How do you

prepare a boiler for survey?

Before a survey, the boiler must be prepared. The preparation process involves:

I.Water side preparation prior entry into the steam drum for internal inspection

II.Gas side preparation for external tubes inspection also the refractory condition can be
inspected

III.Electrical isolation

Electrical side isolation:

The power supply to the boiler control panel should be isolated. The power supply breakers
for the FD fan; burner pilot fuel oil pump should be switched off and caution tags put.

Gas side/Exhaust side:

a.If the boiler is an exhaust gas boiler, then the main engine should be isolated from starting
positively. The composite boiler should be isolated on the fuel side in addition by manual
isolation of the fuel line by a shut off valve and isolating the power of the boiler control
panel.

b.Oil fired boiler should be isolated on the fuel side by a manual shut off valve and isolating
the power of the boiler control panel

Waterside isolation:

a.The boiler should be taken out of service. With the boiler shut, isolate the boiler on
fuel/exhaust side electrical side and water side by isolating valves, power supply breakers as
the case may be

b.Empty the boiler of water by blowing down, after allowing sufficient time for the boiler to
cool gradually to prevent excessive thermal shock

c.When blowing down to sea, open the overboard valve first then the boiler valve to be
opened gradually. The nearing completion of the blowing down operation can be felt by
falling noise, pressure. At this point, care must be taken not to let the cold seawater into the
boiler. Start closing the boiler blow down valve when the boiler pressure is low enough, and
when it is down to the desired value, the valve must be closed down tightly and the ships side
cock closed. This is to be done to keep out the seawater ingress positively even though the
valves are usually of non-return type.

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d.Allow the boiler to cool down further and loose all its pressure, and when the boiler
pressure is at atmospheric pressure open the air cock and gauge glass drains to ensure the
pressure is atmospheric inside the boiler

e.Either the top door or the bottom door can be opened at this stage but not both, while
removing bottom door care must be taken against any hot water if present can cause injury to
the personnel near it

After the boiler has sufficiently cooled the access points can be opened, the spaces well
ventilated, enclosed space entry/steam drum entry procedures should be followed. The
fire/exhaust side should be cleaned after initial examination

a.Open access doors in way of the uptake and front and rear walls and the burner register and
all hand holes

b.Hydro-jet all soot deposits on tubes. Allow for collection and disposal of fresh water

c.Mop up the fireside to dry. Neutralizing chemical can be added in order to avoid corrosion.
Heating lamps can be used to dry out the furnace

d.Scrape hard deposits on all generating and water wall tubes, sweep and remove all carbon,
soot and debris on the furnace floor

The waterside requires a similar approach for cleaning

a.Remove for access to steam drum and water drum manholes and headers

b.Allow for header blanks for water side survey

c.Remove all steam baffle plates in the steam drum

d.Hydro-jet cleaning of the internals of drums and tubes may be required to remove mill scale
and sediments

202.Explain the procedure of setting a boiler safety valve

The safety valve is the sole safety device, which relieves the boiler of a dangerous excess
pressure. In the majority of designs the oil fired boiler and the exhaust gas boiler have a
common steam circuit, though separate heat input and flue gas paths. The oil fired section of
the oil fired boiler has a fuel cut out which is operated by the steam pressure limiting device,
whereas the exhaust gas boiler has to depend solely on its safety valve to protect it. In a
composite boiler as mentioned above the pair of safety valves can serve to protect the
common steam circuit. An additional pair of safety valves is provided in the outlet header of
the exhaust gas boiler, which has to be set separately.
The setting of the safety valve has to be done when the heat input and the rate of pressure rise
is maximum. The setting of the exhaust gas boiler safety valve to comply with the above,
shall be carried out as follows:

While at sea, with the main engine running at normal service speed and when all systems are
steady, the oil-fired section of the boiler can be fired to augment steam production (all
precautions such as adequate water level in the boiler, operator standing by the burner quick
shut off valve etc. are to be followed). With the safety valve on the steam receiver of the
boiler lightly gagged. The safety valve of the exhaust gas boiler section is set at slightly
higher pressure. In order to ensure that the economizer (or the exhaust gas boiler) operates
under flooded conditions at all times, it is customary to adjust the safety valves of the
economizer to a slightly higher pressure than the safety valves of the boiler steam receiver of
which they are connected.

