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Accident Prevention Manual For Business & Industry:: Engineering & Technology 13th Edition
Accident Prevention Manual For Business & Industry:: Engineering & Technology 13th Edition
Compiled by
Dr. S.D. Allen Iske, Associate Professor
University of Central Missouri
CHAPTER 5
BOILERS AND UNFIRED
PRESSURE VESSELS
Definitions
• Boiler: A closed vessel in which water is heated by
combustion of fuels or heat from other sources.
Definitions (Cont.)
• Unfired pressure vessels: air tanks, steam-jacketed
kettles, digesters, vulcanizers, and other such vessels
Definitions (Cont.)
• High-temperature water: Water kept in closed systems
under a high pressure so that it remains a liquid rather
than turning into steam.
• Pressure parts: Any component of a vessel, boiler, or
water heater that retains steam, hot water, or other fluids
under pressure.
• ASME: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• NBIC: National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel
Inspector’s Code
Potential Safety Hazards
• Boilers and unfired pressure vessels
• Found in workplaces—offices, hospitals, manufacturing plants,
hotels, garages, warehouses
• Contents within vessels—gases, vapors, liquids, solids
• Toxic and benign substances
• Pressures ranging from almost full vacuum to thousands of psi
• Temperatures ranging from hundreds of degrees below zero to well
over 1000°F
Safety Hazards
• Fires
• Burns
• Explosions
• Asbestos
Safety Hazards (Cont.)
• BLEVE: boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion
• This is a type of explosion that can occur when a vessel containing
a pressurized liquid is ruptured. Such explosions can be extremely
hazardous.
• A BLEVE results from the rupture of a vessel containing a liquid
substantially above its atmospheric boiling point. The substance is
stored partly in liquid form, with
a gaseous vapor above the
liquid filling the remainder of
the container.
• Furnace explosions
• National Board
• Certificates of authorization to perform specific tasks
• NB stamps
Common Causes of Explosions
in Pressure Vessels
• Errors in design, construction, and installation
• Improper installation, human failure, and inadequate
training of operators
• Corrosion/erosion of construction materials
• Failure or intentional defeat of safety devices; failure or
override of automatic control devices
• Failure to inspect and test thoroughly, properly, and
frequently
• Improper application of equipment; overfiring
• Lack of planned preventive maintenance
Common Boiler Hazards
• Explosion hazards
• Fire hazards—leakage of fuel or gas
Prevention Measures for Boiler Fires
• Fully enclosed boiler rooms
• Large door openings on boiler rooms
• Noncombustible ceiling and automatic sprinklers
• Proper clearance around exterior walls
How to Minimize Fires and
Explosions
• Establish testing and servicing program.
• Always test safety and relief valves under pressure.
• Have repairs made immediately.
• Check and service the boiler in and out of heating season.
• Keep a boiler log.
Boilers
• Boiler—a closed vessel in which water is heated and
steam is generated or superheated under pressure by the
direct application of heat
• Heat sources—combustion of fuel, most common; also
electricity and waste heat from chemical reaction
• Boilers—firetube or watertube
• Boilers registered and certified in accordance with state or
local agencies. Some states require operators to be
licensed.
Design and Construction
• Controls and instrumentation—monitor and control
combustion and steam production
• Economizers—transfer heat from flue gas to incoming
feed water
• Super heaters—increase temperature of steam
• Air repeaters—transfer heat from flue gas to incoming air
• Chimneys—discharge products of combustions
• Ash-disposal equipment—remove ash produced
Design and Construction (Cont.)
• Water treatment—remove dissolved O2 and CO2, control
pH
• Blow down pipes and valves—remove sludge and
impurities in boiler water
• Safety valves and fusible plugs—safe operation, relieve
excess pressure or vacuum conditions
• Steam pressure and water-level indicators/controls—
monitor safe and proper operation
• Good piping practice—minimize maintenance work and
easy to reach
• Placing boilers in and out of service—manufacturer’s
recommendations
Annual Inspection, Cleaning
and Maintenance
• Clean boilers promptly.
• Follow correct guidelines.
• Schedule maintenance guidelines.
• Follow general precautions for entrance.
• Wear proper attire when entering.
Boiler Rooms
• Safety precautions:
• floors—slippery and dirty
• lighting—source of emergency lighting; controls and gauges well lit;
spare flashlights; exits well lit and identified
• exits—two or more exits (remotely located from each other); proper
exits for each story to a fire escape or directly outside
• emergency shutdown buttons at exits
• stairs, ladders and runways—proper access to operate and service
boiler safely
Operator Training, Procedures
and Boiler Room Emergencies
• Operator error is a major contributing factor in boiler
accidents.
