ME Laboratory 2

(Module no. 1)

“Physical study of the

Steam-Generating Unit”

Engr. Augusto A. Avanceña

Instructor

Alba, Edgar Luigi T.

BSME-5B
ME Lab 2

Module No. 1: Physical study of the Steam-Generating Unit

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this module, you should be able to;
1. Know the different types of steam-generating units
2. Understand the importance and application of steam-generating units
to the engineering field
3. Discuss the components and major parts of steam-generating units.
4. Identify the engineering measurements used in steam-generating
plants
5. Discuss the trouble-shooting usually encounter in steam-generating
plants
ACTIVITY:
Research Work: Write your discussion about the following topics and upload it in your
respective folders.
a. Steam generating units, its type and applications
b. Major components and parts of steam generating units
c. Operation of Steam generating Plants
d. Engineering Measurement tools in Steam-Generating plants
e. Trouble shooting in Steam-generating plants
f. Safety protocols
INTRODUCTION
What is Steam?
Steam is the gas formed when water passes from the liquid to the gaseous state.
The uses for steam are many and varied like:
1. Power Generation
2. Industrial Process
3. Heating
A. Steam Generating Units, its types and applications
Steam Generating Units is a device that combusts any fuel or byproduct/waste to produce
steam or to heat water or any other heat transfer medium.
Types:
Firetube
Flames and hot gases (flue gases: products of combustion) pass through the tubes, and
Tubes are surrounded by water. This type of boiler is cylindrical, with the flame in the
furnace cavity itself and the combustion gases themselves kept inside a series of tubes.
These come in two basic designs: dry back and wet back.

Application:
Fire-tube boilers have the advantage of being easy to install and operate. They are widely
used in small installations to heat buildings and to provide power for factory processes.
Fire-tube boilers are also used in steam locomotives.
Watertube
Water passes through the tube, and Flames and hot gases pass outside the tubes. In this
arrangement, tubes contain steam, water or both, while the products of combustion pass
around the outside of tubes. These often have multiple sets of drums, and because they
use relatively little water, these boilers offer unusually fast steaming capabilities.

Application:
Water tube boilers can generate saturated or superheated steam, which is useful for
applications such as steam turbine power generation. In addition, these boilers are
commonly used in process industries, including chemicals, refining, and pulp and paper
manufacturing.
Commercial
Commercial boilers are pressurized systems that burn combustible fuel or use electricity to
heat water that is used to provide heating in your building. Inside the boiler, the burners or
electric coils generate heat that is transferred to the water by the heat exchanger. The
process creates either hot water or steam, depending on the type of boiler.

Application:
Commercial boilers are commonly used to heat buildings such as schools, offices, apartment
buildings, and hospitals.

Condensing
Condensing boilers are water heaters fueled by gas or oil. They achieve high efficiency
(typically greater than 90% on the higher heating value) by condensing water vapors in the
exhaust gases and so recovering its latent heat of vaporization, which would otherwise have
been wasted.
Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG)
A heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) is an energy recovery heat exchanger that recovers
heat from a hot gas stream, such as a combustion turbine or other waste gas stream. It
produces steam that can be used in a process (cogeneration) or used to drive a steam
turbine (combined cycle).
 Application:
HRSGs can be used to generate steam for district heating or factory processes, or to drive a
steam turbine to generate more electricity.

B. Major components and parts of steam generating units

Components and Operations
Nuclear Reactor
The reactor is a key component of a power plant, as it contains the fuel and its nuclear
chain reaction, along with all of the nuclear waste products. The reactor is the heat
source for the power plant, just like the boiler is for a coal plant. Uranium is the
dominant nuclear fuel used in nuclear reactors, and its fission reactions are what
produce the heat within a reactor. This heat is then transferred to the reactor's coolant,
which provides heat to other parts of the nuclear power plant.

