over the entry of feed water into
the boiler.

They must be “screw down- non-return valve” so that in the event of a

loss of feed pressure, the boiler water cannot flow into the feed line.

It is positioned on the shell of the boiler at the water level.

Extended spindles are usually fitted so the checks can be operated from
a convenient position.

COMBUSTION OF OIL FUEL IN BOILERS

 The commonly used oils for burning in boilers are diesel oil and
heavy oil.

 The basic requirements of any oil-burning system includes the

supply of the liquid fuel at the correct temperature, viscosity
about 15 cst and pr. to enable the burner to atomize and inject
 tiny particles of oil (usually between 30 and 120 µ m diameter)
into suitably arranged air streams which will then produce flame
of the correct shape and dimension.

 The combustion of a residual fuel oil in a boiler furnace takes a

number of stages which are as follows:

 The oil is first heated to reduce its viscosity - to atomize.

 It must not be overheated as “cracking” occurs, leading to carbon

deposits, and the formation of gas in the fuel oil lines, etc. The
gas, due to its large volume, reduces the mass of oil passing
through the burners, which in turn leads to a possible reduction in
the steaming rate of the boiler owing to the reduced amount of
fuel actually burnt.

 This gasification can also cause instability in the combustion

process itself resulting in a fluctuating flame formation.

 The heated oil is passed through the burners & atomized,so

presenting a very large surface area of oil to the combustion
processes. The droplets formed are of two main types, i.e. very
fine particles consisting of the lighter fractions of the residual fuel,
which form a fine mist, and slightly larger droplets formed by the
heavier fractions of the residual fuel.

 The burner also imparts rotational energy to the fuel so that it

leaves the burner tip as a hollow, rotating cone formed of fine
droplets of oil.

The combustion stage itself can now commence, and in a boiler

furnace a type of combustion often referred to as a suspended flame is
used. For this, a stream of oil particles and air enters the combustion
zone at the same rate at which the products of combustion leaves it.
The actual flame front therefore remains stationary, while the particles
pass through it, undergoing the combustion process as they do so. The
combustion zone itself can be sub-divided into two main stages; these
are referred to as the primary and secondary flames.

COMBUSTION IN A FURNACE

Wind box

Wind box is an extension of air ducts and serves as a distributing

chamber for the air.It is a large chamber located where the burners
enters the boiler. Air pressures are stabilised in this chamber so that
each burner receives equal amount of air.

louvers are located in the wind box to direct the air to the base of the
flame. they are called primary louvers as they supply the air for the
initial combustion of the fuel. Air is also directed to the surrounding
area of the flame to cause complete combustion. This is also referred to
as secondary air louvers.

PRIMARY FLAME

1. The oil must be raised to its ignition temperature, where

continuous vaporization of the oil required for its combustion
takes place.

2. The ignition temperature should normally be at least 20 degrees C

above the flash point of the oil.

3. The ignition temperature cannot be obtained in the fuel oil

heaters, and therefore the heat radiated from the flame itself is
utilized so that, as the cone of atomized oil leaves the burner, the
lighter hydrocarbons are rapidly raised to the required
temperature by the heat from the furnace flame; they then
vaporize and burn to form primary flame. The heat from this
primary flame is now used to heat the heavier constituents of the
fuel to their ignition temperature as they, together with the
incoming secondary combustion air, pass through the flame.
SECONDARY FLAME

The larger oil droplets, heated in their passage through the primary
flame zone, then vaporize and begin to burn. This, although a rapid
process, is not instantaneous, and so it is essential that oxygen is
supplied steadily and arranged to mix thoroughly with the burning
particles of oil. An essential feature for the stability of this suspended
secondary flame is that the forward velocity of the air and oil particles
must not exceed the speed of flame propagation. If it does, the flame
front moves further out into the furnace and the primary flame will
now burn outside the quarl with resulting instability due to over-
cooling. The secondary flame gives heat to the surrounding furnace for
the generation of steam.

Sufficient time must be given for complete combustion to take place

before un-burnt oil particles can impinge on to tubes or refractory
material. This usually entails the supply of a certain amount of air in
excess of the theoretical amount required for complete combustion if
these practical considerations could be neglected, and unlimited time
taken for the mixing of the air and fuel. The actual amount of excess air
supplied depends upon a number of factors, such as the design of the
furnace, the efficiency of the combustion process for the condition of
load, etc., but will in general reduce the boiler efficiency to some extent
due to the heat carried away by this extra air leaving the funnel. It can
also lead to increased corrosion in the uptakes due to the increased
amount of sulfur tri-oxide that will form from sulfur dioxide in the
presence of excess oxygen.

COMBUSTION – AIR SUPPLY

The flow of air through a boiler is known as ‘draught’. Marine boilers

are arranged for forced draught, i.e. fans are used to force the air
through the furnace.

