Boilers are closed vessels that convert water into steam using heat. There are two main types: fire-tube boilers where hot gas passes through tubes surrounded by water, and water-tube boilers where water passes through tubes surrounded by hot gas. High pressure boilers produce steam at pressures over 160 bar and include features like forced water circulation and multiple small diameter tubes to increase heat transfer. Examples are Lamont, Loeffler, Benson, and Velox boilers. Supercritical boilers operate above 221 bar pressure where water becomes supercritical, eliminating the liquid-vapor phase change.
Boilers are closed vessels that convert water into steam using heat. There are two main types: fire-tube boilers where hot gas passes through tubes surrounded by water, and water-tube boilers where water passes through tubes surrounded by hot gas. High pressure boilers produce steam at pressures over 160 bar and include features like forced water circulation and multiple small diameter tubes to increase heat transfer. Examples are Lamont, Loeffler, Benson, and Velox boilers. Supercritical boilers operate above 221 bar pressure where water becomes supercritical, eliminating the liquid-vapor phase change.
Boilers are closed vessels that convert water into steam using heat. There are two main types: fire-tube boilers where hot gas passes through tubes surrounded by water, and water-tube boilers where water passes through tubes surrounded by hot gas. High pressure boilers produce steam at pressures over 160 bar and include features like forced water circulation and multiple small diameter tubes to increase heat transfer. Examples are Lamont, Loeffler, Benson, and Velox boilers. Supercritical boilers operate above 221 bar pressure where water becomes supercritical, eliminating the liquid-vapor phase change.
Boilers are closed vessels that convert water into steam using heat. There are two main types: fire-tube boilers where hot gas passes through tubes surrounded by water, and water-tube boilers where water passes through tubes surrounded by hot gas. High pressure boilers produce steam at pressures over 160 bar and include features like forced water circulation and multiple small diameter tubes to increase heat transfer. Examples are Lamont, Loeffler, Benson, and Velox boilers. Supercritical boilers operate above 221 bar pressure where water becomes supercritical, eliminating the liquid-vapor phase change.
A steam boiler is a closed vessel in which water is heated and converted into steam.
Steam is used for
1. power generation: These boilers are called as power generation boilers 2. Industries: Chemical & textile industries (called as Industrial boilers) 3. Heating buildings CLASSIFICATION OF BOILERS BASIC COMPONENTS OF A BOILER
BOILER
Heat transfer surface Space for steam formation and
FURNACE (Where heat is transferred from collection (Where Fuel is burnt) hot combustion gas to water) (steam drum) FIRE TUBE AND WATER TUBE BOILERS Fire tube boilers - The hot gas produced in boiler furnace pass through tubes. - Water circulates around the fire tubes.
Examples • Cochran boiler • Lancashire boiler • locomotive boiler FIRE TUBE BOILER • In the Fig, we can see several tubes through which hot gas pass (arrows indicate the flowof gas) ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF FIRE TUBE BOILERS Advantages of Fire-tube boilers
• Relatively inexpensive • Easy to clean • Compact in size • Easy to replace tubes • Well suited for space heating and industrial process applications
Disadvantages of fire-tube boilers
• limited generally to produce steam at 25 tons/hr and 17.5 kg/cm2 pressure. • Not suitable for high pressure applications like power plants WATER TUBE BOILERS Water tube boilers • water pass through the tubes and the hot gas pass outside the tubes • can be built to any steam capacities and pressures • have higher efficiencies than fire tube boilers Examples • Babcock and Wilcox boiler • Stirling boiler WATER TUBE BOILERS Babcock and Wilcox Water Tube boiler ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF WATER TUBE BOILER Advantages
• available in sizes far greater than a fire-tube design ,
up to several million pounds-per-hour of steam • Can handle higher pressures up to 160 bar • Have the ability to reach very high temperatures
Disadvantages • High initial capital cost • Cleaning is more difficult due to the design PARTICULARS FIRE TUBE BOILERS WATER TUBE BOILERS
Position of water Hot gases flow inside tubes and Water flow inside tubes and hot gases water outside tubes and hot gases outside Mode of firing internal external Operating pressure Upper limit 20 bar As high as 160 bar Rate of steam Lower higher production (kg/hr) application Small power plants Large power plants Risk of bursting Lesser risk due to low pressure More risk due to high pressure Shell diameter Large for same power Small for same power
Floor area Occupies more floor for a given Occupies Lesser floor area steam power output for a given power Construction and Difficult simple transportation Water treatment Not necessary necessary HIGH PRESSURE BOILERS • Produce steam at Pressure : 160 bar (even more) Temperature : 540°C and more Flow rate : 30-650 tonnes/hr & more FEATURES OF HIGH PRESSURE BOILERS 1. Method of water circulation Forced circulation of water – Forced circulation of water is maintained with the help of pumps. This increases the evaporation capacity of water. 2. Type of Tubing If flow takes place through a single tube large pressure drop takes place due to friction. So, Several sets of large number of smaller diameter tubes are used • surface area-to-volume-ratio is high • Increases rate of heat transfer to water flowing inside the tubes. FEATURES OF HIGH PRESSURE BOILERS (Contd….) 