Steam Generators

lecture no-3

Dr. Rajeev Trehan

Head, Department of Industrial and Production Engineering
Advisor, Centre of Training and Placement
Dr.B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology Jalandhar
Contents

 Boiler mountings
 Types of boiler mountings
 Boiler Accessories
 Types of boiler accessories
Boiler mountings

 Boiler mountings are a set of safety device installed for the safe operation of a boiler.
 These are the fittings, which are mounted on the boiler for its proper and safe functioning.
Types of boiler mountings:

Though there are many types of boilers mountings, yet following are the important from the
subject point of view:
 Water level indicator
 Pressure gauge
 Safety valve
 Stop valves
 Blow off cock
 Feed check valve
 Fusible plug
Water level indicator
The water level indicator located in front of the
boiler in such a position that the level of water
can easily be seen by the attended. A water
level indicator consists of a metal and a strong
glass tube with marking. The upper and lower
ends of these tubes are connected to two
gunmetal hollow pipes.
The upper pipe has a steam valve and the lower
pipe has a water valve which is bolted to the
boiler plated by two flanges. The upper pipe is
opened to the steam and the lower pipe is open
to the water with the help of steam and water
valves, respectively.
In case of glass gauge breaks accidentally, the
water and steam simultaneously rush out
through the gunmetal pipe and they are carried
away by water and steam and passages are
closed. The water and steam valves are then
closed and the glass gauge is replaced.
Pressure guage
A pressure gauge is fitted in front of a boiler
in such a position that the operated can
conveniently read it. It reads the pressure of
steam in the boiler and is connected to the
steam space by a siphon tube.
Safety Valves
The safety valve is a relief valve that prevents
the boiler pressure from raising over its
normal working pressure by automatically
opening when the boiler pressure exceeds the
normal working pressure, thus allowing
excess steam to escape into the atmosphere
until the pressure comes down on its normal
value. Thus, a safety valve ensures safety to a
boiler from being damaged due to excessive
steam pressure. It also ensures safety to a pipe
or vessel containing water under high
pressure.
There are generally four types of safety valve:
• Lever-type safety valve
• Deadweight type of safety valve
• Spring-loaded safety valve
• High steam and low water safety valve
Lever safety valve
The first safety valve was invented by Denis
Papin for his steam digester, an early pressure
cooker rather than an engine.[5] A weight
acting through a lever held down a circular
plug valve in the steam vessel. By using a
"steelyard" lever a smaller weight was
required, also the pressure could easily be
regulated by sliding the same weight back and
forth along the lever arm. Papin retained the
same design for his 1707 steam pump.
 Dead weight safety valve
In this valve, the steam pressure in the upward direction is
balanced by the downward force of the dead weights acting
on the valve. It consists of a vertical cast iron or steel pipe
through which the steam pressure acts on the valve. At the
lower end of vertical pipe, a bottom flange is provided to
bolt safety valve to the seating block on the boiler shell. At
the upper end of the vertical pipe, a gun metal valve seat is
screwed to it. Under normal working condition, the gun
metal valve rests on this valve seat. This valve is free to
move in discharge pipe and secured to a large weight carrier
which hangs freely over the vertical pipe. To balance
upward force of steam pressure, the dead weights of cast
iron rings are placed on the weight carrier. Further, the dead
weights and weight carrier are covered by a cast iron cover
plate just to avoid any mishandling of the weights. A
discharge pipe is used to discharge the steam to the
atmosphere after the valve is lifted.
Spring loaded safety valve
In this valve, the steam pressure in the
upward direction is balanced by the
downward force of the spring. It has a cast
iron body which is provided with two
channels for the flow of steam to the
atmosphere when the steam pressure in the
boiler exceeds the working pressure. These
two channels are connected to a valve chest,
the flange of which is bolted to the seating
block on the boiler shell. Each channel has
separate valve. The necessary thrust for
keeping the valves on their valve seat against
the steam pressure is provided by pivot of the
lever which is held down by the helical
spring. During steam generation operation,
the working of the valve is checked by
pulling the projected end of the lever.
High steam and low water
safety valve
This valve has a combined safety arrangement
against
a) high steam pressure in the boiler and
b) low water level in the boiler.
Steam stop valve
The function of a steam stop valve (this is
called main stop valve) is to control the flow
of steam from within the boiler and to stop it
completely when required. It is used to
relieve pressure and prevent possible
explosion of a boiler
Blow of cock
The function of a blow–off valve is to remove
periodically the sediments deposited at the
bottom of the boiler while the boiler is in
operation and to empty the boiler while it is to
be cleaned or inspected. When the blow-off
valve is opened the water which is under the
pressure of steam, rushes out with tremendous
velocity thus crying out the sediments along
with it.
Feed check valve
The function of a feed check valve is to
control the flow of water from the feed pump
to the boiler and to prevent the backflow of
water from the boiler to the pump when the
pump pressure is less than the boiler pressure
or when the feed pump ceases to work.
Fusible plug
The function of a fusible plug is to ensure
safety to the boiler from being damaged by
overheating due to water level falling very
low in the boiler. A fusible plug is a threaded
metal cylinder usually of bronze, brass or
gunmetal, with a tapered hole drilled
completely through its length. This hole is
sealed with a metal of low melting point that
flows away if a pre-determined, high
temperature is reached. The initial use of the
fusible plug was as a safety precaution against
low water levels in steam engine boilers, but
later applications extended its use to other
closed vessels, such as air conditioning
systems and tanks for transporting corrosive
or liquefied petroleum gasses.
Boiler Accesories

 These are the devices which are used as integral parts of a boiler, and help in running
efficiently. Figure shows the schematic diagram of a boiler plant with the above
mentioned accessories.
Types of boiler Accessories

Though there are many types of boiler accessories, yet the following are important from the
subject point of view:
1. Feet pump
2. Superheater
3. Economiser
4. Air preheater
Super heater
It is a heat exchanger in which products of the
heat of combustion is utilized to dry the wet
steam and to make superheated by increasing
its temperature.
During superheating of the steam, pressure
remains constant and its volume and
temperature increase. A superheater consists
of a set of small diameter U tube in which
steam flows and takes up the heat from hot
flue gases.
Advantages:

• There is a saving in fuel consumption.

• The overall efficiency is increased.
Air Preheater
An air preheater (APH) is any device
designed to heat air before another process
(for example, combustion in a boiler) with the
primary objective of increasing the thermal
efficiency of the process. They may be used
alone or to replace a recuperative heat system
or to replace a steam coil. he purpose of the
air preheater is to recover the heat from the
boiler flue gas which increases the thermal
efficiency of the boiler by reducing the useful
heat lost in the flue gas. As a consequence,
the flue gases are also conveyed to the flue
gas stack (or chimney) at a lower temperature,
allowing simplified design of the conveyance
system and the flue gas stack. It also allows
control over the temperature of gases leaving
the stack (to meet emissions regulations, for
example). It is installed between the
economizer and chimney.
Queries?
Thank you