Air pre-heaters are fitted in the boiler uptake. The advantages of pre-
heating are that heat, which would otherwise lost, is extracted from
flue gases before escaping up the funnel, and therefore less heat goes
to waste. Hot, instead of cold air is supplied to the furnace, therefore
there is less mechanical straining of the boiler parts due to difference in
temperature, less heat is lost in bringing the air up to combustion
temperature and the boiler efficiency is increased.
COMBUSTION – FUEL SUPPLY

AIR SUPPLY
FUEL BURNING
FUEL BURNING

FEED WATER SYSTEM

OPEN FEED WATER SYSTEM

The open feed system would be suitable for use on most aux. blr
system on board diesel engine propulsion ships.

An auxiliary condenser, working at atm. pressure and using sw. as a

coolant, is used to condense the exh.steam and to cool hot water
drains. The resultant condensate drains by gravity into a LP feed filter
which also serves as the hot well. Any hot water drains which could be
oil contaminated are led into a suitable observation tank before
entering the feed circuit.

The feed pump normally draws water from the hot well, which can
overflow into a reserve feed tank. When the level in the hot well falls
below a pre-determined level, a float-operated change-over valve
allows the feed pump to draw directly from the reserve feed tank. The
pump shown is an electrically driven displacement type running at
constant speed. The water in the boiler is maintained at constant level
by means of a float operated feed regulator. As this control valve closes
in to restrict the flow of water, any undue increase of pressure at the
feed pump discharge is prevented by means of a spring-loaded relief
valve discharging back to the pump suction. For standby purposes, or as
an alternative arrangement, a steam driven direct-acting displacement
pump can be fitted. A suitable control valve placed in the steam supply
line enables this pump to be driven at variable speed in response to
signals from the boiler feed regulator.

Note

The hotwell will also receive drains from possibly contaminated

systems, e.g. fuel oil heating system, oil tank heating, etc. These may
arrive from a drains cooler to an observation tank. An observation tank,
where fitted, permits inspection of the drains and their discharge to the
oily bilge if contaminated.

AUX. BOILER – OPERATION & WATCH-KEEPING

Lighting up of boiler and process of raising steam from cold (manually)

1. Fill boiler with water to about one-quarter of the water level

gauge glass. Make sure air vent is open.

2. Make absolutely sure that there is no oil lying in the bottom of the
furnace before lighting up.

3. Open air to furnace. Oil, which has been in re-circulation for some
time through heater (if heavy oil), should be at a suitable
temperature for lighting up. Light a torch and put it in the furnace,
and open oil to one of the burners at the lowest possible rate.
Firing on diesel is also done in case no heating is possible of heavy
oil. By-pass air heater if fitted.

4. Raise temperature of boiler water at a rate of about 6-7 degrees C

per hour. Close air vent when steam vapor start showing.

5. Raise steam pr. slowly in next one hour to within 2 bar of working
pr.

6. Test water gauge by blowing through, check boiler pr. gauge,

check safety valve, easing gear, which should be clear. Firing rate
may now be increased.

7. Boiler is ready to supply required steam.

8. Air pre-heater, if fitted, to be brought into operation.

 Routine Operation.

Routine operation of a boiler requires that steam demand be met, by

adjustment of the firing rate, while the water level, the steam pr., the
outlet temp., and the correct air-fuel ratio are all maintained. To
achieve these goals, feed pr., forced draught, fuel pr. and temp. must
all be adequate, as well as such variables as are in the arrangement of
burner function. On most ships, these functions are all under automatic
control, but controls must be checked frequently and adjusted as
necessary.

Combustion conditions may require adjustment, especially to

accommodate changes in the properties of the fuel. Smoke indicates
too little air, cold fuel, or a fault in the equipment, but a clear exh. from
the stack may be the result of too much air. When the fuel is at the
right temp. and pr., when the burners are clean, and are properly
positioned in the registers, then the appearance of the flame may be
used as an indication of air-fuel ratio:

A bright yellow flame, short, with sparks at the edges, with a clear
furnace and a clear stack, indicates too much air.

A golden-orange flame, with long trails occasionally streaked with

brown, with the opposite wall of the furnace only intermittently visible,
with a slight brown haze at the stack, indicates the lowest practical fuel-
air ratio.

Boiler water chemistry must be maintained. A sample of the boiler

water is tested daily. The chemistry is adjusted by injecting measured
quantities of treatment compounds and by blowing down small
quantities of water using the surface-blow line, replacing the water
removed with make-up feed.

The boiler fireside must be cleaned by operating the soot blowers,

often twice daily. Permission to blow tubes must be obtained from the
bridge. While blowing tubes, excess air is increased to help carry soot
up the stack.

At intervals determined by experience, cleaned atomizers are

exchanged with those in service, and fuel suction and discharge
strainers are switched and cleaned.