Experiment No: - 01

Aim:-Study of High Pressure Boilers

Date:-
 Aim: - Study of high pressure boiler.
 Objective:-

 Introduction: - The term boiler or steam generator is applies to device for

generating steam which may be used for power generation as in case of steam
engines or turbines, for textile industries, for heating as in case of heating installation
for building.

Mainly there are two types of boiler:-

1. Low pressure boiler

2. High pressure boiler

 Why high pressure boilers?

The demand for the high power output from the boiler and associated
plants has increased in the last ten years. It is a common practice to use high pressure
and temperature steam in power plants to increase the efficiency of the plant and to
reduce the cost of electricity production. The high pressure boiler which is also known
as modern boilers used for power generation are for steam capacities 30 to 650 tons/hr
and above with a pressure up to 160 bar and maximum steam temperature of about
540°C.

 Salient features of high pressure boilers:-

1. Methods of circulation of water and steam.

2. Arrangement of tubing and boiler drum.

3. Methods of superheating the steam.

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 4. Water softening plant.

 Types of high pressure boiler:-

1. La Mont boiler

2. Benson boiler

3. Loeffler boiler

4. Schmidt-Hartmann boiler

5. Velox boiler

6. Supercharged boiler

1. La Mont boiler: -

Construction: - La Mont boiler is vertical boiler. It has two types of evaporator

namely convective evaporator and radiant evaporator. Radiant evaporator are
mounted as near as possible to the combustion chamber. The economizer is also
used in La Mont boiler to heat the feed water from flue gases. This heated water
passed to evaporating drum.

At the top of the boiler air preheater is installed to heat the air which is required
for combustion in combustion chamber.

Working: - The feed water from hot well is supplied to a storage and separating
drum through the economizer. The most of the sensible heat is supplied to the
feed water passing through the economizer. A centrifugal pump circulates the
water equal to 8 to 10 ties the weight of steam evaporated. This water is
circulated through the evaporator tubes and part of the water evaporated is
separated in the separator drum. The large quantity of water circulated prevents
the tubes from being overheated.

The centrifugal pump delivers the feed water to the headers at

pressure of 2.5 bars above the drum pressure. The distribution header distributes

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 the water through the nozzle into the evaporator. The steam separated in the
boiler is further passed through the superheater and then supplied to the turbine.

The air drawn by the blower is preheated in the air preheater by the
flue gases before these are discharged through the chimney. The heated air from
air preheater is supplied to the combustion chamber and it improves the
combustion efficiency.

 Advantages:-
1. The boiler can generate steam up to a pressure of 150 bars and the
generation rate of steam ranges from 30000 to 45000 kg per hour.

2. Starting of Lamont boiler is quick.

 Disadvantages:-
1. Bubbles are formed at the inner face of heating tube. Because of which it
reduces the heat transfer rate.

2. Benson boiler:-
Construction: - Benson boiler is also vertical boiler. It has two types of
evaporators viz.

Convective evaporator and radiant evaporator. Radiant evaporator are mounted

as near as possible to the combustion chamber. The economizer is also used in
Benson boiler to heat the feed water from flue gases. This heated water passed
to evaporating drum. At the top of the boiler air preheater is installed to heat the
air which is required for combustion in combustion chamber.

Working: - The main difficulty of Lamont boiler is the formation of bubbles at the
inner side of heating tubes which reduces the heat flow and steam generation as

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 it offers high thermal resistance than water film. Benson argued in 1922 that if the
boiler pressure was raised to critical pressure (225 bars) the steam and water
have the sane density and therefore the danger of bubble formation can be easily
eliminated.

The arrangement of boiler is as shown below. The water as

passed through the economizer into the radiant evaporator where most of the
water is converted into the steam. The remaining water is evaporated in the
convective evaporator absorbing the heat from hot gases by convection. The
saturated high pressure steam (at 225 bar) is further passed through the super
heater as shown.