3. Improved method of heating • High boiler pressure : reduces heat supply • Heating water by mixing with superheated steam : gives high heat transfer coefficient • increasing water velocity inside tubes and increasing gas velocity above sonic velocity : Increase heat transfer coefficient High pressure boilers High pressure boilers • If the feed-water pressure increases, the saturation temperature of water rises and the latent heat of vaporization decreases. • The feed water can be heated to saturation temperature in the economizer with the help of waste heat. • Then the boiler supplies only latent heat of vaporization and superheat. • Thus, boiler operation at high pressure will require less heat addition for steam generation FEATURES OF HIGH PRESSURE BOILERS 4. Pressurized combustion compressed air is used in the furnace to increase the heat release rate of fuel 5. Intensive heating furnace temperature in high-pressure boilers is high and 70% of heat is transferred to water by radiation. This is a faster way of heat transfer. FEATURES OF HIGH PRESSURE BOILERS 6. Once through construction high-pressure boiler operating at and above the critical pressure. The water directly flashes into steam in the tube itself. It eliminates the need of a boiler drum. Examples of High Pressure boilers • LAMONT BOILER • LOEFFLER BOILER • BENSON BOILER • VELOX BOILER LAMONT BOILER LAMONT BOILER LAMONT BOILER Features: Steam capacity : 45-50 tonnes /hour Pressure : 130 bar Temperature : 550°C DIADVANTAGES OF LAMONT BOILER 1. Deposition of salt and sediments on the inner surface of the water tubes. ▪ Reduces the heat transfer and steam generation capacity ▪ Increases the chances of overheating of tube as it has high thermal resistance 2. Formation and attachment of vapour bubbles on the inner surfaces of the water tubes. This reduces the heat flow and steam generation as vapour bubbles offer higher thermal resistance than water film. LOEFFLER BOILER • A high pressure feed pump draws water through the economizer and deliver it to the evaporating drum. Evaporation of feed water is done by circulating super heated steam • The steam circulating pump draws steam from evaporating drum and passes it to radiant and convective superheaters • From the superheater, about 2/3rd of superheated steam is drawn to the evaporating drum and used to evaporate Evaporating drum feed water LOEFFLER BOILER
• Can use water with high salt concentration
than any other type of boiler • More compact Steam capacity : 100 tonnes /hour Pressure : 140 bar BENSON BOILER • The feed water after preheated in economizer flows through the radiant parallel tube section to evaporate partly. • The boiler pressure is raised to critical pressure 225 atm by which steam and water have same density and the formation of bubble is thus eliminated. • The steam water mixture produced then moves to the transit section where this mixture is converted into steam. • The steam is now passed through the convection superheater and finally supplied to the prime mover. • Does not use any steam drum BENSON BOILER BENSON BOILER Steam capacity : 150 tonnes/hr Pressure : 500 atm Temperature : 650°C Advantages no steam drum and hence, • requires smaller floor area • Less weight • cheaper • easy to transport • less explosion hazard VELOX BOILER • Uses pressurized combustion. Air compressor is used to increase the pressure of atmospheric air to furnace pressure. • flue gas flows above sound velocity and heat transfer from flue gas to water is high. VELOX BOILER VELOX BOILERS Steam capacity limited • Advantages to 100 tonnes /hour 1. Very compact • Power required to run 2. Very high combustion the compressor is rates high 3. Quickly started 4. Low excess air is used for combustion SUPERCRITICAL BOILERS • The boilers that generate steam above critical pressure of 221.2 bar are called supercritical boilers • Example : BENSON BOILER • pc=221.2 bar • Tc=374.150C • vf=vg=vc=0.00317 m3/kg • sf=sg=sc= 4.4429 kJ/kg/K • hf=hg=hc=2107.4 kJ/kg • h =0 SUPERCRITICAL SUBCRITICAL VAPOUR POWER CYCLE VAPOUR POWER CYCLE SUPERCRITICAL BOILERS • The condensate water from condenser is compressed from condenser pressure to supercritical pressure • Water is heated at supercritical pressure • Water become vapour after its temperature is raised from above critical temperature • Thus steam boiler is an arrangement of continuous tubes which is heated along its length with water going at end and leave as superheated steam at the other end • Hence called once through forced circulation boiler SUPERCRITICAL BOILERS SUB- CRITICAL BOILERS SUPERCRITICAL BOILERS
• Operate below critical • operate above 221 bar
pressure of water (< 221 bar pressure pressure) • Consists of only preheater and • Consists of preheater superheater (economizer), evaporator, • liquid water immediately superheater becomes steam. • Used in power plants that • Used in power plants that produce less than 300 MW produce more than 300 MW power • Larger heat transfer rates • Lower heat transfer rates • Absence of two phase mixture • Steam is a mixture of vapour • Erosion and corrosion and water problems are less • Prone to erosion and • Higher thermal efficiency corrosion • Lower thermal efficiency ADVANTAGES OF SUPERCRITICAL BOILERS • No pressure limit • No steam drum • Circulating pump is absent • Very light and can be commissioned for steam generation in a short time
Steam rate = 30.6 tonnes/hr
Pressure at turbine throttle= 310 bar Turbine output =120 MW Questions 1. Distinguish between high pressure and low pressure boilers 2. What are the features of high pressure boilers? Give some examples of high pressure boilers 3.What are supercritical boilers? Give some examples 4.What are the advantages and disadvantages of high pressure boilers? 5. Differentiate between sub-critical and supercritical boilers. 6. Describe the working of La-Mont, Velox and Benson boilers with neat diagrams.
