The soot is deposited on the heating surfaces

A boiler that has been running for a long time is sure to

have soot deposits on its tubes and furnace.

This is especially prominent in boilers using heavy fuel oil

for burning. Although the fuel will be heated and filtered

before combustion, it still contains a lot of impurities. The

by-products of combustion as well as imperfect combustion

cause the soot to form. The soot is deposited on the heating

surfaces.

During the combustion of the fuel oil in a steam boiler, hot

gases are formed. These hot gases are used to heat up the

water in the boiler to form steam.

With the deposits of soot, a lot of the heat energy is not

able to be transferred to the water, but instead is lost

through the chimneystack. The soot layer acts as a heat

insulator for the tubes and shells of the furnace. The heat

is unable to reach the water.

This not only causes the boiler efficiency to be lowered,

but a more serious problem can also occur. The soot can

catch fire!

A soot fire can be detrimental to the strength of the boiler

because it can cause serious localized hotspots to occur at

the tubes. These localized hotspots can even reach temperatures

that weaken the materials of the tubes.

Soot blowers are installed to blow away these soot deposits.

Steam is normally used as a medium for blowing away the soot.

The operation of the soot blowers goes like this:

1. Steam is channeled to the soot blower pipeline.

2. The operator of the soot blower will open a drain valve

to drain off any water in the steam. This is to make sure

that the steam going through the soot blower is dry.

3. Once the steam is considered dry, the drain valve is shut

off, and the soot blower is turned. Most soot blowers are

constructed in such a way that when it is rotated, a steam

port is uncovered and steam can enter into it.

4. The steam shoots out from the soot blower tube that is

inside the boiler fireside. Many small holes for the steam to

emerge are drilled along the length of the tube. As the tube

rotates, the position of the steam jet will also move with it.

After a full rotation, all the areas around the soot blower

tube should be clear of soot. (However, it depends on how

thick the soot is, the speed at which the soot blower is

rotated, and how efficient the soot blowing is)

5. After completing the soot blowing, the steam supply is shut Wholesale Submersible Pumps Manufacturers

off again.

The operation of the soot blower can be done manually or by

remotely controlled motor drive. A motor driven soot blower

will usually include some means of turning manually in case

the motor fails.

The soot that is blown away from the heat transfer surfaces of

the boiler will be carried together with the hot gases out

through the chimneystack.

If there is a dust collector, the soot will be caught

by it, otherwise it goes out to the environment as particles

of carbon and ash.

Folks, hold your breath!

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Article Tags: Blow Away, Soot Blower