Practical -2

Energy Performance Analysis of Boiler,

Loss Estimation and Efficiency
Calculations

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 ENERGY PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF BOILERS
Performance of the boiler, like efficiency and evaporation
ratio reduces with time, due to poor combustion, heat
transfer fouling and poor operation and maintenance.
 Deterioration of fuel quality and water quality also leads
to poor performance of boiler.
Efficiency testing helps us to find out how far the boiler
efficiency drifts away from the best efficiency.
Any observed abnormal deviations could therefore be
investigated to pinpoint the problem area for necessary
corrective action.
It is necessary to find out the current level of efficiency
for performance evaluation, which is a pre requisite for
energy conservation action in industry. 2
Purpose of the Boiler Performance Test

 To find out the efficiency of the boiler

 To find out the Evaporation ratio
 The purpose of the performance test is to determine
actual performance and efficiency of the boiler and
compare it with design values or norms.
 It is an indicator for tracking day-to-day and season-to-
season variations in boiler efficiency and energy
efficiency improvements
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Boiler Performance Terms and Definitions

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 Reference Standards
1. British standards, BS845: 1987
Describes the methods and conditions under which a
boiler should be tested to determine its efficiency.
For the testing, the boiler should be operated under
steady load conditions (full load) for a period of 1 hour.
The efficiency of a boiler is quoted as the % of useful
heat available, expressed as a percentage of the GCV.
Deals with the complete heat balance and it has two parts:
Part One deals with standard boilers, where the indirect
method is specified
Part Two deals with complex plant where there are many
channels of heat flow. In this case, both the direct and
indirect methods are applicable, in whole or in part. 5
 Reference Standards
2. IS 8753: Indian Standard for Boiler Efficiency Testing
 Most standards for computation of boiler efficiency,
including IS 8753 and BS845 are designed for spot
measurement of boiler efficiency.
 Invariably, all these standards do not include blow down
as a loss in the efficiency determination process.
Basically Boiler efficiency can be tested by the following
methods:
1) The Direct Method: Where the energy gain of the
working fluid (water and steam) is compared with the
energy content of the boiler fuel.
2) The Indirect Method: Where the efficiency is the
difference between the energy input and the losses.
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 The Direct Method Testing
Description
This is also known as ‘input-output method’ due to the fact
that it needs only the useful output (steam) and the heat
input (i.e. fuel) for evaluating the efficiency.
This efficiency can be evaluated using the formula:

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The Direct Method Testing

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Measurements Required for Direct Method Testing
Heat input
 The measurement of heat input requires knowledge of
the calorific value of the fuel and its flow rate in terms of
mass or volume, according to the nature of the fuel.
For gaseous fuel: Use a gas meter of the approved type and
the measured volume should be corrected for temperature
and pressure. A sample of gas can be collected for calorific
value determination, but it is usually acceptable to use the
calorific value declared by the gas suppliers.
For liquid fuel: Heavy fuel oil is very viscous, and this
property varies sharply with temperature. The meter,
which is usually installed on the combustion appliance, a
meter calibrated for the particular oil is to be used 9
Measurements Required for Direct Method Testing
Heat input - For solid fuel
 The accurate measurement of the flow of coal or other
solid fuel is very difficult.
 The measurement must be based on mass, which means
that bulky apparatus must be set up on the boiler floor.
 Samples must be taken and bagged throughout the test,
the bags sealed and sent to a laboratory for analysis and
calorific value determination.
 In some more recent boiler houses, the problem has
been alleviated by mounting the hoppers over the
boilers on calibrated load cells, but these are yet
uncommon. 10
Measurements Required for Direct Method Testing
Heat output
 With steam boilers, an installed steam meter can be used
to measure flow rate, but this must be corrected for
temperature and pressure.
 It is more viable with modern flow meters of the variable-
orifice or vortex-shedding types.
 The alternative with small boilers is to measure feed
water, and this can be done by previously calibrating the
feed tank and noting down the levels of water during the
beginning and end of the trial.
 Heat addition for conversion of feed water at inlet
temperature to steam, is considered for heat output.
 Avoid intermittent blowdown during the trial period.
 Boilers with continuous blowdown, heat loss due to blow
down should be calculated & added to the heat in steam. 11
Boiler Efficiency by Direct Method: Calculation and Example

Test Data and Calculation

 Water consumption and coal consumption were
measured in a coal-fired boiler at hourly intervals.
 Weighed quantities of coal were fed to the boiler during
the trial period.
 Simultaneously water level difference was noted to
calculate steam generation during the trial period.
 Blow down was avoided during the test.