Steam Generation
The most common power plants in the world use pressurized water reactors, which use
two loops of circling water to produce steam. The first loop carries extremely
 hot liquid water to a heat exchanger, where water at a lower pressure is circulated. It
then heats up and boils to steam, and can then be sent to the turbine section.
Boiling water reactors, the second most common reactor in power generation, heat the
water in the core directly to steam.
Turbine and Generator
Once steam has been produced, it travels at high pressures and speeds through one or
more turbines. These get up to extremely high speeds, causing the steam to lose energy,
therefore, condensing back to a cooler liquid water. The rotation of the turbines is used
to spin an electric generator, which produces electricity that is sent out the electrical
grid.

Cooling Towers
They work to reject waste heat to the atmosphere by the transfer of heat from hot
water (from the turbine section) to the cooler outside air. Hot water cools in contact
with the air and a small portion, around 2%, evaporates and raises up through the top.
Moreover, these plants do not release any carbon dioxide—the primary greenhouse
gas that contributes to climate change.
Parts of Steam Generating Units

• Firebox: This chamber is where combustion occurs, and it houses the burners and
various regulatory devices.
• Burners: These inject a mixture of air and fuel (usually coal, fuel oil or natural gas) into
the distribution system to optimize the blend for combustion.
• Drums: These include a lower mud drum to collect mostly solid waste and an upper
steam drum to collect the steam for placement into the distribution system.
• Economizer: This device optimizes operational efficiency by preheat feedwater to a
given temperature before it can enter the body of the boiler system.
• Steam distribution system: This network of valves, tubes and connections is
customized for the pressure levels of the steam being carried through the system.
Steam leaves the boiler with enough pressure to power whatever process is
downstream (e.g., electricity generation via a turbine).
• Feedwater system: This critical element of a boiler ensures that the amount of water
entering the system balances that leaving the system. This must be calculated in
weight, not volume, since some of the water is steam and some is liquid.

C. Operation of Steam generating Plants

A steam power plant consists of a boiler, steam turbine and generator, and other
auxiliaries. The boiler generates steam at high pressure and high temperature. The
steam turbine converts the heat energy of steam into mechanical energy. The generator
then converts the mechanical energy into electric power.

D. Engineering Measurement tools in Steam-Generating plants

Mechanical Instruments:

1. Temperature measurement:
* Thermocouples,
* RTD
* Liquid filled Thermometer
* Gas Filled Bulb & tube thermometer
* Pyrometer
2. Pressure Measurement
* C-Type Bourdon Pressure Gauge (Spiral, Helical, Twisted)
* Manometer
* Draft Gauges
3. Flow Measurement
* Steam Flow Meter (Flow nozzles, Pitot tube)
 * Water Flow and Air Meter (Orifice, Venturi Tube)
4. Fuel Measurement
* Gas Meter (Positive displacement type disk-nutating
* Oil Meter (Rotameter, Nutating disk)
5. Level Measurement
* Boiler Drum (Hydra Step, Bubbler Methode-clode vessel)
* Low Pressure/High Pressure Heater
6. Speed Measurement
* Turbine Speed (Stroboscope)
* Motor speed/belt speed tachometer
* Magnetic Pickups

Electrical Instruments:

1. Current Measurement
* Ammeter (Generator Load, Feeder Circuit, Auxiliary Power, Field Circuit)
2. Voltage Measurement
* Voltmeter (Generating & Transmitting Voltages, Feeding Voltages, Motor Voltages)
3. Energy Measurement
* Wattmeter (Generated Power, Feeder Power)

E. Trouble shooting in Steam-generating plants

• The commissioning engineer should first determine actual input, output, and efficiency
of the steam generator.
• He must evaluate the water level, steam and fuel pressure, and burner and blowdown
controls and ensure all function well enough to support sustained steam operations.
• Steam System Commissioning Data Sheets can be used to document this evaluation.
• The commissioning engineer should then check if the steam generator has been
installed correctly and is large enough to meet the steam load demand, if the turndown
low enough to prevent excess burner cycling and trimmed in a manner to ensure ease of
operation, and whether the steam generator can be operated and maintained to ensure
reliability.
F. Safety protocols

Safety training programs and written safety procedures are integral to the safe operation of
all plant equipment. While not exhaustive, the items listed here are based on actual
operating experience and point out some typical personnel safety precautions.

