Boiler Instrumentation and Controls

Boiler Instrumentation and Controls www.bestneo.
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INTRODUCTION
Instrumentation and controls in a boiler plant encompass an

enormous range of equipment from simple industrial plant to the complex
in the large utility station.
The boiler control system is the means by which the balance of

energy & mass into and out of the boiler are achieved. Inputs are fuel,
combustion air, atomizing air or steam &feed water. Of these, fuel is the
major energy input. Combustion air is the major mass input, outputs are
steam, flue gas, blowdown, radiation & soot blowing.
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Boiler Instrumentation and Controls www.bestneo.com
CONTROL LOOPS
Boiler control systems contain several variable with interaction

occurring among the control loops for fuel, combustion air, & feedwater .
The overall system generally can be treated as a series of basic control
loops connected together. for safety purposes, fuel addition should be
limited by the amount of combustion air and it may need minimum limiting
for flame stability.
Combustion controls
Amounts of fuel and air must be carefully regulated to keep excess

air within close tolerances-especially over the loads. This is critical to
efficient boiler operation no matter what the unit size, type of fuel fired or
control system used.
Feedwater control
Industrial boilers are subject to wide load variations and require

quick responding control to maintain constant drum level. Multiple element
feed water control can help faster and more accurate control response.
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Boiler Instrumentation and Controls
BOILER DRUM TRANSMITTER CONTROLLER CONVERTER VALVE
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FIG. 1. GENERAL BLCOK DIAGRAM OF BOILER DRUM
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BLOCK DIAGRAM DESCRIPTION
The block diagram of boiler control is shown in figure 1.the output

from the boiler ie, the steam outputs and the level of water is given to
transmitters. The output of transmitter is given to the controller which act as
level indicator controller and flow indicator controller. If there is any error
corresponding to desired set point, the signal from controller is given to the
converter which will open or close the valve and the water will be drained
out or filled according to required steam.
The major loops in boiler control are

1) Combustion control
2) Feedwater control
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COMBUSTION CONTROL
A combustion control system is broken down into (a) fuel control

and (b) combustion air control subsystems. The interrelationship between
these two subsystems necessitate the use of fuel air ration controls.
The primary boiler fuels are coal, oil and gas. The control of gas
and oil fuels requires simplest controls- ie, a control valve in the fuel line.
The steam drum pressure is an indication of balance between the

inflow and outflow of heat. Therefore by controlling the steam supply one
can establish balance between the demand for steam (process load ) and
supply of water.
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STEAM
AIR FLOW FUEL FLOW
PRESSURE
(a) Series
AIR FLOW
STEAM
PRESSURE
FUEL FLOW
(b) Parallel
STEAM
FUEL FLOW
PRESSURE
STEAM FLOW AIR FLOW
(C) Series Parallel
FIG. 2. COMBUSTION CONTROLS
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DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMBUSTION CONTROLS
There are three general types of combustion control schemes used

today: They are series, parallel & series-parallel controls.
In series control, variations in steam header pressure(the master

control signal) cause a change in combustion air flow which in turn results
in a sequential change in fuel flow. This type of control is limited to small
boilers having relatively constant steam load & burning fuel.
In parallel control, variation in steam pressure simultaneously

adjusts both fuel & air flows. This method is common to any size boilers.
In series-parallel, variation in steam pressure set points are used to

adjust the fuel. Flow to the above boiler since steam flow is directly related
to heat release of the fuel and hence the air flow, the steam flow can be used
as an index of the required combustion air.
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HARDWARES USED IN COMBUSTION CONTROL
The control hardware used to carryout the above schemes include

ON/OFF controls, positioning & metering systems.
(a) ON/OFF controls:

Are still used in many industries but are generally used in small water
tube boilers. When the pressure drops to a present value, fuel & air are
automatically fed into the boiler at predetermined rate until pressure has
risen to its upper limit.
(b) Positioning systems:

Respond to changes in header pressure by simultaneously positioning
the forced draft damper and fuel valve to a predetermined alignment. This is
not used in liquid , gaseous fuel – fired boilers.
(c) Metering control system:
In this system control is regulated in accordance with the measured

fuel and air flows. This maintains combustion efficiency over a wide load
ranges & over long period of time.
Both metering & positioning control systems use steam header

pressure as their primary measured variable & as a basis for firing rate
demand. A master pressure controller responds to changes on header
pressure & positions the dampers to control air flow and fuel valve to
regulate fuel supply.
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FEEDWATER CONTROL
Feedwater control is the regulation of water to the boiler drum. It

provide a mass accounting system for steam leading and feedwater entering
the boiler. The water is admitted to the steam drum and after absorbing the
heat from furnace generates the steam produced by the boiler.
Proper boiler operation requires that the level of water in the steam
drum should be maintained within certain band. A decrease in this level
may uncover boiler tubes, allowing them to become overheated. An
increase in the level of water may interfere with the internal operation of
internal devices in the boiler drum. It is important to made that the water
level in the boiler drum must be above 50% all the time.
The water level in the boiler drum is related to, but is not a direct
indicator of , the quantity of water in the drum. At each boiler load, there is
different volume in the water that is occupied by steam bubbles. So if load
is increased there are more steam bubbles and this cause water to ‘swell’ or
rise, rather than fall because of added water usage.
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FIG 3. PARTIAL VAPORISATION IN EVAPORATING TUBES
As system for feedwater control must be designed to maintain

