Tech Talk

At Thermal Tech Inc., we provide our customers with technical information to maximize equipment utilization, efficiency and reliability.

We offer products and services to address the constantly evolving and increasingly complex demands of facility and process systems integration, strict environmental standards, and higher efficiencies throughout our industry.

Avoiding Potential Problems

Maintain a Boiler Log

A boiler log provides a written record of the boiler operating conditions on a given day at a given time and can show trends for early warning of problems in the system.

• Check out the National Board of Boiler Inspectors site that contains the educational article “Boiler Logs Can Reduce Accidents”
• Boiler Maintenance should be an ongoing process. This informative article from our archives contains important maintenance tips.

If you would like to begin a boiler log program, please contact us.

Diagnosing Boiler Problems

RSES Article by John R. Puskar, Boiler Safety Intuition. Diagnosing boiler problems sometimes takes almost all the senses.

Water Hammer

Pipe vibration and pounding is a warning sign to check your steam plant piping for proper setup and operation. Water hammer occurs in steam supply and condensate return lines, and there are three basic types: hydraulic, thermal shock and differential.

• Click here to see the Cleaver-Brooks Tip Sheet “What You Need to Know About Water Hammer.” CB June 20, 2011.
• Click here to download the informative article Avoiding Thermal Shock from the HydroTherm site

Low Water Controls

The low-water cutoff is the most important electrical/mechanical device on your boiler for maintaining a safe water-level. If a low-water condition develops, it could lead to serious potential problems. The low-water cutoff should be tested at least weekly.

• It is a well established fact that low water cut-offs are not always properly maintained. Click here for McDonnell & Miller’s Product Bulletin Proper Maintenance of LWCO’s
• Click here for McDonnell & Miller’s Recommended Replacement Schedules
• Another Article on the National Board of Boiler Inspectors website, Low Water Cut-Off Technology, contains a handy section called “Potential Failure Modes - What to Watch For.”

Scale

Scale formation causes energy loss and costs money! Scale acts as an insulator and can result in overheating of the furnace, tube, and tube sheets, which in turn can cause tube leakage, tube end cracking, and other pressure vessel problems. 1/16” thick scale increases fuel consumption 15%, 1/8” of scale requires 20 more fuel, and ¼” of scale causes a boiler to use 39% more fuel.

The best way to control scale formation in a boiler is through chemical water treatment and makeup water pretreatment. Even with these measures in place, technicians still will need to clean boiler tubes regularly.

Click here for the Department of Energy’s Energy Tips about Efficiency and Scale

Articles/White Papers

• http://www.shipcopumps.com/literature/fetch.asp?q=articles
• http://www.facilitiesnet.com/hvac/article/Boiler-Safety-Annual-Inspection-Checklist--11933
• http://hpac.com/fastrack/Boiler-Inspection-Maintenance-Safety-0409/
• Cleaver-Brooks Tip Sheets

Information contained within this section is for informational purposes only and Thermal Tech, Inc. makes no claim or guarantee to performance in reference to this information.

TTI Recommended Boiler Inspection Schedule

From CB Boiler Care Handbook

Do You Maintain A Boiler Log?

A boiler log provides a written record of the boiler operating conditions on a given day and at a given time. The log can be used for both hot water and low and high pressure steam boilers. The purpose is akin to that of a patient’s hospital chart. The log provides a clear historical record of the boiler’s conditions, which enables the boiler operator or service technician to evaluate and correct problems before they become serious.

The following paragraph is from Engineering Bulletin No. 70 entitled "Boiler Log Program," published by the Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company.

"Not every accident is preventable. The results of accident investigations show, however, that by far the great majority of accidents to boilers are preventable. The number of such accidents can be effectively reduced through the proper application of operating and maintenance logs."

The need to regularly check water level controls and the waterside of the pressure vessel cannot be overemphasized. Most instances of major boiler damages are the result of operating with low water or the use of untreated or incorrectly treated feed water.

Here’s an example of how a boiler log can also help increase uptime and reduce fuel costs. After taking readings for one week you notice that the boiler stack temperature has been climbing. By reviewing your log sheets, you also determine that the gas pressure has increased a couple of inches of water column per day. Looking at the two pieces of information, you might conclude that the problem lies with faulty gas pressure regulator producing possible sooting causing a reduction in heat transfer.

The boiler log sheet allows you to make an intelligent, informed decision, based upon historical data. Not a guess based upon spur of the moment reaction.

If you would like to begin a boiler log program, please contact our Service Department.