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 Problem -1 Coal Fired Boiler Efficiency by Direct Method:
The measured data is given below. Find the efficiency of coal
fired boiler by direct method and find its evaporation ratio
Type of boiler: Coal fired Boiler - Heat output data
Quantity of steam generated (output) : 8 TPH
Steam pressure / temperature : 10 kg/cm2(g) / 180 0C
Enthalpy of steam(dry & Saturated)
at 10 kg/cm2(g) pressure : 665 kCal/kg
Feed water temperature : 850 C
Enthalpy of feed water : 85 kCal/kg
Heat input data
Quantity of coal consumed (Input) : 1.6 TPH
GCV of coal : 4000 kCal/kg 13
 Problem -1 Coal Fired Boiler Efficiency by Direct Method:
Calculation

Where Q = Quantity of steam generated per hour (kg/hr)

q = Quantity of fuel used per hour (kg/hr)
GCV = Gross calorific value of the fuel (kCal/kg)
H = Enthalpy of steam (kCal/kg)
h = Enthalpy of feed water (kCal/kg)

= 72.5%

Evaporation Ratio = 8 Tonne of steam / 1.6 Tonne of coal = 514

 Merits and Demerits of Direct Method
Merits
 Plant people can evaluate quickly the efficiency of
boilers
 Requires few parameters for computation
 Needs few instruments for monitoring
Demerits
 Does not give clues to the operator as to why efficiency
of system is lower
 Does not calculate various losses accountable for
various efficiency levels
 Evaporation ratio and efficiency may mislead, if the
steam is highly wet due to water carryover 15
 The Indirect Method of Testing
Description
 The efficiency can be measured easily by measuring all
the losses occurring in the boilers.
 The disadvantages of the direct method can be
overcome by this method, which calculates the various
heat losses associated with boiler.
 The efficiency can be arrived at, by subtracting the heat
loss fractions from 100.
 An important advantage of this method is that the errors
in measurement do not make significant change in
efficiency.
 Thus if boiler efficiency is 90% , an error of 1% in direct
method will result in significant change in efficiency. 16
 The Indirect Method of Testing
The various heat losses occurring in the boiler are:

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 The Indirect Method of Testing
Losses are applicable to liquid, gas and solid fired boiler
L1 - Loss due to dry flue gas (sensible heat)
L2 - Loss due to hydrogen in fuel (H2)
L3 - Loss due to moisture in fuel (H2O)
L4 - Loss due to moisture in air (H2O)
L5 - Loss due to carbon monoxide (CO)
L6 - Loss due to surface radiation, convection and losses
which are insignificant and are difficult to measure.
The following losses are applicable to solid fuel fired boiler
in addition to above
L7- Unburnt losses in fly ash (Carbon)
L8- Unburnt losses in bottom ash (Carbon)
Boiler Efficiency by indirect method = 100 – (L1+L2+L3+L4+
L5+L6+L7+L8) 18
 The Indirect Method of Testing
Measurements Required for Performance Assessment Testing
The following parameters need to be measured
a) Flue gas analysis
1. Percentage of CO2 or O2 in flue gas, 2. Percentage of
CO in flue gas and 3. Temperature of flue gas
b) Flow meter measurements for
1. Fuel 2. Steam 3. Feed water
4. Condensate water 5. Combustion air
c) Temperature measurements for
1. Flue gas 2. Steam 3. Makeup water 4. Condensate
return 5. Combustion air 6. Fuel 7. Boiler feed water
d) Pressure measurements for
1. Steam 2. Fuel 3. Combustion air, both primary
and secondary 4. Draft
e) Water condition
1. Total dissolved solids (TDS) 2. pH
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3. Blow down rate and quantity
The Indirect Method of Testing

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Test Conditions and Precautions for Indirect Method Testing

A) The efficiency test does not account for:

