Superheaters, boilers

An emerging newer boiler design is to follow the tail water-tube-walled combustion chamber by a long superheater, boiler convection section and economizer. This is called the dacha boiler (after the female dashund dog) because of its extended horizontal configuration with several flyash hoppers. This permits tube cleaning by mechanical rapping and eases the labor of tube replacement when needed. 

A combustion process is described using a slurry of pulverized coal in a mixture of water and air. The mixture also contains some alkali which is stated to serve as a combustion catalyst. Combustion of the coal raises the temperature to above the critical temperature of water, and the ash that is present in the coal remains suspended in the supercritical medium. This supercritical fluid combustion stream is used to boil water and superheat steam in a countercurrent superheater-boiler train. The steam that is formed in the boiler is used to generate power. 

Heat transfer systems are one of the basic requirements of thermal process technology. Depending on the purpose of the heat exchange, the terms evaporator, Uquefier or condenser, superheater, boiler, and many others are also used. 

The output from the turbine might be superheated or partially condensed, as is the case in Fig. 6.32. If the exhaust steam is to be used for process heating, ideally it should be close to saturated conditions. If the exhaust steam is significantly superheated, it can be desuperheated by direct injection of boiler feedwater, which vaporizes and cools the steam. However, if saturated steam is fed to a steam main, with significant potential for heat losses from the main, then it is desirable to retain some superheat rather than desuperheat the steam to saturated conditions. If saturated steam is fed to the main, then heat losses will cause excessive condensation in the main, which is not desirable. On the other hand, if the exhaust steam from the turbine is partially condensed, the condensate is separated and the steam used for heating. 

From steam tables, the outlet temperature is 251°C, which is superheated by 67°C. Although steam for process heating is preferred at saturated conditions, it is not desirable in this case to desuperheat by boiler feedwater injection to bring to saturated conditions. If saturated steam is fed to the main, then the heat losses from the main will cause a large amount of condensation in the main, which is undesirable. Hence it is better to feed steam to the main with some superheat to avoid condensation in the main. 

BE-7S13 Superheater materials testing for ultra supercritical boilers Dr, A Vanderschaege GEC Alsthom -Stein Ind. 

Selection of the high pressure steam conditions is an economic optimisation based on energy savings and equipment costs. Heat recovery iato the high pressure system is usually available from the process ia the secondary reformer and ammonia converter effluents, and the flue gas ia the reformer convection section. Recovery is ia the form of latent, superheat, or high pressure boiler feedwater sensible heat. Low level heat recovery is limited by the operating conditions of the deaerator. 

SO2 gas is catalyticaHy oxidized to SO in a fixed bed reactor (converter) which operates adiabaticaHy in each catalyst pass. The heat of reaction raises the process gas temperature in the first pass to approximately 600°C (see Table 7). The temperature of hot gas exiting the first pass is then lowered to the desired second pass inlet temperature (430—450°C) by removing the heat of reaction in a steam superheater or second boiler. 

Steam Purity. Boiler water soHds carried over with steam form deposits in nonreturn valves, superheaters, and turbine stop and control valves. Carryover can contaminate process streams and affect product quaHty. Deposition in superheaters can lead to failure due to overheating and corrosion, as shown in Figure 6. 

Fig. 6. Boiler water contamination of the steam caused superheater deposits, which led to tube metal overheating and failure.

Ash fusion characteristics are important in ash deposition in boilers. Ash deposition occurring on the furnace walls is termed slagging, whereas accumulation on the superheater and other tubes is termed fouling. A variety of empirical indexes have been developed (60,61) to relate fouling and slagging to the ash chemical composition through parameters such as acidic and basic oxides content, sodium, calcium and magnesium, and sulfur. 

Coal deposits from east of the Mississippi River generally have acidic mineral constituents, ie, they are richer in siUca and alumina and tend to produce higher melting ash mixtures. These materials do not soften until above 1000°C and have limited problems with deposition on the inside walls of the boiler (slagging) or on the superheater tubes inside the boiler (fouling). 

The boiler designer must proportion heat-absorbing and heat-recovery surfaces in a way to make the best use of heat released by the fuel. Water walls, superheaters, and reheaters are exposed to convection and radiant heat, whereas convection heat transfer predominates in air preheaters and economizers. The relative amounts of these surfaces vary with the size and operating conditions of the boiler. 

Reheat Turbine After the steam has expanded through several stages, it leaves the turbine and passes through a sec tiou of the boiler, where superheat is added. The superheated steam is then returned to the turbine for further expansion. 

Off-Design Performance—This is an important eonsideration for waste heat reeovery boilers. Gas turbine performanee is affeeted by load, ambient eonditions, and gas turbine health (fouling, ete.). This ean affeet the exhaust gas temperature and the air flow rate. Adequate eonsiderations must be given to bow steam flows (low pressure and high pressure) and superheat temperatures vary with ehanges in the gas turbine operation. 