• Operators must understand the process and hazards with
the system, including the purpose and principles of the
control and safety devices installed.
• Procedures for start-up, shutdown and basic
troubleshooting must be developed with assistance from
the manufacturer or a qualified person. Emergency
procedure must be developed for operation.
• Train multiple operators as well as security personnel
patrolling premises and facility.
Safety of High-Temperature Water
• High-temperature water (HTW) vs. steam and cold water
—break in pipe/equipment
• HTW release—volume increases at high rate, energy released at
very low rate; no energy for rupturing equipment or imparting
energy to fragments, but high potential for scalding injuries
• Steam and cold water release—16 times more energy released
during expansion than HTW escape; energy left to produce
explosive effect
• Main causes of failure
• operating errors or mechanical forces (water hammer, thermal
expansion and thermal shock)
• faulty materials
Unfired Pressure Vessels (UPV)
• Vessels designed to contain fluids under internal pressure
or vacuum and not heated directly through the combustion
of fuels or other external heat sources.
• Found in commercial and industrial facilities.
• Heat can be generated from chemical reactions within
vessel or by applying a heating medium within the vessel
or circulating it around the vessel (jacket).
• Examples: compressed air tanks, propane tanks,
deaerators and condensate tanks, steam-jacketed kettles,
pulp mill digesters, rubber vulcanizers
UPV Design
• ASME Code UPV exceptions:
• vessels subject to federal regulations
• vessels with a nominal capacity of 120 gal (450 l) or less of water
under pressure, in which any trapped air serves only as a cushion
• vessels having an internal or external operating pressure not
exceeding 15 psi (103 kPa), with no limitation on size
• vessels with an inside diameter not exceeding 6 in. (15 cm), and no
limitation on pressure
• hot-water storage tanks heated by steam or other indirect means—
heat input of 200,000 Btu (59,000 J/s) or less, water temperature of
200ºF (93ºC) or less, and nominal capacity of 120 gal (450 l) or
less
UPV—Code Divisions
• Design: ASME Code, Section VIII
• Division I—normally covers vessels with ratings of 3,000 psi or
less.
• Division II—normally covers vessels used at pressures exceeding
3,000 psi.
• Other Codes—American Petroleum Institute’s code or state and
local codes may be enforced. Codes may impose size or service
limits more restrictive than ASME Code.
• Secondhand vessels
• Prior to purchase, written report that equipment meets requirements of
jurisdiction where it is to be installed.
• Have the equipment inspected by a NB licensed inspector.
UPV—Internal Inspection
• Internal inspection
• Periodic internal inspections to evaluate integrity of equipment.
• Inspections should be carried out by NB licensed inspectors to
ensure compliance with jurisdictional or insurance requirements.
• Preventive maintenance
UFP—Vessel History Documents
• Inspection or maintenance department should keep file or
log of original design documents, records of inspections,
and vessel history documents.
• blueprints
• manufacturer’s data reports and instructions
• design data, including location of dimensional checkpoints
• installation information
• records of process changes
• vessel’s historical profile, including records of all repairs and
conditions found during inspections
UPV—Entry
• Develop safe policy and procedure for entering tanks
• Confined space with permit and lockout/tagout safety
procedures required by OSHA
• Potential hazards of confined spaces:
• toxic materials including inert gases
• flammable vapors which may be ignited
• insufficient oxygen
• heat or smoke from fire inside vessel
• introduction of hot gases or fluids from external sources
• start up of agitators or putting confined space in motion
UPV Entry (Cont.)
• Prior to entry into pressure vessel:
• Ensure it is properly drained, ventilated, and cleaned
• Test atmosphere for oxygen content, explosiveness, and toxic
levels
• Disconnect and blank all connecting pipelines, or close, lock out,
and tag valves on the line
• All power-driven devices—disconnected, locked out, and tagged
• Confined-space permit issued
• Provide access for safe entry and exit from vessel
• Use safety harnesses and lifelines
• Put on proper PPE
UPV—Cleaning and Purging
• Clean and purge the vessel’s internal surfaces prior to
entry.
• Use specific methods based on the substance contained
inside the vessel.
• Forced ventilation is required to ensure all potentially
harmful or dangerous gases and vapors have been
removed.
• Test atmosphere prior to entry as well as routinely
throughout work processes inside a vessel.
UPV—Testing
• Hydrostatic tests
• Can be used for vessels constructed without access for an
internal inspection to ensure the vessel is fit for continued service.
• Targeted for the maximum allowable working pressure, the set
pressure of the lowest installed safety valve, or the normal
operating pressure of the boiler or pressure vessel at discretion of
the authorized inspector.
• Testing should follow ASME Code and NBIC Codes.