The function of high and low level alarms. Low-level alarms will draw attention to low boiler water level and, if required, shut down the boiler. High-level alarms protect plant and processes.
Where boilers are operated without constant supervision (which includes the majority of industrial boilers) low water level alarms are required to shut down the boiler in the event of a lack of water in the boiler. Low level may be caused by:
Combustion efficiency is an indication of the burner’s ability to burn fuel. The amount of unburned fuel and excess air in the exhaust are used to assess a burner’s combustion efficiency. Burners resulting in low levels of unburned fuel while operating at low excess air levels are considered efficient. Well designed conventional burners firing gaseous and liquid fuels operate at excess air levels of 15% and result in negligible unburned fuel. Well designed ultra low emissions burners operate at a higher excess air level of 25% in order to reduce emissions to very low levels. By operating at the minimum excess air requirement, less heat from the combustion process is being used to heat excess combustion air, which increases the energy available for the load. Combustion efficiency is not the same for all fuels and, generally, gaseous and liquid fuels burn more efficiently than solid fuels.
Excess air provides safe operation above stoichiometric conditions. A burner is typically set up with 15% to 20% excess air in higher firing ranges. Higher excess air levels result in fuel being used to heat the air instead of transferring it to usable energy, increasing stack losses and significantly decreasing efficiency. Boilers with lower excess air throughout the operating range have higher efficiencies.
In theory, to have the most efficient combustion in any combustion process, the quantity of fuel and air would be in a perfect ratio to provide perfect combustion with no unused fuel or air. This type of theoretical perfect combustion is called stoichiometric combustion. In practice, however, for safety and maintenance needs, additional air beyond the theoretical "perfect ratio" needs to be added to the combustion process - this is referred to as "excess air".
ASME code – also known by its longer name: ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code – regulates the design, development, and manufacturing of boilers used in a variety of industries and applications.
This code was developed by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, an organization that has been around for well over 100 years and is focused on establishing safety codes and standards for mechanical equipment.
Within the industrial heating industry, ASME code is the established standard that many pieces of equipment are built to.
Heating systems that adhere to the specifications set forth by ASME code have been constructed according to guidelines intended to promote safety and quality. As such, heating equipment that is ASME code compliant has been thoroughly inspected to assure that it meets high safety and quality standards.
Evaporation phase occurs in water wall tubes. Evaporation is the process to convert water into steam. Therefore water wall tubes should be designed and constructed to provide high heat absorption, minimum excess air level and highest boiler efficiency. Construction of water wall tubes should be also constructed to prevent air leakage into steam boiler, eliminate amount of heat losses and permit high heat release and combustion rate in the furnace.
Construction of water wall tubes must provide high quality of the supporting component such as tubes, casing, refractory, lagging, tile, fin, and so on. Best construction will reduce heat loss and maintenance. Construction of water wall tubes can be classified into four types such as:
Safety is always a top priority when working with industrial boilers, at least it should be. Fortunately, safety has become less of an issue with more modern water tube boilers. Compared to traditional fire tube boilers, water tube boilers are far safer, almost to the point where you don’t have to worry about a catastrophic explosion taking place.
In a water tube steam boiler, unlike a fire tube, water circulates inside the tubes. The heat that is generated and the combustion gases that surround the tubes heat the water that circulates inside them. Many water-tube boilers operate according to the principle of natural water circulation.
The capacity of this type of boiler can be enhanced by increasing the number of tubes in the boiler.