Five Preventive Maintenance Steps for Your Boiler

From the CBRE website

1. Equipment Installation. Install only boiler and pressure vessel equipment registered with the National Board. Such equipment will be manufactured in accordance with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. Most jurisdictions and insurance companies mandate National Board registration.
2. Replacement Parts. Purchase only first quality OEM replacement parts for any boiler or pressure vessel repair or maintenance effort.
3. Training. Adequately train all personnel who regularly use or maintain a boiler or pressure vessel. Do not allow a general maintenance person to assume the responsibilities for day-to-day operation of any boiler or pressure vessel unless that person has had specific training. (Cleaver Brooks Customer Training Schedule)
4. Safety & Efficiency Testing. Establish a regular, periodic safety testing and efficiency-monitoring program for all boilers. Develop a checklist. Make sure everyone who encounters the boiler understands the cautions and warnings and who to call for help. For assistance in developing a preventive maintenance and efficiency program you may want to consider implementing a Preventive Maintenance Contract.
5. Repairs. Require that all welded repairs be performed by National Board "R" stamp holders who are properly trained and qualified to repair boilers and pressure vessels. These repairs have very specific protocols to help prevent recurring failures or accidents. "R" stamp repairs signify strict repair and/or alteration requirements have been met and verified by a commissioned National Board inspector.

Are you interested in worry-free, regularly scheduled boiler inspections and preventive maintenance?

These contracts are tailored to provide specific periodic inspections and service to minimize down time and maximize efficiency.

Service can include:

• Periodic Inspections: Annually, quarterly or monthly.
• Boiler(s), auxiliary equipment and system components.
• Total Planned Maintenance Program (All inclusive).

Click here for more Information or contact your Aftermarket Salesman for your custom Preventive Maintenance Contracts solution for one low annual fee.

Energy Saving Tip

A stack temperature gauge should be installed in the flue outlet of every boiler and monitored regularly to ensure that the temperature is consistent with the firing rate, operating temperature for hot water boilers or pressure for steam boilers and boiler design. Your boiler supplier or manufacturer should be able to provide data to give you an indication of optimum performance. For example, a Cleaver Brooks firetube boiler should operate with a stack temperature no higher than approximately 75 to 100 °F above the water temperature in a hot water boiler or saturated steam temperature in a steam boiler at high fire.

Accumulations of soot or scale on the heat exchange surfaces of the boiler, however, act to impede heat transfer, thereby resulting in higher exit flue gas temperatures than normal. A thickness of 1/32” and 1/16” of soot on the fireside heat transfer surfaces, for example, will increase fuel costs 3% and 8%, respectively. Scale will increase fuel costs by 4% and 9% for the same deposit thicknesses on the boiler waterside. In addition to added fuel costs, these conditions left unchecked will lead to premature pressure vessel failure.

If we can be of service to you in determining optimal performance for your boiler, or you need a stack temperature gauge to monitor your boiler’s performance, please contact our Service Department.

Click here for the Cleaver-Brooks February 2011 Tip Sheet

Request for Literature

If you are located within our service area, please use our Information Request Form to request free technical literature. Please note that we cannot fulfill literature requests outside of our territory. If you are outside of our service area, please visit CBRA (Cleaver-Brooks Representative Association) to locate a representative near you.

The Boiler Care Handbook is designed as a guide to reinforce the most important aspects of your boiler manual. Use the handbook as a further aid to achieve the safest, most reliable, and efficient operation of your boiler. Although the firetube boiler is most often referred to in the handbook, many details given here apply to other types of boilers.

The Boiler Care Handbook is designed as a guide to reinforce the most important aspects of your boiler manual. Use the handbook as a further aid to achieve the safest, most reliable, and efficient operation of your boiler. Although the firetube boiler is most often referred to in the handbook, many details given here apply to other types of boilers.

The Boiler Emission Guide is an excellent resource for understanding both the regulations and the specific pollutants you need to guard against, and a variety of control techniques.

The Boiler Efficiency Guide is designed to clearly define boiler efficiency. It will also give you the background in efficiency needed to ask the key questions when evaluating efficiency data, and provide you with the tools necessary to accurately compare fuel usage of boiler products, specifically firetube type boilers.

A typical boiler will consume many times the initial capital expense in fuel usage annually. Consequently, a difference of just a few percentage points in boiler efficiency between units can translate into substantial savings.

The Boiler Room Guide is the foremost guide on all aspects of Cleaver-Brooks equipment. This guide covers a wide array of topics including Start-up, Operation, Shutting Down, and the basics of thermodynamics.

This guide is provided to assist supervisory, operations, and maintenance personnel in understanding the operation of boiler room to achieve safe and efficient operation of the equipment.