How to operate boilers safely
How to operate boilers safely
Expansion joints are installed in the inlet and outlet flues of the waste heat boiler to absorb the expansion of various components of the boiler. At the same time, the boiler body is equipped with an expansion guide device to ensure the free expansion of the furnace body, limit displacement, and prevent deformation and vibration of the furnace body. To ensure the sealing effect of the waste heat boiler, the overall layout of the waste heat boiler is a full membrane wall structure, which not only ensures the sealing and insulation effect, but also reduces ash accumulation and improves the efficiency of the waste heat boiler. The boiler can be personalized designed according to user needs, and can be freely combined and added or removed. Evaporators, economizers, etc. should adopt modular design as much as possible, with high assembly rate and reduced on-site installation workload.
Boiler is a hazardous operation that integrates high-pressure vessels, pressurized pipelines, and special equipment. The safe and economical operation of the boiler, as well as the maintenance of the equipment, play a crucial role in ensuring the smooth operation of the boiler and extending its service life.
1、 Standardized shift handover system:
Based on the situation of the boiler and practical work experience, we have developed a management handover system suitable for the safe operation of the boiler according to local differences. There is workshop supervision, and employees conscientiously implement it from the following aspects:
The stoker must arrive at work 15 minutes in advance and correctly wear labor protection equipment (including safety shoes, protective eyes, and protective gloves). Firstly, rinse the water level gauge correctly: wear protective gloves and do not face the water level gauge directly. Rinse with a mixture of steam and water, then rinse with steam, and finally rinse with water. Repeat this process until the water level inside the glass tube of the boiler water level gauge is clearly visible, to prevent dirt from blocking the gauge and causing false water levels. When taking over the shift, the stoker should push and pull the ash doors on both sides of the boiler to scatter the residual ash in the boiler air chamber, so as to prevent the accumulation of ash and reefs in the air chamber from burning and damaging the air chamber push and pull connecting rod over time, ensuring smooth air supply to each air chamber of the boiler and promoting optimal combustion of the boiler.
During the shift handover, the stoker should also open the observation holes at the back or on both sides of the boiler, wear protective goggles to check the combustion status of the fuel in the boiler furnace, the length of the furnace, and whether there are any other abnormal phenomena during combustion. They should correctly grasp the internal fuel situation of the boiler in order to adjust the furnace temperature and production steam pressure of the boiler correctly and reasonably.
After watching the furnace heat of the boiler, we proceeded to inspect the operation of the boiler’s laying machine, mainly checking whether there was any vibration in the induced draft fan, blower, and feedwater pump, whether the oil level of each laying machine was normal, whether there was any leakage in the boiler’s feedwater pump packing, and whether each component was damaged (usually judged by sound)
Finally, check whether the control instruments on the operation panel are indicating normally, whether the doors of each distribution cabinet are closed properly, whether the indicator lights are damaged, and whether the indications are correct.
2、 Correctly implement the standard operating procedures for boilers
Before the operation of the boiler, it is necessary to master the operating procedures for boiler laying, adjust the grate governor, first turn on the grate power supply, then turn on the governor control switch, and finally adjust the governor current to control the boiler grate speed.
We all know that the regulation of boiler feedwater is important for the safe operation of the boiler. Therefore, the boiler operator should operate the boiler’s feedwater system correctly. The boiler should maintain uniform and normal feedwater, generally at the middle water level of the boiler’s water level gauge. Our boiler ensures normal feedwater operation by adjusting electronic actuators or variable frequency switches.
In normal boiler operation, we should also adjust the supply air of the boiler correctly based on the performance difference of the fuel, and adjust the air chambers and plates on both sides of the boiler according to the length of the boiler’s fire bed. To avoid burning out the front coal hopper of the boiler, the first air chamber on both sides of the boiler is usually closed, and the last one is also closed.
In addition, we also need to regularly and timely remove the accumulated ash at the convection tube bundle inside the boiler. After multiple tests, ash hoppers are installed on both sides of the boiler, and ash is discharged every 8 hours (one shift).
In order to strengthen the management of boilers during operation, our stokers conduct hourly inspections, mainly to check the combustion status of boiler fuel, the arch angles inside the furnace, and whether the boiler laying equipment is operating normally. Strictly implement the stoker rotation system (every 2 hours of operation and inspection rotation).
Finally, it is the handling of simple boiler faults. As boiler operators, we not only need to maintain the normal operation of the boiler, but also need to be familiar with and master the handling of simple boiler faults. Especially in the event of an emergency power outage, we must not panic or blindly do it. First, check the water level of the boiler, be aware of it, and turn on the boiler’s steam reciprocating pump to add water to the inside of the boiler until it reaches the normal water level. Also, when the boiler’s water supply system malfunctions, if the boiler is short of water or full of water, we must use emergency shutdown correctly. Especially when there is a severe water shortage in the boiler, it is not advisable to immediately add water to the boiler. The boiler should be stopped urgently and allowed to cool down before adding water to the boiler. Otherwise, boiler tube bursting or explosion accidents may occur. Therefore, boiler operators must take corresponding measures according to different situations. The solution to the boiler full water fault is to promptly open the drain valve to drain the boiler. There are also faults with boiler laying machines, such as boiler grate shutdown, slag or ash discharge machine blockage or shutdown, boiler control instrument failure, and so on. When such faults occur, we usually have equipment professionals to repair them.
As a special equipment operator for boilers, it is necessary to correctly follow the safety operation procedures of the boiler, ensure the safe and economical operation of the boiler, and regularly receive training and learning. Generally, the municipal boiler safety inspection department provides training, and only those who pass the examination and obtain a certificate can be employed.
Therefore, the safe and economical operation of boilers is not just a matter of words or overnight. It is a persistent work that requires us to correctly apply professional technical knowledge, carefully operate according to the standard safety operating procedures of boilers, and safeguard our safety production!