Steam drum A steam drum is a standard feature of a watertube boiler.

It is a reservoir of water/steam at the top end of the water tubes. The drum stores the steam generated in the water tubes and acts as a phase-separator for the steam/water mixture. The difference in densities between hot and cold water helps in the accumulation of the "hotter"water/and saturated-steam into the steam-drum.

Drum-t pe boiler!A water-tube steam boiler in which the tubes terminate in upper and lower steam-and-water drums. Also "nown as drumt pe boiler. header!A pipe that serves as a central connection for two or more smaller pipes. downcomer!A tube in a boiler waterwall s stem wherein the fluid flows downward.

There are two regimes of boiling mechanisms# namel # the nucleate boiling and the film boiling. $ucleate boiling is formation and release of steam bubbles at the tube surface# with water still wetting the surface immediatel . Since the tube surface temperature is closer to saturation temperature the tube is alwa s safe against failure. %ilm boiling is the formation of steam film at the tube surface#sharpl . This leads to instantaneous or long term overheating of due to high heat flux or low velocit or inclined tubes. in which the metal temperature rises tubes & failures.

a marine-t pe water tube boiler

A watertube boiler 'also spelled water-tube and water tube( is a t pe of boiler in which water circulates in tubes heated externall b the fire. wor"ing %uel is burned inside the furnace# creating hot gas which heats water in the steam-generating tubes. In smaller boilers# additional generating tubes are separate in the furnace# while larger utilit boilers rel on the water-filled tubes that ma"e up the walls of the furnace to generate steam.

)ater tube boiler

The heated water then rises into the steam drum. *ere# saturated steam is drawn off the top of the drum. In some services# the steam will reenter the furnace through a superheater to become superheated. Superheated steam is defined as steam that is heated above the boiling point at a given pressure. Superheated steam is a dr gas and therefore used to drive turbines# since water droplets can severel damage turbine blades.

+ool water at the bottom of the steam drum returns to the feedwater drum via large-bore ,downcomer tubes,# where it pre-heats the feedwater suppl . 'In large utilit boilers# the feedwater is supplied to the steam drum and the downcomers suppl water to the bottom of the waterwalls(. To increase econom of the boiler# exhaust gases are also used to pre-heat the air blown into the furnace and warm the feedwater suppl . Such watertube boilers in thermal power station are also called steam generating units.

Steam drum wor"ing The separated steam is drawn out from the top section of the drum and distributed for process. %urther heating of the saturated steam will ma"e superheated steam normall used to drive a steam turbine. Saturated steam is drawn off the top of the drum and re-enters the furnace in through a superheater. The steam and water mixture enters the steam drum through riser tubes# drum internals consisting of demister separate the water droplets from the steam producing dr steam.

The saturated water at the bottom of the steam drum flows down through the downcomer pipe# normall unheated# to headers and water drum. Its accessories include a safet valve# water-level indicator and level controller. %eed-water of boiler is also fed to the steam drum through a feed pipe extending inside the drum# along the length of the steam drum.

A steam drum is used without or in the compan of a mud-drum/feed water drum which is located at a lower level. A boiler with both steam drum and mud/water drum is called a bi-drum boiler and a boiler with onl a steam drum is called a monodrum boiler. The bi-drum boiler construction is normall intended for low pressure-rating boiler while the mono-drum is mostl designed for higher pressure-rating.

A steam drum of the boiler is meant for performing the following. -. Steam is purified b the steam drum internals which ma have the baffle separators# c clone separators# +hevron separators# demisters / Screen driers. .. Acts as reservoir and provides the necessar head for the circulation of water through evaporative surfaces. /. Supplies water for a brief period in the event of stoppage of water suppl .

use 0i drum boiler - are used for power generation and steam generation both. %or power generation the are used now seldom and are replaced b single drum boilers as the bi drum boilers are nonreheat units. Single drum boiler- used mainl for the power plants for power generation.

+irculation It is the motion of wor"ing fluid in the evaporating tubes. The circulation ma be natural or forced. In natural circulation#wor"ing fluid circulates due to densit difference. In forced circulation#wor"ing fluid is forced b an external pump. circulation ratio!The ratio of mass flow rate of circulating water to the rate of steam generation.

1nce through boiler! A boiler in which water flows# without recirculation# se2uentiall through the economi3er# furnace wall# and evaporating and superheating tubes. 4tilit boiler/power boiler is boiler meant for suppl ing steam to a steam turbine for electricit generation.

0lowdown 5emoval of a portion of water from the boiler drum is called blow down. 5eason!To ad6ust TDS level of boiler. T pes!-.+ontinuous ..Intermittent -.+ontinuous blowdown!To maintain a definite concentration of dissolved non-volatile substances. ..Intermittent blowdown ! To remove sludge

Drum internals Drum contains some internal fittings to carr out various functions.Drum internals include -.%eed water distributor ..Surface blowdown header /.+hemical dosing header 7.Steam separators and purifiers.

+orrosion is the gradual destruction of materials 'usuall metals( b chemical reaction with its environment. 8alvanic corrosion 'also called , dissimilar metal corrosion, or wrongl ,electrol sis,( refers to corrosion damage induced when two dissimilar materials are coupled in a corrosive electrol te. 9lectrol te A substance whose a2ueous solutions conduct electricit . A2ueous solution!An a2ueous solution is a solution in which the solvent is water.

:itting corrosion# or pitting# is a form of extremel locali3ed corrosion that leads to the creation of small holes in the metal.