Standby losses. Efficiency test is to be carried out, when
the boiler is operating under a steady load. Therefore, the
combustion efficiency test does not reveal standby losses,
which occur between firing intervals
Blow down loss. The amount of energy wasted by blow
down varies over a wide range.
Soot blower steam. The amount of steam used by soot
blowers is variable that depends on the type of fuel.
Auxiliary equipment energy consumption. The combustion
efficiency test does not account for the energy usage by
auxiliary equipments, such as burners, fans, and pumps.21
Test Conditions and Precautions for Indirect Method Testing
B) Preparations and pre conditions for testing
 Burn the specified fuel(s) at the required rate.
 Do the tests while the boiler is under steady load.
 Avoid testing during warming up of boilers from a cold
condition
 Obtain the charts /tables for the additional data.
 Determination of general method of operation
 Sampling and analysis of fuel and ash.
 Ensure the accuracy of fuel and ash analysis in the
laboratory.
 Check the type of blow down and method of
measurement
 Ensure proper operation of all instruments.
 Check for any air infiltration in the combustion zone.22
Test Conditions and Precautions for Indirect Method Testing
C) Flue gas sampling location
It is suggested that the exit duct of the boiler be probed
and traversed to find the location of the zone of maximum
temperature.
This is likely to coincide with the zone of maximum gas
flow and is therefore a good sampling point for both
temperature and gas analysis.
D) Options of flue gas analysis
Carbon Monoxide Test
The CO content of flue gas is a good indicator of
incomplete combustion with all types of fuels, as long as
they contain carbon.
CO in the flue gas is minimal with ordinary amounts of
excess air, but it rises abruptly as soon as fuel
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combustion starts to be incomplete.
Test Conditions and Precautions for Indirect Method Testing
D) Options of flue gas analysis
Check the Oxygen Test with the Carbon Dioxide Test
 If continuous-reading oxygen test equipment is installed in
boiler plant, use oxygen reading.
 Occasionally use portable test equipment that checks for
both oxygen and carbon dioxide.
 If the carbon dioxide test does not give the same results as
the oxygen test, something is wrong.
 One (or both) of the tests could be erroneous, perhaps
because of stale chemicals or drifting instrument
calibration.
 Another possibility is that outside air being picked up
along with the flue gas.
 This occurs if the combustion gas area operates under
negative pressure and there are leaks in the boiler casing.
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Test Conditions and Precautions for Indirect Method Testing
E) Planning for the testing
 The testing is to be conducted for a duration of 4 to 8 hours
in a normal production day.
 Advanced planning is essential for the resource
arrangement of manpower, fuel, water and instrument
check etc and the same to be communicated to the boiler
Supervisor and Production Department.
 Sufficient quantity of fuel stock and water storage required
for the test duration should be arranged so that a test is not
disrupted due to non-availability of fuel and water.
 Necessary sampling point and instruments are to be made
available with working condition.
 Lab Analysis should be carried out for fuel, flue gas and
water in coordination with lab personnel.
 The steam table, psychometric chart, calculator are to be25
arranged for computation of boiler efficiency.
 Boiler Efficiency by Indirect Method:
Calculation Procedure and Formula
 In indirect method, all the losses that occur in the boiler
must be established and are conveniently related to the
amount of fuel burnt.
 It is suggested to get a ultimate analysis of the fuel fired
periodically from a reputed laboratory.

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 Boiler Efficiency by Indirect Method:
Calculation Procedure and Formula
Theoretical (stoichiometric) air fuel ratio and excess
air supplied are to be determined for computing the
boiler losses.

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Boiler Efficiency by Indirect Method:

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 Losses associated with the operation of a boiler
1. Heat loss due to dry flue gas (L 1)

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 Losses associated with the operation of a boiler
1. Heat loss due to dry flue gas (L 1)
For Quick and simple calculation of boiler efficiency use the
following.
A: Simple method can be used for determining the dry flue
gas loss as given below.

Total mass of flue gas (m)/kg of fuel = mass of actual air

supplied/kg of fuel + 1 kg of fuel
Note-2: Water vapour is produced from Hydrogen in fuel,
moisture present in fuel and air during the combustion. The
losses due to these components have not been included in
the dry flue gas loss since they are separately calculated as
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a wet flue gas loss.
2. Heat loss due to evaporation of water formed due to H2
in fuel (%) (L 2)
The combustion of hydrogen causes a heat loss because
the product of combustion is water.
This water is converted to steam and this carries away
heat in the form of its latent heat.

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3. Heat loss due to moisture present in fuel (L 3)
 Moisture entering the boiler with the fuel leaves as a
superheated vapour.
 This moisture loss is made up of the sensible heat to
bring the moisture to boiling point, the latent heat of
evaporation of the moisture, and the superheat
required to bring this steam to the temperature of the
exhaust gas.
 This loss can be calculated with the following formula

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4. Heat loss due to moisture present in air (L 4)
 Vapour in the form of humidity in the incoming air, is
superheated as it passes through the boiler.
 To relate this loss to the mass of coal burned, the moisture
content of the combustion air and the amount of air supplied
per unit mass of coal burned must be known.
 The mass of vapour that air contains can be obtained from
psychrometric charts and typical values are included below:

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4. Heat loss due to moisture present in air (L 4)

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5. Heat loss due to incomplete combustion: (L 5)
 Products formed by incomplete combustion could be mixed
with oxygen and burned again with a further release of energy.
Such products include CO, H2, and various hydrocarbons and are
generally found in the flue gas of the boilers.
 Carbon monoxide is the only gas whose concentration can be
determined conveniently in a boiler plant test.