 Advantages:-
1. As the generation of steam is carried out in the evaporating tubes at pressure
higher than critical pressure it doesn’t require any evaporating drum.

2. The boiler can be started in short time in 10 to 15 minutes only.

3. Benson boiler is lighter in weight with high generation rate of steam.

4. Due to absence of the evaporating drum the total weight is 20% less than
other boilers.

5. The superheater of the Benson boiler is the integral part of forced circulation
system therefore no special starting arrangement for superheater is required.

6. The cost of the boiler is reduces as there is no evaporating drum.

7. Bubble formation is eliminated in Benson boiler which is critical problem in

Lamont boiler.

 Disadvantages:-
1. The evaporation process will leave small deposits during conversion of water
into steam due to which it requires frequent cleaning. To obviate this problem,
the water softening plant is require.

2. Tubes are likely to be overheated in case of water flow is insufficient.

3. Loeffler boiler:-

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 Construction: - Components in Loeffler boiler are air pre heater, evaporating
drum radiant and convective evaporator feed pump etc. in Loeffler boiler H.P.
and L.P. boilers are added with steam circulating pump. The economizer is used
to heat the incoming water from feed pump. Steam circulating pump draws
superheated steam from evaporating drum.

Working: - The major difficulty in Lamont boiler is the deposition of salt and
sediment on the inner surface of the water tubes. This difficulty was solved in
Loeffler boiler by preventing the flow of water into the boiler tubes. Most of the
steam is generated outside from the feed water using part of the superheated
steam coming out from the boiler. The arrangement is shown in the following
diagram.

The pressure feed pump draws the water through the economizer
and delivers it into the evaporator drum as shown. About 35% f the steam
coming out from the superheater is supplied to the H.P. steam turbine. The
steam coming out from H.P. turbine is passed through reheater before supplying
to L.P. turbine. The amount of heat generated in the evaporator drum is equal to
the steam tapped (65%) from the superheater. The nozzles which distribute the
superheated steam throughout the water into the evaporator drum are of special
design and avoid priming and noise. This boiler can carry higher salts
concentration than any other type.

 Advantages:-
1. Loeffler boiler can carry higher salt concentration than any other type of
boiler.

2. Since evaporating tubes of Loeffler boiler carries only superheated steam

there is no salt deposition so it is suitable for marine applications.

3. Boiler is compact in design.

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4. Schmidth-Hartmann boiler:-

Construction: - Schmidth-Hartmann boiler consists of air preheater to heat the

surrounding air which is required for combustion chamber. It also consist steam
drum, superheater, and feed pump. Feed water preheater, primary separator is
also used in this boiler. In Schmidth-Hartmann boiler there are two circuits one
uses distilled water and other uses impure water.

Working: - The Schmidth-Hartmann boiler is different from other boiler because

in this boiler distilled water is used for generation of the high pressure steam
which is recalculated without any wastage in the circuit. This high pressure steam
is utilized for generation of low pressure steam from impure water.

Distilled water from water drum enters into the primary evaporating
tubes by natural circulation. Steam at 95-100 bar pressure is generated in the
evaporating tubes with the help of hot flue gases circulated over the tubes from
combustion chamber. This steam enters via primary separator into the tubes
submerged in impure water of the evaporator or steam drum. The exchange of
heat between high pressure steam and impure water allows the water to be
converted into steam at a pressure of 55-60 bar which is further passed into
superheater for superheating purposes. The superheated stem is finally supplied
to the steam turbine. The condensate of high pressure steam collected from the
drum passes through the feed water preheater where it heat the low pressure
feed water up to its saturation temperature. The low pressure (L.P.) feed water is
pumped into preheater with the help of feed pump.

 Advantages:-
1. It can use impure water for generation of steam.

2. As it can use impure water there is no requirement of water softening plant

ultimately reduces cost.