After setting the safety valve as above to satisfaction locking it to make it tamper proof, the
oil-fired boiler firing is stopped, the steam receiver safety valves gags removed and all the
easing gear properly connected.

The exact lifting pressures are recorded in the logbook authenticated by the CEO and a copy
of the above is to be forwarded to the classification society upon arrival next port.

In the setting of the safety valve of a boiler, three items are of great importance. They are: 1.
Setting pressure at which the valve should lift.

2.The accumulation of pressure, which will be above the former due to the valve spring
characteristics

3.“Blow down” which is a drop in pressure below the setting pressure after the valve has
lifted and reseated.

4.For example the following values are relevant:

a.Boiler working pressure: 7 bar.

b.Safety valve setting pressure: 9 bar.

c.Accumulation of pressure: Maximum of 10% of the setting pressure = 9.9 bar.

d.Blow down at 3% of lifting pressure.

Open up boiler for inspection:

Procedure

Boiler is a pressurized vessel. Incorrect opening procedure could lead to personnel injury as
well as equipment damage.
 Change over boiler fuel oil to diesel oil.
 Make sure all diesel engines are stopped or changed over to diesel oil.
 Electric fuel oil heaters can be put in use if fitted on board.
 Shut main steam stop valve and put off feed water pump.
 Carry out scum blow down to remove floating oil, sludge, etc.
 Carry out bottom blow down after scum blow down, otherwise oil carry over may
occur.
 Boiler blow down to be carried out in steps to avoid thermal stresses. Excessive
stresses may lead to cracking.
 Sudden cooling down and drop in pressure may cause stresses in boiler. So reduction
of pressure must be gradual.
 Make sure nobody is standing near ship side blow down valve.
 Gradually reduce boiler pressure in steps, 5bar—–>4.5bar——>4bar and so on. This
helps in gradual reduction in boiler temperature also.
 Safety gear to be used by the personnel operating blow down valves.
 When boiler pressure reaches 1bar, open up the vent.
 Now if the ship is loaded and having high draft, it may not be possible to drain boiler
water completely. In such case arrangements to be made for transferring remaining
boiler water to bilges.
 Once the boiler is fully depressurized, slack top manhole door first, make sure no
pressure is inside, support the door with chain block, and slowly remove it and secure.
 Now open bottom manhole door slowly. This procedure is to be followed.
 Now open remaining mud boxes.
 Water washing and inspection of boiler can now be carried out after ventilating
sufficiently.
Understanding Boiler Refractory And Its Types

By Anish | In: Boiler | Last Updated on October 9, 2019

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The main purpose of refractory material that is used inside a marine boiler is to contain the
heat generated by burning of the fuel in the furnace and to minimise heat losses from the
furnace. It is therefore important that these materials have insulating properties and are able
to withstand high temperatures. Also, the refractory to be used inside boiler furnace should
not contaminate the material with which it is in contact.

Boiler refractory material should have sufficient mechanical strength and be able to withstand
various forces like

 Weight of adjacent brickwork.

 Vibration action
 Cutting & abrasive action of frame
 Flue dust
 High temperature
 Sudden changes of temperature
 Load at service conditions
 Chemical and abrasive action of operational phases

The material (pure compounds) which are used to make refractory (like MgO, SiC, Fireclay
etc.) have high melting point in range of 1800° to 2800 ° C.
The material should be able to expand and contract uniformly with temperature change
without cracking. Economically, it is not possible to use a single refractory in the boiler and
thus different types are used to together after ascertaining that they are able to withstand the
temperatures they are subjected to.

Important Terms defining the Boiler Refractory property:

Refractoriness: It is a property at which a refractory will deform under its own load and it is
generally determined by the composition of material used to make a refractory.

Porosity: It is the property to resist against chemical attack ( usually by fuel and water). A
low value of porosity means high strength and good thermal conductivity.

Refractory Strength: It is the resistance of the refractory to compressive loads, tension and
shear stresses.

Specific gravity: Mostly associated with brick type refractory, the specific gravity is
associated with the weight of the brick. A higher specific gravity brink will have more
strength.

