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Types of Boilers and Types of Hydrostatic Test: Boiler Components
Types of Boilers and Types of Hydrostatic Test: Boiler Components
A boiler is a device for heating water and generating steam above atmospheric pressure. The boiler consists of a compartment where the fuel is burned and a compartment where water can be evaporated into steam. The steam produced by the boiler my be supplied to steam engines or turbines for power generation,indusrial process work, heating installations and hot water supply etc.
Boiler Components
- Super Heater One of the most important accessories of a boiler is a super heater. It affects improvement and economy in the following ways. The super heater increases the capacity of the plant. Eliminates corrosion of the steam turbine. Reduces steam consumption of the steam turbine
Economiser
This is feed-water heaters in which the heat from waste gases is recovered to raise the temperature of feed-water supplied to the boiler. They offer the following advantages: Fuel economy Longer life of the boiler Increase in steaming capacity Finned Tube Economisers C.I. Gilled Tube Economisers Plain Tube Coil Economisers
Finned Tubes
T-Fins: Helical Straight strip wound on the tube are mechanically secured. The tubes are required grade of steel, the fins are aluminium for maximum tube-wall temperature of 121 deg C (250 deg F) and mild service conditions. L- Fins: Helical strip bent to L-shape are mechanically secured to the tube with the outer surface of the tube totally enclosed with fins, for full fin contact and protection of tube from chemical action of the gas for maximum tube-wall temperature of 177 deg C (350 deg F) and moderate service conditions. G- Fins: Helical straight strip wound into pre-cut grooves on the outer wall of the tube, fin and groove lips mechanically closed for maximum tube-wall temperature of 371 deg C (700 deg F) and extreme working conditions.
Studded Tubes
These are used in Refinery Services and Fluidised Beds Boiler Coils.
Headers
Headers form an important part of all types of boilers. Steam from the generating tubes is collected in headers which are therefore always under pressure. This pressure may vary from 300 psi to 2000 psi. Since headers are always under pressure, the utmost care is taken by us while fabricating them. Depending on the generating capacity of the boiler the header sizes fabricated by us vary from 100 mm to 600 mm NB. The stubs of various sizes are very carefully welded to the main body of the header to provide the desired openings from the header. Bevelling and weld preparation of stubs duly tack-welded to the main body of the header are first shown to Chief Inspector of Boilers for his approval and once again the stubs fully welded with main body are shown to Chief Inspector of Boilers under hydraulic pressure, varying from 1000 to 3000 psi as required by the specifications. The headers are stamped by Chief Inspector of Boilers before they leave our manufacturing plant. We also weld skubolets and weldolets in place of stubs.
Heat Exchanger
U Tube heat exchangers which are used in fertilizer plants, petrochemical and power project complexes.
Fuel
The source of heat for a boiler is combustion of any of several fuels, such as wood, coal, oil, or natural gas. Electric steam boilers use resistance- or immersion-type heating elements. Nuclear fission is also used as a heat source for generating steam. Heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) use the heat rejected from other processes such as gas turbines.
Classification of Boilers
Boiler classification can be based on many factors like usage, fuel fired, fuel firing system, type of arrangement etc
The fire tube boilers are classified as single tube and multi-tube boilers, depending upon whether the fire tube is one or more than one. Examples: Cornish, simple vertical boiler are the single tube boiler and rest of the boilers are multi-tube boiler. *Another simple classifications of Boilers
* Fire tube boilers have almost become extinct; however this can be classified as
- Locomotive boilers, which ruled rail transportation before diesel and electric engine came. - Industrial boilers, mainly used for green projects where initial steam is required - Domestic use boilers
* Water tube boilers took over when size and capacity increased. This can be classified depending on type of circulation used to generate steam as
- Natural circulation boiler - Forced circulation boilers - Super critical pressure boilers or zero circulation boilers
* Fluidized boilers are also going through fast development and can be now sub classified as
- Bubbling fluidized bed boilers - Pressurized fluidized bed boilers - Circulating fluidized bed boilers. The higher capacity boilers are mainly circulating fluidized bed boilers due inherent limitations in bubbling bed boilers.
Hydrostatic test
Hydrostatic testing is the most common procedure used to qualify newly manufactured cylinders, spheres and tubes used for the transportation of dangerous goods. Hydrostatic testing is also required periodically to re-qualify these pressure vessels for continued service. During a hydrostatic test, a pressure vessel is placed inside a closed system, usually a test jacket filled with water, and a specified internal water pressure is applied to the container inside this closed system. The applied internal pressure causes an expansion of the container being tested, and the total and permanent expansion that the container undergoes is measured. These volumetric expansion measurements, in conjunction with an internal and external visual inspection of the container, are used to determine if a pressure vessel is safe for continued use, or have suffered from degradation in its structural integrity and must be condemned. Some pressure vessels may be re-qualified by means of a proof-pressure test. This method, also known as a modified hydrostatic test, consists of subjecting a pressure vessel to a specified internal pressure and inspecting the pressurized container for leaks, bulges or other defects. This method is permitted only when the applicable regulations do not require the determination of volumetric expansion measurements.
PRESSURE VESSEL MARKINGS The manufacturers markings on a pressure vessel include information regarding the date of manufacture, the manufacturers name or registered mark, the serial number of the unit and the specification or exemption to which the container complies. For pressure vessels that have been re-qualified one or more times, additional markings indicate the date(s) of any previous hydrostatic retests and identification markings of the retest facility.
On steel cylinders, these markings are stamped into the shoulders of the cylinder. on spheres, the markings are stamped into the mounting brackets or the gauge guard, or they may be etched onto the surface of the sphere itself. The markings for fibre-wound cylinders are found on a nameplate and retest labels embedded in the epoxy of the cylinder body. The markings on low pressure cylinders are usually found on a label or nameplate.