Let me share the requirements of a steam boiler. I will explain several important requirements so that you have an idea of what is expected from the steam boiler.
For a steam boiler to be effective there are several requirements that it should fulfil.
If these requirements are not met then the steam boiler won’t be effective.
Without wasting time, let me share what you should know about these requirements.
6 requirements of a steam boiler
1. The ability to remove all impurities.
This is one of the requirements that a steam boiler should fulfil.
The steam boiler should be able to remove all impurities from the boiler.
One should understand that the quality of steam generated by the steam boiler is greatly influenced by what is contained within the boiler.
If you have the perfect furnace but the water in the boiler is filled with contaminants that the boiler can’t get rid of then the steam produced will contain carryover.
The contaminants leaving the boiler with the steam are termed carryover.
If the water in the boiler is not clean because of the contaminants that are accumulated inside then it’s impossible to prevent the carryover.
So, it’s very important that the steam boiler should contain a mud drum to receive all the impurities from the boiler.
Blow off c*ck must be available to drain the sludge, solid particles and other impurities in the boiler.
2. Right heating surface for maximum steam generation.
The steam boiler’s function is to generate steam and that will happen sufficiently if there is enough heat.
The heating surface of the boiler should be set in a way that allows maximum heat transfer to the water inside the boiler.
Its heating surface should be at an almost right angle to the current of hot gasses which is the best for heat transfer.
This goes to the design consideration of the boiler when setting it up.
The right angle to the current of hot gasses will ensure that heat is absorbed to the fullest by the boiler.
The wrong angle of the heating surface of the boiler will prevent good heat transfer and the steam generation process will be insufficient.
A lot of fuel will be used but it won’t match up to the output of the steam boiler.
This will result in a high cost of operating the steam boiler.
So, this is a requirement that a steam boiler should entail for it to function effectively.
3. Provide a constant and thorough steam flow.
The steam provided by the steam boiler should be constant and thorough.
This is a requirement that a steam boiler should fulfil.
You have to know that there are processes that need a load of a particular value.
If the load of the steam provided is reduced or it’s increased this will end up affecting the entire process.
The steam boiler should provide a constant flow of steam when in operation to keep the plant process going smoothly.
If the steam supplied by the steam boiler is not constant this will affect the pressure of the steam.
The pressure of the steam will always vary and this means the thermal energy will also vary.
Thorough steam flow from the steam boiler is expected to keep steam pressure constant.
4. Generate steam of the required quality.
The generation of steam is the main function of the steam boiler. If the boiler can’t fulfil this requirement then it’s of no use to be installed in a plant.
The steam boiler should generate steam of the required quality.
And what do I mean by the required quality of steam? The steam generated by the steam boiler should be of the required pressure, it should be clean and it should be dry.
The steam boiler selected for any application in a plant should meet the needs of the processes that are taking place in that plant.
What you should know is that different processes require different qualities of steam.
So, whichever processes are taking place in the plant, the boiler should be able to generate the steam that is required for that particular application.
If the steam boiler can’t supply steam of the required quality, then there is no need to install such a boiler in a plant.
It will only be waste of time and resources.
The steam boiler selected to be used in any process should generate steam of the required pressure, quality and quantity as it’s needed by the plant process with minimum fuel consumption.
5. Initial and maintenance costs.
When budgeting for a steam boiler this is one of the requirements that should be put in mind.
The initial cost of the boiler should be lower as possible.
Of course, we want a boiler with higher ratings, but at the same time, we also have to consider the amount of money we are going to spend on that steam boiler.
The main point here is, one should select a boiler with a good price and that is effective when it comes to the steam generation processes.
There is no need to purchase a steam boiler that is expensive yet the rating of such a boiler is low.
The other requirement when selecting a steam boiler, it’s its maintenance cost.
The maintenance cost of the boiler should be low to decrease the cost of operation.
The output should always be higher than the input in the production processes to gain profits.
If that is not the case, what is the point of being in this industry anyway?
6. The size and weight of the boiler.
You probably don’t have an entire field to install your boiler.
The size of the boiler is another requirement that should be put into consideration.
The steam boiler should be small to occupy a small space. Don’t worry about when the demand for steam will be higher.
And that is why we have steam accumulators that you can install in your boiler to ensure that when the peaks are high you are covered.
You might like this: Wet Steam Accumulator: Design, Requirements, Operation and Advantages
You don’t need a huge steam boiler in your plant at all.
Another requirement of the steam boiler is the weight measure. I know size goes directly proportional to the weight of the boiler.
If you select a small boiler it’s clear that you won’t have a problem with the weight issue.
If you think of moving the boiler from one point to another then it will be easier for you.
And also you won’t have issues with the foundation that you will select when it comes to the installation of this boiler.
You might like this: Factors Influencing The Choice Of Machine Foundation
Final thoughts
These are some of the requirements of the steam boiler. One should ensure that these requirements are considered before selecting a steam boiler.
These are important in contributing to the efficiency of the steam boiler.
If the steam boiler has the right requirements then you won’t have problems when it comes to its operation.
And if you select a steam boiler with the wrong requirements then there is no way you will have smooth operations.
Thanks for reading the article. If you have any questions you should leave a comment. See you in my next article.
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