The Steam System

By Revashan Wayne Subbiah.

 Steam
 Introduction to steam
Steam is a primary source of energy on the
refinery ,being used for mechanical and
heating purposes. Steam supplies
approximately 80% of the refineries utilities
energy demand.
 The Properties of steam
The properties of steam needed for the design of
steam generating equipment are given in steam
tables as follows:
 Saturation temperatures
 Pressures
 Enthalpies (measure of heat content)
 The Steam Generation Process

Quality of Steam
DM
Sand Demin Storage De-aerators
water
filters plant

BFW @ 140 deg C

Condensate To Process
Usage
Boilers

Losses HP/MP/LP
Consequences regarding Quality of
Steam.
 Demin plant Failure
Results in ions being present in steam which
causes corrosion and deposits on the
metallic equipment. (tubes & turbine
blades).
Consequences regarding Quality of
Steam.
 De-aerator Failure
Results in the formation of air pockets in
the steam line. The high oxygen content
causes pitting of the boiler tubes which
creates holes.
 Steam Generation
5 Fired HP Boilers: 5400 t/d
 F3262 – Old CO boiler
 F3263 – New CO Boiler
 F3271 – Bronswerk
 F3272 – Ical
 F3273 – SFL
Also supplemented by 800 ~ 1000 t/d from
waste heat boilers .
 Steam Headers
 HP 50~55 BAR
 AMP 17 BAR
 MP 17 BAR
 LP 4~5 BAR
Hp header is maintained by manipulating
the duty of the fired boilers.
The Other headers are maintained by
bypassing steam or venting.
 Maintaining Efficiency

 Some Major Losses in a typical utilities

boiler are:
:Loss due to moisture in fuel 0.36%
:Loss due to unburned combustible 0.50%
:Radiation loss 4.30%
:Loss due to moisture in the air 0.13%
:Tube heat transfer limitations 3.50%
: Overall efficiency ~ 90.0%
Monitoring Efficiency
Dirty Heat Absorbing Surfaces
Quantities monitored
 Boiler Shutdown
 Firing equipment & fans are switched off.
 The unit is closed of completely to allow for
slow & uniform cooling.
 Super heater drain valves are left open to
prevent any condensate from forming in the
headers.
 To prevent a vacuum from with in the boiler
the vent valves are opened once the pressure
has dropped to ~ 2 bar
 Boiler Start-Up
 Furnace is purged of any combustible gases
(prevention of furnace explosions)
 Ultra High quality water is used to fill the
boiler and also during operation.
 Temperature of the water is regulated to
match the temperature of the boiler metal.
(prevention of thermal stresses)
Attemperation
The End
Thank You