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Assessing Structural Integrity and Remaining Life of Boiler Tubing

Power plant operators looking to get the most out of their existing steam generating systems are constantly faced with the decision to “run, repair or replace” their equipment and prevent unplanned outages that impact operations. As boiler tube failure is the leading cause of unscheduled availability loss, an important preventive measure is testing boiler tubes to analyze their condition and gauge their remaining useful life.

Boiler Fitness Survey for Condition Assessment of Industrial Boilers

B&W provides an overview and benefits of establishing a formal boiler fitness survey program, focusing on units in industrial applications.

Reducing Potential Superheater Casing Failures in Sulfuric Acid Plant Applications

In the superheater inlet transition ducts, environmental exposure can lead to cracks and/or warping of the casing and stiffeners. What modifications can help reduce failures?

Benefits of Cylindrical Superheater Casings for Waste Heat Recovery Systems in Sulfuric Acid Plant Applications

B&W Chanute developed its Optimus cylindrical superheater casing for waste heat recovery superheaters and economizers for hot, high-temperature applications.

10 Ways to Minimize Grate Wear in a Waste-to-Energy Boiler

Thermal and mechanical grate wear increases maintenance costs. If the grate is not operated correctly, or if combustion is not properly managed, wear accelerates and there is risk of substantial damage. As a fuel, waste tends to be unpredictable and varies over time. It presents challenges for the plant, and can cause mechanical, thermal and chemical wear.

Reagent Preparation and Dewatering in a Wet FGD System

If limestone consumption must be increased to improve SO2 removal, the reagent preparation and dewatering systems may be undersized. In most cases, higher SO2 removal requires a finer grind than what older systems were originally designed to achieve.

Bid Evaluation Example

The example below provides a comparison between two industrial boiler bids where one bidder has a higher price but with a unit that has higher efficiency. Bid 1 guarantees 86.5% efficiency with a price of $10,400,000. Bid 2 guarantees 87.5% efficiency with a price of $11,200,000.

Limestone Forced Oxidation System Upgrades

A wet FGD can be converted to forced oxidation using the existing reaction tank, or in some cases, an external oxidation tank can be used. This conversion will minimize scaling from utilization of stable system chemistry and creating a saleable byproduct which will decrease disposal costs.

Mist Eliminators and Mist Eliminator Wash System

Older generation ME wash system designs tended to not effectively wash all surfaces of the MEs when compared to current designs. Fixed grid ME wash headers can be retrofitted in place of retractable lance-style wash systems or fixed grids that were ineffective in washing the ME surfaces.

Factors that Affect ESP Collection Efficiency and Ways to Improve Performance

This article will review several design and operational problems that will negatively affect the collection performance of an ESP. It will also outline potential modifications to help improve performance and efficiency.

Basics of Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP) Operation

Gas velocity between the plates is also an important factor in the collection process since lower velocities permit more time for the charged particles to move to the CEs and reduce the likelihood of migrating back into the gas stream (re-entrainment). A series of CE and DE sections is generally necessary to achieve overall particulate collection requirements.

Design for Constructability

Since construction costs for some projects can exceed 50% of a total project, the cost of labor presents both the greatest opportunity and greatest risk for almost any project. A design for constructability seeks to minimize impacts and improve productivity through the elimination of rework and/or corrective action, improve material deliveries, and incorporate some type of modularization.

B&W wrote the book on steam... literally

We continue to share our knowledge and technical expertise to the industry with our Learning Center.

This collection of articles and readings includes primers, how-to articles, technical tips, and other informational pieces which we think you’ll find useful.

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