the mass balance over expected boiler load changes so that the level in the
steam drum remains within the required limits for safe and efficient
operation. Control system complexity is based on number of measured
variables used to initiate control action and include single element ,two
element,3 – element and advanced control schemes to improve accuracy of
final control action.
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SINGLE AND TWO ELEMENT CONTROL SYSTEMS
For small boilers having relatively high storage volumes and slow
changing loads ,single element control system is used. It controls feed water
flow based on drum level. Response is very slow because a change in
feedwater flow takes a long time to show up the level change. As a result
the steam drum causes water to increase and decrease in volume, resulting
in false measurements.
The two element system overcome these inadequacies by using

steam flow changes as a feed forward signal. This control is used in
intermediate boilers as well as large boilers. Here the flow and level
transmitters are summed by a computing relay and will be the set point for
feedwater. Here the response is faster.
THREE ELEMENT CONTROL
Boilers that experiences wide and rapid load changes require three
element control. Three element control is similar to two element system
except that the water flow loop is closed rather than open.
Control action, the third element based on feedwater flow. The

level and steam flow signals are summed and used as an index or set point
to the feedwater flow. The feedwater flow measurement provides corrective
action for variation in feedwater pressure.
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THREE ELEMENT CONTROL
STEAM
X FT 2
LT3
DRUM Computing
X Level Relay
Controller
Feedwater
FC
Flow
Controller

X FT
1
FV Feedwater
FIG. 4 THREE ELEMENT BOILER CONTROL
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FIVE ELEMENT CONTROL
Additional elements can be added to a feedwater control

system to improve response accuracy. A five element feedwater control
system is essentially a three element configuration in which the steam flow
measurement is temperature compensated and drum level measurement is
pressure compensated.
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STEAM
TT X FT
5 2
Temperature
X compensated
steam flow

PT f(x)
4
Pressure
Compensated
Drum Level
DRUM Computing
Level Relay
Controller
FC
Flow
Controller

X FT
1
FV Feedwater
FIG. 5 FIVE ELEMENT BOILER CONTROL
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SEVEN ELEMENT CONTROL
Transmitters for blow down flow and sootblower flow could be

added to five element control to make up seven element feedwater control.
Types of steam
Here we are using two types of steam i.e, saturated steam and super
heated steam. Steam obtained while heating is called saturated steam. It is
called wet steam since moisture content is also present. Super heated steam
is obtained when saturated steam is further heated above 220 degrees. It is
also called dry steam.
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STEAM
TT X FT
5 2
Temperature
X compensated
steam flow

PT f(x)
4
Pressure
Compensated
LT3 Drum Level
DRUM Computing
X X Level Relay
Controller
FT f(x)
6 FC
Drum Blowdown
Boiler Tube
Flow
Controller
FT f(x)
7

Tubes Blowdown
X FT
1
Economiser
FV Feedwater
FIG. 6 SEVEN ELEMENT BOILER CONTROL
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ADVANTAGES
1. Multiple element feedwater control can help:

i. Faster response of systems.
ii. More accurate control.
iii. Maximum system stability.
2. Metering control system maintains combustion efficiency over wide.

load changes and over long period of time.
3. Parallel combustion control can be used in any size of boilers.
DISADVANTAGES
1. Boilers require quick responding controls.

2. Level of the water in the boiler must be kept above 50% of height.
17
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Microcontrollers & PLC are used as controllers.
CONCLUSIONS
The various goals of boiler control includes:
1. To minimize excess air

2. To minimize blowdown
3. To minimize steam pressure
4. To measure efficiency
5. To find when to perform maintenance
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Boiler Instrumentation and Controls www.bestneo.

Instrumentation and controls in a boiler plant encompass an

The boiler control system is the means by which the balance of

Boiler control systems contain several variable with interaction

Amounts of fuel and air must be carefully regulated to keep excess

Industrial boilers are subject to wide load variations and require

BOILER DRUM TRANSMITTER CONTROLLER CONVERTER VALVE

BLOCK DIAGRAM DESCRIPTION

The block diagram of boiler control is shown in figure 1.the output

The major loops in boiler control are

A combustion control system is broken down into (a) fuel control

The steam drum pressure is an indication of balance between the

STEAM FLOW AIR FLOW

(C) Series Parallel

FIG. 2. COMBUSTION CONTROLS

DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMBUSTION CONTROLS

There are three general types of combustion control schemes used

In series control, variations in steam header pressure(the master

In parallel control, variation in steam pressure simultaneously

In series-parallel, variation in steam pressure set points are used to

HARDWARES USED IN COMBUSTION CONTROL

The control hardware used to carryout the above schemes include

(a) ON/OFF controls:

(b) Positioning systems:

(c) Metering control system:

In this system control is regulated in accordance with the measured

Both metering & positioning control systems use steam header

Feedwater control is the regulation of water to the boiler drum. It

FIG 3. PARTIAL VAPORISATION IN EVAPORATING TUBES

As system for feedwater control must be designed to maintain

SINGLE AND TWO ELEMENT CONTROL SYSTEMS

The two element system overcome these inadequacies by using

THREE ELEMENT CONTROL

Control action, the third element based on feedwater flow. The

THREE ELEMENT CONTROL

FIG. 4 THREE ELEMENT BOILER CONTROL

FIVE ELEMENT CONTROL

Additional elements can be added to a feedwater control

FIG. 5 FIVE ELEMENT BOILER CONTROL

SEVEN ELEMENT CONTROL

Transmitters for blow down flow and sootblower flow could be

FIG. 6 SEVEN ELEMENT BOILER CONTROL

1. Multiple element feedwater control can help:

2. Metering control system maintains combustion efficiency over wide.

3. Parallel combustion control can be used in any size of boilers.

1. Boilers require quick responding controls.

Microcontrollers & PLC are used as controllers.

The various goals of boiler control includes:

1. To minimize excess air

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