Duct

Ducts

Ducts are defined as airtight conduits that convey air or flue-gas under positive or
negative pressure. They may or may not be exposed to high temperatures. Ducts may be
circular or rectangular in cross section, or sometimes they may be very unusual in shape as
they transition into a piece of major equipment, such as a fan, precipitator or scrubber.

Usually there are two types of ductwork systems, which could exist, in a conventional
power plant or industrial boiler. The systems are called pressurized and balanced draft.

Pressurized System

Pressurized System, also called a forced draft system, has forced draft (FD) fans
upstream of the boiler, which force air through the entire combustion system and
eventually forces the resulting flue-gas out of the atmosphere through the stack.
Sometimes primary air fans are also in the system. Pressurized system results in positive
pressure in all of the ducts.

Balanced Draft System

Balanced drafts System, a combination of FD and ID fans are used. The FD fans are
located upstream of the boiler and the ID fans are located between the boiler and the
stack. , PA fans may also be present in a balanced draft system. A balanced draft system
results in positive pressure in the air gas ducts leading to the boiler and negative pressure
in the flue gas ducts between the boiler outlet and the ID fan inlet. The ductwork from
the ID fan outlet to the stack is usually under a relatively small positive pressure.

Bypass Duct
Bypass ducts, in any ductwork system there also may be various bypass ducts. Bypass
ducts are used when the operators of the installation wish to, or must, shut off a major
piece of equipment, such as an air preheater or a flue gas desulfurization scrubber, on one
or both sides of the unit. Bypass ducts are also used for reheat or tempering. In all of
these cases, the operator is required to open and close various dampers to send the air or
flue gas through the bypass duct.

Hot Side Duct

Ducts or flues that convey the flue-gas from the boiler outlet or the economizer to the air
preheater inlet are typically called “hot side” ducts, just as precipitators that are located
between the boiler outlet and the air preheater inlet are called “hot side” precipitators.
This definition arose because these ducts are on the hot side of the air preheater. The
flue-gas temperatures in hot side ducts are typically between 450 F and 900 F (230 C and
480 C).

Cold Side Duct

Ducts or flues that convey the flue-gas from the air preheater outlet through various
pieces of major equipment to the stack or chimney are typically called “cold side” ducts,
just as precipitators that are located downstream of the air preheater inlet are called
“cold side” precipitators. These flue-gas ducts are on the relative cold side of the air
preheater. The flue-gas temperatures in cold side ducts are typically between 250 F and
425 F (120 C and 220 C).

The allowable velocity of flue gas duct = 14 to 16 m/s

The allowable velocity of air duct = 10 to 12 m/s

Dampers

Dampers are an essential part of most duct system, since they control the flow of air or
flue-gas through the ducts. Most dampers function as shut-off dampers and, in any given
operating scenario, are either fully open or fully closed. Some dampers, however are
installed to modulate the gas flow and therefore function in various partially open
positions.These are four types of dampers are generally used in ducts

1. Guillotine damper

2. Louver damper

3. Butterfly damper

4. Poppet damper