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6. Heat loss due to radiation and convection (L 6):
 The other heat losses from a boiler consist of the loss of
heat by radiation and convection from the boiler casting
into the surrounding boiler house.
 Normally surface loss and other unaccounted losses is
assumed based on the type and size of the boiler as
given below
 For industrial fire tube / packaged boiler = 1.5 to 2.5%
 For industrial water tube boiler = 2 to 3%
 For power station boiler = 0.4 to 1%
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6. Heat loss due to radiation and convection (L 6):
However it can be calculated if the surface area of boiler
and its surface temperature are known as given below :

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Heat loss due to unburned carbon in fly ash & bottom ash:
 Small amounts of carbon will be left in the ash and this
constitutes a loss of potential heat in the fuel.
 To assess these heat losses, samples of ash must be
analyzed for carbon content.
 The quantity of ash produced per unit of fuel must also
be known.
7. Heat loss due to unburnt in fly ash (%) (L 7)

8. Heat loss due to unburnt in bottom ash (%) (L 8)

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Heat Balance:
The efficiency is the difference between the energy input to the
boiler and the heat losses calculated.
Boiler Heat Balance:

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 Factors Affecting Boiler Performance
The various factors affecting the boiler performance are
listed below:
􀂃 Periodical cleaning of boilers
􀂃 Periodical soot blowing
􀂃 Proper water treatment programme and blow down
control
􀂃 Draft control
􀂃 Excess air control
􀂃 Percentage loading of boiler
􀂃 Steam generation pressure and temperature
􀂃 Boiler insulation
􀂃 Quality of fuel

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Problem – 2 Coal fired Boiler Efficiency Calculation
The following are the data collected for a boiler using coal
as the fuel. Find out the boiler efficiency by indirect
method.

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Problem – 2 Coal fired Boiler Efficiency Calculation

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 Problem – 2 Coal fired Boiler Efficiency Calculation
Solution:

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Solution:

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Problem – 2 Coal fired Boiler Efficiency Calculation

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Problem – 2 Coal fired Boiler Efficiency Calculation

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Problem – 2 Coal fired Boiler Efficiency Calculation

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Problem – 2 Coal fired Boiler Efficiency Calculation

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Problem – 2 Coal fired Boiler Efficiency Calculation

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Problem – 2 Coal fired Boiler Efficiency Calculation

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Problem – 2 Coal fired Boiler Efficiency Calculation

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 Problem – 3 Oil fired Boiler Efficiency Calculation
The following are the data collected for a boiler using furnace oil as
the fuel. Find out the boiler efficiency by indirect method.

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 Problem – 4
The steam requirement of an export oriented unit (EOU) is met
by a 6 TPH oil fired package boiler generating steam at 10
kg/cm2. The monthly steam consumption of the unit is 3000
tonnes.
Other data are given below
Fuel Composition C = 86 %, H = 12 %, O = 0.5 %, S= 1.5 %
Specific heat of flue gases Cp = 0.27 kcal / kgoC
GCV of fuel oil = 10,000 kcal / kg
Sp. Heat of super heated water vapour = 0.45 kcal / kg oC
Enthalpy of steam at 10 kg / cm2 = 665 kcal / kg
Feed water temperature = 85oC
% O2 in dry flue gas = 6%
Flue gas temperature at boiler outlet = 240oC
Ambient temperature = 30oC
Cost of fuel oil = Rs. 43 per kg 53
Radiation and unaccountable losses = 2.45 %
 Problem – 4
The expert oriented unit is costing its steam cost based
on the fuel consumption cost with additional 15 % to account
for the auxiliary and consumables
A neighboring continuous process plant now offers to
supply the required steam at 10 kg / cm2 to the export oriented
unit at a cost of Rs. 3300 per tonne with a condition that all the
condensate will be returned back.
Calculate
a) Boiler efficiency
b) Cost advantage per tonne of availing steam from
neighboring plant in place of in-house generation and also
monthly monetary saving 54
Data Collection Format for Boiler Performance
Assessment

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Data Collection Format for Boiler Performance Assessment

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Data Collection Format for Boiler Performance Assessment

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