1. When viewing flames or furnace conditions, always wear tinted goggles or a tinted
shield to protect the eyes from harmful light intensity and flying ash or slag particles.
2. Do not stand directly in front of open ports or doors, especially when they are being
opened. Furnace pulsations caused by firing conditions, sootblower operation, or tube
failure can blow hot furnace gases out of open doors, even on balanced draft units.
3. Do not use open-ended pipes for rodding observation ports or slag on furnace walls. Hot
gases can be discharged through the open-ended pipe directly onto its handler. The pipe
can also become excessively hot.
4. When handling any type of rod or probe in the furnace, especially in coal-fired furnaces,
be prepared for falling slag striking the rod or probe. The fulcrum action can inflict
severe injuries.
5. Be prepared for slag leaks. Iron oxides in coal can be reduced to molten iron or iron
sulfides in a reducing atmosphere in the furnace resulting from combustion with
insufficient air. This molten iron can wash away refractory, seals and tubes, and leak out
onto equipment or personnel.
6. Never enter a vessel, especially a boiler drum, until all steam and water valves, including
drain and blowdown valves, have been closed and locked or tagged. It is possible for
steam and hot water to back up through drain and blowdown piping, especially when
more than one boiler or vessel is connected to the same drain or blowdown tank.
7. Be prepared for hot water in drums and headers when removing manhole plates and
handhole covers.
8. Do not enter a confined space until it has been cooled, purged of combustible and
dangerous gases and properly ventilated with precautions taken to keep the entrance
open. Station a worker at the entrance and notify the responsible person.
9. Be prepared for falling slag and dust when entering the boiler setting or ash pit.
10. Use low voltage extension cords or cords with ground fault interrupters. Bulbs on
extension cords and flashlights should be explosion proof.
11. Never step into fly ash. It can be cold on the surface yet remain hot and smoldering
underneath for extended periods, even after the pressure parts are cool.
12. Never use toxic or volatile fluids in confined spaces.
13. Never open or enter rotating equipment until it has come to a complete stop and its
circuit breaker is locked open and any other drive devices are immobilized. Some types
of rotating equipment can be set into motion with very little force. These types should
be locked with a brake or other suitable device to prevent rotation.
14. Always secure the drive mechanism of dampers, gates and doors before passing
through them.
15. Do not inspect for tube leak locations until metal and refractory surfaces are cool, and
ash accumulations are removed.
References:

Types of Steam Generators

1. https://sciencing.com/list-6863907-types-steam-generators.html

Steam Definition

2. https://www.slideshare.net/JonalynCali/steam-generating-unit

Firetube Boiler

3. http://www.britannica.com/technology/fire-tube-boiler

Water tube Boiler

4. https://www.energysolutionscenter.org/gas_solutions/water_tube_boilers.aspx#:~:text=Water
%20tube%20boilers%20can%20generate,and%20pulp%20and%20paper%20manufacturing

Commercial Boiler

5. https://appliance-standards.org/product/commercial-
boilers#:~:text=Commercial%20boilers%20are%20commonly%20used,baseboard%20units%2C%
20or%20fan%20coils
6. https://www.sobieskiinc.com/blog/commercial-boilers-do-you-know-how-it-works-your-
building

Condensing Boiler

7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condensing_boiler#Usage

Heat Recovery Steam Generator

8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_recovery_steam_generator
9. https://www.powerengineeringint.com/coal-fired/equipment-coal-fired/heat-recovery-steam-
generators-design-options-and-benefits/

Major Components and Parts of Steam-Generating Units

10. https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Nuclear_power_plant?fbclid=IwAR2OnJ9mf8fn558q6
pijQZY7Xy5_6UL8aSLom3Kyor7FNS7SlKKUGqS6a5Y

Operation of Steam-generating Plants

11. https://power.mhi.com/products/conventional/

Troubleshooting in Steam-generating Plants

12. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781119085454.ch16
Safety Protocols

13. https://www.babcock.com/en/resources/learning-center/15-power-plant-safety-tips