Spalling: Spalling is a type of defect, also known as fracture of refractory, which is caused
by excessive thermal and/or mechanical load on the refractory.
Permanent Linear change (PLC) on reheating

Permanent change in the property of the refractory mostly caused by high temperature.

Thermal conductivity: It indicates the general heat flow characteristics of the refractory

Thermal expansion: An important factor determining the ability of refractory product to

expand during high temperature and contract during cooling

Bulk density: It is measured as weight of a given volume of the refractory and relates to
apparent porosity of the material used. A refractory with higher bulk density is better in
quality.

The materials from which the refractories are made are classified into three
groups :

Acid materials which consists of clay, silica, quartz, sandstone, gamister.

Neutral material which consists of chromite, graphite, plumbago, alumina.

Alkaline or Base material which consists of lime, magnesia, zirconia.

Special care is to be taken while choosing the refractory material and it must be insured that
the acid and alkaline material are kept apart as under high temperatures the two react with
each other to form salt, which reduces the effectiveness of refractory.

For installation, the refractory material is available in two forms:-

1) Firebricks

The material is formed into bricks and these bricks are then fired at high temperature in
special kilns.

Advantages:

 Hassle free performance

 High strength
 High temperature resistance
 Low maintenance costs

2) Monolithic Refractory

These refractory are supplied in unfired state and installed in the boiler. They are then fired in
place or when the boiler is put into service. This type of refractory can be divided into :-

a) Moldable Refractory : This type is used when direct exposure to radiant heat takes place.
It must be pounded in place during installation.

Advantages:
  High quality formulation
 High density
 Low maintenance costs
 Efficient performance

b) Castable Refractory: This type of refractory is placed where there is no direct exposure
to radiant heat for e.g. behind water walls. It is installed in manner similar to building
concrete.

Advantages:

 Efficient performance
 Long operational life
 High strength
 Low maintenance costs
 Dimensional accuracy

c) Plastic Chrome Core: This type is bonded with the clay and is used in construction of
studded water walls. They can withstand very high temperature but have a very low
mechanical strength. These are pounded onto the steel studs and welded to the tube. These
studs provide addition strength and means of attachment for the refractory.

Advantages:

 high resistance to corrosion

 high in refractoriness
 High strength
 High temperature strength

Precautions to be taken during and after installation of boiler refractory:

1) To prevent undue stresses in the refractory material ample space should be provided for
expansion. It is made to ensure that the these spaces does not get blocked in any way and
cause refractory to break off from attachment and bulge out, with danger of possible collapse.
2) Refractory material determines the time required for raising steam. So greater amount of
refractory slows down the steam raising process to prevent damage to refractory.

3) Air dampers or checks should be closed as soon as boiler is shut down preventing cold air
impingement on the hot refractory. This impingement causes surface flaking which is
commonly known as Spalling. Spalling causes reduction in wall thickness of the refractory.

4) Flame impingement should be avoided on the refractory as this causes build up of carbon
deposit on the surface. The carbon penetrates into the refractory and damages the same.

5) Impurities in fuel like vanadium and sodium salts react with refractory material to form
molten slag, which runs down to the furnace floor. This causes reduction of wall thickness
and building up of this slag interferes with the shape of the flame. Thus impurities should be
prevented from entering the boiler.

Related Read: 6 Practical Ways To Improve Boiler Efficiency

Different Causes for boiler refractory damage

1. Improper installation of the refractory

2. Installation of wrong shape ferrules
3. Improper refractory dry out post installation leading to thermal shock
4. Improper shut down operation leading to rapid cooling of the refractory
5. Ceramic cracking as a result of thermal, structural or mechanical stresses
6. High temperatures inside the furnace by improperly using a higher level of oxygen or loss of
temperature control system
7. Failure due to corrosion resulting in cold spot, acid formation and undesired chemical
reactions
8. Improper velocity of the flame
9. Erosion due to improper high loading under tension
10. Vibration as a result of improper design
11. Improper refractory selection

The refractory inside the boiler furnace is an important structure to safeguard the boiler
structure and to increase the efficiency of it’s operation. The ship engineer responsible for the
boiler maintenance must ensure regular visual inspection of refractory to be performed and
boiler is correctly operated.