REPORT OF EXAMINATION WHEN COLD OF STEAM BOILERS OTHER THAN ECONOMISERS, SUPERHEATERS,... 

Dual pressure For comparison, a combined cycle scheme with dual pressure is shown in Figure 15.13. In this case, the waste heat recovery boiler also incorporates a low-pressure steam generator, with evaporator and superheater. The LP steam is fed to the turbine at an intermediate stage. As the LP steam boils at a lower temperature than the HP steam, there exists two pinch points between the exhaust gas and the saturated steam temperatures. The addition of the LP circuit gives much higher combined cycle efficiencies with typically 15 per cent more steam turbine output than the single pressure for the same gas turbine. 

Dryback boilers are still occasionally used when a high degree of superheat is required, necessitating a rear chamber to house the superheater too large for a semi-wet-back chamber. A water-cooled membrane wall chamber would be an alternative to this. 

The chamber is externally insulated and clad. Combustion equipment for solid fuel may be spreader or traveling-grate stokers or by pulverized fuel or fluid bed. Oil and gas burners may be fitted either as main or auxiliary firing equipment. The boilers will incorporate superheaters, economizers and, where necessary, air preheaters, grit arresters, and gas-cleaning equipment to meet clean air legislation. 

Steam produced from a boiler is referred to as dry saturated, and its temperature will correspond with the working pressure of the boiler. In some instances, particularly with shell boilers, this is perfectly acceptable. There are occasions, however, where it is desirable to increase the temperature of the steam without increasing the pressure. A superheater performs this function. Steam from the drum or shell of the boiler is passed through a bank of tubes whose external surfaces are exposed to... 

Where a superheater is fitted, the boiler working pressure must be increased to allow for the pressure drop through the elements. This will be between 0.3 and 1.0 bar. 

In a watertube boiler the superheater is a separate bank of tubes or elements installed in the area at the rear or outlet of the combustion chamber. Saturated steam temperature may be increased by 200° C with a final steam temperature of up to 540°C. 

For shell boilers, superheaters may be one of three types, depending upon the degree of superheat required. The first and simplest is the pendant superheater installed in the front smokebox (Figure 23.7). The maximum degree of superheat available from this would be around 45°C. The second pattern is again installed in the front smokebox but with this, the elements are horizontal U tubes which extend into the boiler smoketubes. The degree of superheat from this pattern is around 80°C. Third, a superheater may be installed in the reversal chamber of the boiler. A wetback chamber presents problems with lack of space, and therefore a semi-wetback, dryback or water-cooled wall chamber may be considered. Maximum degree of superheat would be around 100°C. 

Superheater elements are connected to inlet and outlet headers. The inlet header receives dry saturated steam from the steam drum of a watertube boiler or the shell of a horizontal boiler. This steam passes through the elements where its temperature is raised and to the outlet header which is connected to the services. A thermometer or temperature recorder is fitted to the outlet header. 

It should be appreciated that a steam flow must be maintained through the elements at all times to prevent them burning away. If a single boiler is used then provision to flood the superheater during start-up periods may be required. 

Superheated steam may be needed where steam distribution pipework in a plant is over extended distances, resulting in a loss of heat and increase in wetness of the steam. Another case may be where a process requires a temperature above the working pressure of the plant. The third case is where steam is used for turbines. Here it improves the performance of the turbine, where for every 6°C increase in steam temperature it can produce a saving of about 1 per cent reduction in steam consumption. Superheaters may also be supplied as independently fired units. These may be used when either the amount of superheated steam required is much less than the boiler evaporation or is only needed on an intermittent basis. 

Economizers for boilers have been available for over 150 years, almost as long as boilers themselves. For shell boilers, increasing efficiencies have made it increasingly difficult to justify the use of an economizer, the final decision being based in terms of payback period, which is also heavily dependent on fuel prices. Watertube boilers, on the other hand, need an economizer section in the gas passes in order to obtain satisfactory efficiency. For this reason, the economizer is integrated into the overall design, normally between the convective superheater and the air heater if fitted. 

Section 38 of the Factories Act 1961 defines a steam boiler as a any closed vessel in which for any purpose steam is generated under pressure greater than atmospheric pressure . Economizers used to heat water being fed to such a vessel and superheater for heating steam are also included. Every boiler must be fitted with the recommended safety measures (e.g. safety valve, stop valve, water gauge, low-water alarms, pressure gages, etc.). 

Superheater/reheater corrosion in fossil-fuel-fired boilers is caused by the deposition of alkali sulphates on to the tube surfaceThe corrosion rates increase rapidly at temperatures above 600°C as the sulphates become molten. These molten sulphates contain free SO3 which dissolves the protective oxide to form Fe-based sulphates. The corrosivity of the molten sulphates depends strongly upon their melting points, which are themselves strongly dependent upon the ratio of Na and K in the deposits. 

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