3. Any deposits in the evaporator drum due to impure water can easily brushed
off by removing the submerged tube from the drum or by blowing off the
water.

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 4. Wide fluctuations of load are easily taken by this boiler without undue priming
or abnormal increase in the primary pressure due to high thermal and water
capacity of the boiler.

 Disadvantages:-
1. Due to deposits in the evaporator drum because of impure water plant has
to stop frequently for cleaning.

2. Evaporating drum is used which increase the bulkiness of plant with cost.

5. Velox boiler:-

Construction: - In Velox boiler pressurized combustion is used so axial flow

compressor is used which is ran by gas turbine. The combustion chamber and
evaporating tubes are arranged in such a way that the hot products from combustion
chamber are directly passed to annulus of evaporating tubes. Steam separator is
arranged tangential to evaporating tubes. Hot flue gases are used for running gas
turbine, for economizer, and for superheater.

Working: - As we know heat transfer rate is much higher in sonic velocity than that of
the subsonic velocity. Same concept is utilized in the design of Velox boiler in order to
reduce the surface area hence the size of evaporating tubes.

The salient feature of the Velox boiler is pressurized combustion. Air

drawn from surroundings by axial flow compressor is compressed up to 2.5 to 3 bar
pressure. Compressed air at above sonic velocity and the fuel are injected into the
vertical combustion chamber. The hot products of combustion at high velocity are
passed into the annulus of the concentric evaporating tubes. These hot gases transfer
heat to feed water flowing inside the concentric evaporative tubes. Hot gases circulated
about 10 to 20 times that of feed water circulation. The wet steam generated in the
evaporative tubes is passed to a steam separator in tangential direction. It forms the
vortex in the separator and due to centrifugal action moisture content of steam is
separated. This separated water is pumped back into feed water line. The dry steam
separated is passed through the superheater tubes where it is superheated with the
help of hot flue gases collected from evaporating tubes. The hot gases discharged from
the superheater are expanded in gas turbine. The power developed by the turbine is
used to drive the compressor. The exhaust of the gas turbine is used to heat the feed
water in the economizer before these are discharged to the surroundings through the
chimney.

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  Advantages:-
1. Velox boiler is compact.

2. Very high combustion rates are possible as 35 to 45 million kJ per cu. m. of

combustion chamber volume.

3. Low excess air is required as the pressurized air is used and the problem of
draught is simplified.

 Disadvantages:-
1. It can only operate on liquid or gaseous fuels.

6. Supercharged boiler:-

Construction: - In supercharged boiler there are two feed pumps one for feed water
and one for boiler drum. Gas turbine supplied the used flue gases to economizer to heat
the feed water. This gas turbine also run compressor. Compressor supplies
compressed air to combustion chamber.

Working: - Combustion in supercharged boiler carried by pressurized combustion

process at 5-6 bars. The heated feed water from economizer and also from boiler drum
are mixed and supplied to the evaporating tubes where it is converted into wet steam
and further heating is carried out in evaporating tube and the steam is discharged in the
boiler drum. Almost dry steam from the drum is superheated in the superheater before it
is supplied to the steam turbine. The high pressure exhaust gases from the boiler are
used to run a gas turbine. The power developed by gas turbine is used turbine is used
to run the compressor and other auxiliaries. Turbine exhaust gases are used to heat the
feed water in the economizer and finally these are exhausted to surrounding through the
chimney.

 Advantages:-
1. The heat transfer surface required is hardly 30 to 25% of the heat transfer
surface of a conventional boiler due to very high overall heat transfer
coefficient.

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 2. A supercharged boiler of 150 tons/hr. generating capacity can be brought to
full steam pressure within 25 minutes.

3. These boilers are constructed to generate steam up to 2 lakh kg/hr. up to a

pressure of 180 bars.

 Disadvantages:-
1. The only disadvantage of this boiler is tightness of high pressure gas passage
is essential.

Conclusion:-

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