Pipes expansion are critical part of the steam line operations as it takes place naturally when there is temperature differences in the material such as steam line. Now the best case scenario is to be prepared rather sorry as these expansions can be eaily calculated. It is recommended to install expansion loops and bellows in the pipes at the right spots. You don’t need to worry as the length of the line bends also absorb a lot of these undue stresses resulting from steam thermal shocks.
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Common Phrases in boiler
- Steam to fuel ratio : refers to the quantity of steam that is produced from one unit of fuel.
Ex: 1 Kg of biomass produces 4.5 Kg of steam
- Blowdown: is the method of removing the dissolved solids / sludge / impurities from the boiler which may have entered through impure feed water. It also includes the tiny scraps of the boiler structure due to continuous operations over time. There are two types of blowdown: surface blowdown and bottom blowdown for cleaning the respective areas of the boiler. It is an extremely important step to avoid scaling in boiler lines.
- Latent heat : refers to the heat which is provided in order to convert water to steam. i.e.- heat used to convert liquid to gaseous form.
Once the goal of the steam is achieved, the latent heat in steam is given up and condensates into water.
- Valves: Almost all components of boiler has a valve which are used for running various critical operations. A few examples of activities include distribution of liquids, emergency pressure release, regulating steam output amongst others.
- Traps: are valves which are used to drain the water droplets which is due to the loss of steam latent heat during the steam distribution process. The condensed water then travels back to the boiler using condensate recovery pipelines. There are manual traps and mechanical trap types.