NAME: - MONGLAFRU MOG

ROLL NO: - 28600720044

SUBJECT: -POWER PLANT ENGINEERING(PE-ME801B)

SEMESTER: - 8TH

B. TECH IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

REGISTRATION NO: -202860100720142

Short Notes on Mountings and Accessories of Boilers

Boiler Mountings
The boiler mountings are fittings which are mounted on the boiler for its proper functioning.
Mountings are water level indicator, safety valve, pressure gauge, etc. It may be noted that a boiler
cannot function safely without the mountings.

Following are the important boiler mountings:

• Water level indicator

• Pressure gauge
• Safety valve
• Stop valve
• Blow off
• Feed check valve
• Fusible plug

Water Level Indicator

It is an main fitting in the boiler, Water level indicator indicates the water level inside the boiler. It is
a safety device upon which safe working of the boiler depends.

Pressure Gauge
Pressure gauges are used to measure the pressure of steam inside a steam boiler. The pressure gauge
is fixed in front of a steam boiler.
Safety valves
These are the devices attached in the steam boiler for preventing explosions due to excessive internal
pressure of steam. The safety valve is an instrument which prevents the boiler pressure from rising
above its normal working pressure by automatically opening when the boiler pressure exceeds the
normal working pressure, Thus allowing excess steam to escape into the atmosphere until the
pressure comes down to its normal valve. Thus, a safety valve ensures safety to a boiler from being
damaged due to excessive steam pressure.

The safety valves commonly used are:

• Deadweight safety valve

• Lever safety valve
• Spring-loaded safety valve

Steam stop valve

The function of a stop valve is to control the flow of the steam from within the boiler and to stop it
completely when required. A stop valve or junction valve is used to regulate the flow of steam from
the boiler. The valves mounted on the boilers, which change the direction of flow of steam by 90° are
called junction valves, while valves fitted in pipelines which allowing the steam in the same direction
are called stop valve.

Blow-off Valve
The function of a blow-off valve is to remove periodically the sediments deposited at the bottom of
the boiler while the boiler is in operation and to empty the boiler while it is being cleaned or
inspected. When the blow-off valve is opened the water which is under the pressure of steam, rushes
out with tremendous velocity thus carrying out the sediments along with it.

Feed Check Valve

When the level of water in the boiler falls, it is brought back to the specified level by supplying the
additional water called feed water. The pressure inside the boiler will be high therefore the pressure
of the feed water has to be raised by a pump before it is fed into the boiler. The feed water under
high pressure is fed into the boiler through the feed check valve. The function of a feed check
valve is to control the flow of water from the feed pump to the boiler and to prevent
the backflow of water from the boiler to the pump when the pump pressure is less
than the pressure or when the feed pump ceases to work. Evidently feed check valve
is placed at the boiler end of the delivery pipe of the feed pump.

Fusible Plug
The plug is made up of tin or leads alloy, which has a low melting point. The function of the fusible
plug is to put-off the fire in the furnace of the boiler when the water level falls below an unsafe level
and thus avoids the explosion, which may take place due to overheating of the tubes and the shell. It
is fitted over the crown of the furnace or the combustion chamber.
Boiler Accessories

The boiler accessories are required to improve the efficiency of the steam power plant and to enable
for the proper working of the boiler. The boiler accessories aren’t mounted directly on the boiler.

Following are the important boiler accessories:

• Economiser
• Air pre-heater
• Superheater
• Feed pump
• Steam Separator
• Steam trap

Economiser
The combustion gases coming out of the boiler contain a large quantity of heat. Therefore the
maximum amount of heat from the gases should be recovered before it escapes to the chimney. In
the economiser, heating the feed water does the recovery of heat in the flue gases. The economiser
is placed in the path of the gases. They improve the overall efficiency of the boiler by reducing fuel
consumption

Air Pre-heater
The air preheater is an accessory that recovers the heat in the exhaust gas by heating the air supplied
to the furnace of the boiler. Supplying preheated air into the furnace produces a high furnace
temperature and accelerates the combustion of the fuel. Thus the thermal efficiency of the plant will
be increased.

The advantages of air pre-heater are,

• Increase in the steam generation rate.

• Better combustion with less soot, smoke and ash, and
• Low-grade fuels can be used.

Superheater
The superheater is used in boilers to increase the temperature of the steam above the saturation
temperature. The dry saturated steam generated in the boiler is passed through a set of tubes placed
in the path of the flue gases, in which it will be heated further by the hot gas to increase its
temperature about the saturation temperature.
Feed Pump
A feed pump is a boiler accessory required to force the feed water at high pressure into the boiler.
Commonly used pumps are,

• Reciprocating pumps
• Rotary pumps

The reciprocating pumps are driven directly by coupling them to the steam engine. The rotary pumps
are driven by the steam turbines or by electric motors.

Steam Separator
A steam separator, sometimes referred to as a moisture separator or steam drier, is a device for
separating water droplets from steam. In thermal power stations, water droplets in high velocity
steam coming from nozzles (or vanes) in a steam turbine can impinge on and erode turbine internals
such as turbine blades.

Steam trap
The steam trap is an essential part of any steam system. It is the important link between good steam
and condensate management, retaining steam within the process for maximum utilization of heat, but
releasing condensate and incondensable gases at the appropriate time.

2. Introduction to boiling and circulation in boilers.

Introduction to boilers
A boiler is an enclosed vessel that provides a means for combustion and transfers heat to water until
it becomes hot water or steam. The hot water or steam under pressure is then usable for transferring
the heat to a process. Water is useful and cheap medium for transferring heat to a process. When
water is boiled into steam its volume increases about 1,600 times, producing a force that is almost as
explosive as gunpowder. This causes the boiler to be extremely dangerous equipment and should be
treated carefully. Liquid when heated up to the gaseous state this process is called evaporation. The
heating surface is any part of the boiler; hot gases of combustion are on one side and water on the
other. Any part of the boiler metal that actually contributes to making steam is heating surface. The
amount of heating surface of a boiler is expressed in square meters. The larger the heating surface a
boiler has, the more efficient it becomes.

Circulation in boilers
3 Types of circulation in boiler, like

• Natural Circulation
• Controlled Circulation
 • Combined Circulation

Natural circulation in boiler

Boiler feed water which is pumped with high pressure boiler feed water pumps first reaches at
economizer. Here temperature of the boiler feed water is around the saturation temperature
corresponding to its pressure. Saturation temperature means the temperature at which water
vaporization is starts for a given pressure. It is also called the boiling point of water. Feed water flows
through economizer gets further heated by flue gas and enters into the steam drum. Steam drum acts
as a pressure vessel and separates steam and water from steam water mixture. Normally steam drum
water level is maintained around 50%.It means steam drum is half filled with water & remaining 50%
above the water level contains steam. Water inside the drum flows down through down comer pipes
and distributed by bottom header to water walls.

Controlled circulation in boiler:

If the Operating pressure of boiler is between 180 kg/cm2 to 200 kg/cm2 then circulation in boiler is
to be assisted with mechanical pumps, to overcome frictional losses. To regulate the flow through
various tubes, orifice plates are used.

Combined circulation in boiler

This circulation in boiler is applicable to the boilers which are operating at critical pressure. In this
system phase transformation is absent means water is directly converted into the steam at these
pressure and temperature.

Generally, operating pressure of this system is 260 Kg/cm2.