Caribbean Maritime Institute School of Academic Studies Industrial Boiler Operation Unit 2 Boiler Types (Fire Tube) Lecture

e # 5 (2 of 2) Eng. Earl S. Green, Ph.D. Packaged Boilers

A PB is a boiler that had been fabricated and available as a complete package. High efficiency PBs are available in watertube, firetube, or hybrid types, and can be configured in Hp and Lb. of steam/hr. Packaged Boilers The entire pressure parts have been assembled in the workshop and ready to be sent to the field or site where the end use facility (eg. Power plant) is located. In the field only connection and integration of electrical, water pipes, steam pipes, and fuel piping system/s are required for operation. Each PB is deployed with all controls, piping, and pumps required to facilitate installation and commissioning. PBs in general are of the fire tube type/ shell and tubes arrangement.

Packaged Boilers Development & characteristics of PBs: Most PBs are the lineal descendants of the basic Scotch design, modified for stationary service. The reasons for selecting this design for a packaged unit includes: Higher level of thermal efficiency than other types of steam boilers. A number of passes to generate better overall heat transfer Induced or forced draft system for the generation of proper combustion efficiency.

Packaged Boilers Development & characteristics of PBs: A large number of small diameter tubes to optimize good convection heat transfer.

The small dimension of combustion chamber or furnace and the high heat which is released results in more rapid evaporation. Minimum radiation loss No requirement for masonry or refractory setting The design prevents the leakage of cool air into the furnace Large steaming capacity for the space occupied.

Development & characteristics of PBs: Low head room required for installation Large water content is excellent for heating applications No special foundation required

This design provides for precipitates, scale and silt collection in space below the furnace, which relatively cool and from which they can easily be removed in the event poor water quality exists.

Exhaust Gas Boilers EGBs (Exhaust Gas Economizers) are normally built to regenerate heat from comparatively large flue gas quantities at a not very high temperature and with a limited pressure loss.

Exhaust Gas Boilers Exhaust Gas Boilers (Exhaust Gas Economizers), with extended heating surface, used for waste heat recovery

Exhaust Gas Boilers A diesel engine loses ~ 30% of the energy to the exhaust gases. A turbocharger recover some of it, but there is still heat losses that can be recovered by means of an EGB. Utilization of the energy in the exhaust gas is restricted due to risk of low temperature corrosion on the gas side of the tubes.

The sulphuric acid dew point temperature is assumed to be at 130-140C. A temperature difference of 40C must be considered in order to obtain a certain margin when the gas temperature decreases due to low load on the main engine. This means that EGBs cannot be designed to reduce the gas temperature at the EGB outlet below 170-180C at Continuous Service Rating. At gas temperatures below 170-180C, the vaporized unburnt oil particles in the gas condense to an adhesive mixture of soot and oil resulting in troublesome deposits on the tubes and on the heating surface of the EGB. The reasonable optimal steam production EGBs where no economizers are incorporated are consequently reached at a steam pressure of 3-4 bar (saturated temperature 143-151C). In practice it is found that the pinch temperature must be kept at minimum 25C as a lower temperature difference will substantially increase the heating surface and the price of the EGB. Exhaust Gas Boilers

Soot deposits will decrease the exhaust gas boiler steam production considerably and may if left unattended cause a soot fire. Therefore it would be wise to include an automatic timer controlled soot blowing equipment .Question Why only water tube boilers and not the fire tube type are designed and used for power plant industries? Question The reason is to be found in its thermodynamic nature. To get a high efficient water-steam cycle a high temperature and pressure of the steam is required. The higher the pressure and temperature, the more effective the process. Fire tube boilers are, due to their big shell dia; not suitable for high pressures. Water tube boilers are suitable for high pressures due to their small tube and header dia. Higher pressures require greater wall thickness, but this reduces heat transfer. The practical limit is about 16 bar (240psi). Question Fire/smoke tube boilers are also more prone to catastrophic failure. The water and energy in a Scotch boiler, say at a modest pressure of 10 bar, is enough to launch the boiler through bulkheads and kill everyone in the boiler room sadly, not an uncommon event in the old days.

Finally, water tube boilers lend themselves to modern modular construction techniques more than fire tube boilers. Even in field erected water tube boilers, most of the fabrication for instance, water wall panels can be done in a workshop under controlled conditions or using automated equipment. This improves quality and reduces construction time and costs