Section 7

The Steam Supply System

7-1 Saturated Steam Moisture Elimination

In Section 2 the water circulation of watertube boilers was explained. The steam that is
collected in the steam drum contains some droplets of boiler water that must be removed before
the steam is delivered from the drum. Figure 7-1 demonstrates in a general way how the water
and steam are separated.
As the steam-water mixture rises to the drum, internal baffles separate this mixture from
the water that goes on to recirculate through the downcomer tubes. The steam is liberated from
the mixture and collects in the upper part of the drum. Before passing out of the drum, the
steam passes through mechanical separation devices. These scrubbers or separators,
which may be of many different designs, return the moisture droplets to the water in the drum
and allow dry steam to pass out of the drum.
The most sophisticated of these separators uses a centrifugal action that whirls the mixture
with the steam emitted from the center and the heavier water from the outside. When very dry
steam is required, many of these devices will be found inside the drum along with simpler
scrubber equipment. While it is not evident from the outside, the inside of the drum is often
filled with such devices. A typical arrangement is shown in Figure 7-2.
After passing through the scrubbing devices for eliminating moisture droplets, the steam
leaves the drum. If the boiler has no superheater, the steam flows to a distribution header. All
boilers feeding such a header must have a non-return valve at the boiler outlet. If the boiler
has an integral superheater, the steam will pass through the superheater before it leaves the
boiler.

Saturated steam

m Steam scrubber

Water-mixed steam bubbles

Figure 7-1 Boiler Steam Drum
88 The Control of Boilers

Primary Screens

Normal Wilter Level

--

Figure 7-2 Steam Drum lnternals

(From Fossil Power Systems, 0 Combustion Engineering Co., Inc., 1981)

Note that Figure 7-2 shows longitudinal piping for feedwater and continuous blowdown.
The feedwater and continuous blowdown piping usually enter the boiler drum at one end.
Perforations in this piping distributes these flows longitudinally.

7-2 Steam Supply Systems

A generic steam supply system is shown in the diagram in Figure 7-3. This diagram shows
two saturated steam boilers connected to a steam header. The normal measurement points of
The Steam Supply System 89

Boiler
steam flow

Plant
*--Steam
steam header
to

valve @
Boiler
steam flow

Boiler no. 2

Figure 7-3 Steam Header for Multiple Boilers

a flow nozzle or orifice plate for measuring steam flow and a cohnection for steam pressure
measurement are shown. If these were superheated steam boilers, a steam temperature mea-
surement would also be shown. At the outlet of each boiler is a non-return valve that prevents
steam from the header from entering the boiler. The steam header is the collecting point for
the steam from more than one boiler and the location from which the steam is distributed to
the steam users. While two boilers are shown here, there could bf multiple boilers operating
at the same pressure and feeding steam to the same header.
The pressure in the steam header is also normally measured. On the outlet side of the
steam header, the steam may travel through many steam lines in its transit to the users of the
steam. The basic need of the steam user is for heat energy. Steam is a convenient carrier of
that energy. When the header, the boiler steam leads, and all the steam lines are pressured to
the normal operation pressure, a certain quantity of steam and, therefore, heat energy is stored
in that system.

7-3 Heat Energy and Water Storage

Figure 7-4 is a diagram somewhat typical of the heat energy storage in the boiler. Heat
energy is stored in the water, steam, metal, refractory material, and insulation material of the
boiler. When the boiler is at normal pressure and corresponding temperature but with no steam
90 The Control of Boilers

/
f / /
s

0'
0
\ 50
I
\ \
Storage in boiler water

\ I
100
Percent boiler rating

Figure 7-4 Characteristics of Boiler Energy Storage

output, the diagram shows that a large percentage of the heat energy storage at maximum
boiler load already exists.
The boiler steam space is filled with steam, which represents heat energy storage in the
steam. In this case there are no steam bubbles underneath the surface of the boiler water since
no new steam is being produced. Heat energy is also stored in the boiler water. Since there
are no steam bubbles, the entire water space below the normal level in the boiler drum is water
at saturation pressure and temperature. At this time the boiler is also losing heat by radiation.
As additional fuel and air are burned, the boiler steam output may be increased to 100
percent or more of its rated value. Note that as firing rate increases, the heat energy storage
in metal, refractory, etc., increases due to the higher operating temperature of these parts. The
steam space of the boiler is increased due to the steam bubbles below the steam drum water
surface, and this increases the energy storage in the boiler steam. The steam bubbles subtract
from the water volume, and this subtracts from the boiler water energy storage as boiler steam
flow is increased. Another aspect of the reduction in boiler water volume is that the mass of
water in the boiler is less at higher boiler steam flow rates. This is an important factor in the
proper control of boiler feedwater.
The energy storage in the boiler acts the same as a flywheel, which is also an energy storage
device. Table 7-1 can be used for demonstration.

Table 7-1
Energy Storage Relationships
Steam at 200 psig 1198.3 Btu/lb
Water at 200 psig sat. 355.5 Btu/lb
Latent heat of cvap. 842.8 Btu/lb
Water at 180 psig sat. 346.2 Btu/lb
Heat released by dropping 9.3 Btuilb
pressure (200 to 180 psig)
The Strum Supply System 91

As pressure is reduced, the water cannot exist at 355.5 Btu/lb. It immediately releases 9.3
Btu/lb, thus cooling the water to the saturation temperature for 180 psig. The heat released
causes an immediate generation of steam that carries a corresponding amount of heat. In this
way heat is released from storage as the pressure drops and must be replaced in storage as the
pressure increases.
Assume that the boiler contains 50,000 Ibs of water and that the pressure drop above occurs
in 10 seconds. The Btu in the water that becomes steam is 9.3 * 50,000 or 450,000 Btu. This
is the Btu value of approximately 450 Ibs of steam. Since this change occurs in ten seconds,
the hourly rate of steam flow change is 450 * 3600/10 or 162,000 Ibs per hour. On an increasc
in capacity. this increase, which is due to the withdrawal of energy from storage, temporarily
helps to maintain pressure while the boiler control system is acting to increase fuel and air.
There are slight delays in the actions of the control equipment. If the boiler steaming rate
were 160,000 Ibs per hour, then the steaming rate demand could be doubled in 10 seconds
with no increase in fuel and combustion air. The drop in steam pressure would be less than
20 psi since the steam volume and boiler parts would also give up energy.
When increasing or decreasing load, the amount of energy in storage must change. Over-
firing and under-firing on a load change restores borrowed energy and readjusts energy storage
to the proper level for the new load.
If a boiler is not equipped with a superheater, the steam output is saturated steam. The
superheater is a secondary heat exchanger that accepts saturated steam from the boiler and,
by extracting heat from the flue gases, is able to add more sensible heat to the steam. A
superheater alters the control characteristics of a boiler operating at a given pressure. By
changing the specific volume of the output steam. the steam storage in Ibs in a particular steam
system is less while the energy storage per Ib increases. The change in the effect on steam
pressure is related to the change in specific volume.