Continuous blowdown

AS—Air Supply BD—Blowdown BF—Blind Flange CBD—Continuous Blowdown CD—Closed Drain CH-O—Chain Operated CSO—Car Seal Open CSC—Car Seal Closed DC—Drain Connection EBD—Emerg. Blowdown Valve ESD—Emerg. Shutdown FC—Fail Closed FO—Fail Open HC—Hose Connection IBD—Intermittent Blowdown LO—Lock Open ML—Manual Loading NC—Normally Closed NO—Normally Open OD—Open Drain... 

The third method would be continuous blowdown through a regulating or micrometer valve. The take-off position for this should preferably be about 250 mm below the working water level and may either be on the side of the shell or on the crown with a dip pipe down to the correct level. If a connection is not available, it is possible to install the valve on the bottom connection prior to the main blowdown valve. 

All these methods will require careful monitoring initially to set up and determine the correct rate of blowdown once the plant is operating. In order to take the necessary sample from the boiler the boiler(s) should be fitted with a sample cooler. To automate the continuous blowdown a conductivity-controlled system may be installed. Here a controller continuously compares the boiler water electrical conductivity with a value set in the controller. Depending on whether this is above or below the set rate, it will automatically adjust the blowdown flow rate. 

Blowdown from the boiler(s) should always be taken to either a blowdown sump or blowdown vessel before discharging into drains. Both should be adequately sized to give cooling by dilution and be fitted with vent pipes to dissipate pressure safely. The boiler(s) should have independent drain lines for the main manually operated blowdown valve and the drains from a continuous blowdown system. Where more than one boiler is connected to either system the line should be fitted with a check or secondary valve capable of being locked. 

The simplest is a preset continuous blowdown valve to maintain a suitable water quality in the boiler. It is necessary for water quality to be checked frequently and the rate of continuous blowdown adjusted as may be found necessary. 

Whatever the design of boiler, good control over a narrow range of BW TDS is required, The use of some form of continuous blowdown arrangement as the primary form of blowing down BW is preferred in almost all steam generation facilities. 

Using a skimmer, the BD water is taken from close to the top surface of the BW, either from the side of the FT boiler shell or WT boiler top drum or from a top-mounted sparge pipe extending down 3 to 6 inches below the waterline (but above the top set of tubes in a FT boiler). Blowdown is provided on either a continuous blowdown or an intermittent blowdown basis. 

Continuous, surface blowdown arrangements employ a multistage nozzle valve that permits the BW to expand and flash gradually and safely across each successive orifice and chamber with almost no noise. This effect reduces the flow velocity and virtually eliminates the risk of wire drawing. The BD valve is provided with a regulating lever and calibrated dial (or an electric actuator) for either manual or automatic BD rate adjustment. Continuous blowdown arrangements are entirely suitable for incorporation into FSHR systems. They are commonly employed for WT boilers. 

Use of Chelants. This method of water treatment has become popular in recent years with industrial boiler operators. These organic agents react with the residual divalent metal ions, calcium, magnesium and iron, in the feedwater to form soluble complexes. The resultant soluble complexes arc removed through continuous blowdown. This method of treatment has been used in boilers operating as high as 1500 psi (102 atm) although present B W recommendations limit its use to units below 1000 psi (68 atm). 

Performance. So far, the deep-basin still has been operated only under batch-type control—that is, without continuous blowdown or heat exchange to the incoming sea water. In determining the performance of the still, incident solar radiation and distillate production are measured daily. From this information, the specific production in gallons per square foot per day and the thermal efficiency can be determined. In addition to the daily collection of performance data, hourly collections are made during periodic energy- and mass-balance runs. 

Blowdown The use of air or inert gas pressure to displace a liquid out of a filter. Usually through the filter cake. Continued blowdown is used to dry a filter cake in situ. 

For continuous makeup and continuous blowdown, a total material balance is... 

The TDS content of BFW should be minimized by upstream treating. In former days, hot lime water softening was employed. In most modern process units, ion exchange resin is used to demineralize BFW. "Blowdown" is the water that is drained out of the boiler to control the accumulations of TDS or silicates in the boiler. My old design value for this flow was 10 percent of the makeup BFW flow. Two types of blowdown from a boiler are used continuous blowdown from the steam drum, and intermittent blowdown from the mud drum both will reduce silica. Note that with the continuous blowdown, heat recovery equipment may be economically justified. 

The steam drum is the entry point for boiler feedwater and internal chemical treatment. It is also the withdrawal point for continuous blowdown, purging from the solute of suspended solids to maintain the minimum level of dissolved and suspended solids. If blowdown is not done deposits of solids would form continuously on the boiler tubes and/or contaminate the system. The solid contents of steam should, in principle, be kept to zero. 

As the water evaporates into steam and passes on to the superheater, soHd matter can concentrate in a boHer s steam dmm, particularly on the water s surface, and cause foaming and unwanted moisture carryover from the steam dmm. It is therefore necessary either continuously or intermittently to blow down the steam dmm. Blowdown refers to the controHed removal of surface water and entrained contaminants through an internal skimmer line in the steam dmm. FHtration and coagulation of raw makeup feedwater may also be used to remove coarse suspended soHds, particularly organic matter. 

Most refinery process units and equipment are manifolded into a collection unit, called the blowdown system. Blowdown systems provide for the safe handling and disposal of liquids and gases that are either automatically vented from the process units through pressure relief valves, or that are manually drawn from units. Recirculated process streams and cooling water streams are often manually purged to prevent the continued buildup of contaminants in the stream. Part or all of the contents of equipment can also be purged to the blowdown system prior to shutdown before normal or emergency shutdowns. 

Blowdown (Purge) The continuous or intermittent wasting of small amounts of circulating water. Its purpose is to prevent an increase in the concentration of solids in the water due to evaporation, normally expressed as a percentage of the water being circulated. 

When applying low temperature requirements, one should consider safety valve and flare headers to be subject to "shock chilling" if they can be exposed to cold liquids released into the system. This includes flare headers from blowdown drums into which cold liquids are discharged. Where laterals of different piping material are combined, the material of the lower-temperature header is continued for the rest of the combined line, and is also extended back into the other lines for 6 m. 

Because of the continuous water flow through a condensible blowdown drum, it can safely handle cold or autorerrigerating releases only to the extent that effluent liquid and vapor temperatures remain above 0°C. 

Decision is made to continue to attempt source location identification for some time and hence delay blowdown. 

The third and most automatic system is the conductivity-controlled blowdown. This constantly measures the level of solids in the water and instigates an automatic variable blowdown on a continuous or intermittent basis. 

Further savings can be made by the use of a suitable blowdown (BD) water flash steam and heat recovery (FSHR) system. Such systems are standard equipment on large power boilers but are less common on smaller plant. However, the FS component (and often the HR component as well) can usually be justified for smaller systems because the capital cost payback of such equipment generally is less than 12 months and such systems continue to save fuel and high-quality water year after year. 

Flash steam and heat recovery systems perform more efficiently if a continuous source of blowdown is provided. Depending on boiler pressure, the potential BW blowdown recovery is up to 25% of the blowdown volume recovered as flash steam and up to 75% of the heat content recovered. The flash steam can be passed to a LP steam line or sent back to a deaerator or feed tank, where it provides both FW heating and a replacement for MU water. 

One of several different types of BW blowdown systems that automatically controls the frequency and duration of the BD period. Some systems provide continuous BD. 

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