Document LJNR6K8z072p32oZLxOb8wBM3

Castleman File: American Petroleum Institute w/c = with cover letter or memo If DATE = 0, undated CD-ROM Document #:API Q 0 DATE fc/tn published article from trade journal published advertisements newspaper article published government report government inspection results unpublished or internal report unpublished presentation from conference letter memorandum industry warning labels industry sales literature industry recommended practices meeting minutes (with attachments) membership list BC notes Modern Boiler, Tank recording flue gas C02 analyzers and by constant check of weighed fuel con sumption. Even at minimum demand, and Line Insulation A correct feeding control yields 13 per cent C02 Stack losses are further minimixed by recovering fly ash from the rear exhaust and recirculating it through Brief sketch of operating conditions at Salisbury Axle Plant at Ft, Wayne . . . Insulation techniques in covering entire distribu tion line . . . Advantages of applying insulation in sections . . . the air blast system. Maintenance and operational uniformity are further con- trolled by water walls in the sides and rear of the boilers. f I j j Insulation of deaerator, cold water make-up tank and circulating and process pumps . . . Effectiveness of insulation under test The plant not only encloses the boilers, water feeders, deaerators and pumps but also the electric power con- ; j 1 trols and compressors for supplying j compressed air to the various depart- j CORRECTABLE defects in the steam Before describing insulation tech system are frequently potent, niques, let us review the plant layout though silent, money wasters. Few inand determine those elements of the dustrial processes are as universally system where heat-loss-control is vital. important as the generation and distri The power plant is housed in a sepa bution of steam for heat and power, and rate building located conveniently to in most plants the generation of steam serve future plant additions. Isolation and the maintenance of the boilers, of the power plant avoids dispersion lines and auxiliary equipment consti of related equipment among production tutes an outstanding item in overhead tools--and, by avoiding the cramped costs. quarters of production areas, reduces In recent years the realization has grown that very important fuel econo mies result through the application of good insulation. The need for fuel con servation during the war served to ac celerate the insulation of heated sur the number of people involved in opera tion and maintenance. With the present arrangement four men are adequate to operate and service all power equip ment. Fnel Delivery faces. All new plants, planned or erected during the war included carefully de tailed plans for heat and power genera tion and distribution in completely protected lines from carefully insulated boilers. A rail spur is available lor fuel de livery and ash removal. Fuel consists of Indiana coal which is removed from rail cars with automatic machinery and stored in a silo type storage supply tower. Provision is made for freeing The Salisbury Axle Division of the frozen coal by means of heaters at the Spicer Manufacturing Co. erected a new unloading point which free a dozen car plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana, which section in 20 minutes or less. was placed in operation early in 1946. The coal is delivered by chute from The boiler room is a model of efficient the silo to weigh larry distribution layout and detailed planning. The dis buckets which are suspended from a tribution system exemplifies the latest monorail in front of the three furnaces. principles. No heated surface has been Weighed charges are placed in the hop overlooked. All were insulated with pers which feed twin automatic spreader semi-rigid mineral wool pipe forms and stokers in each unit. The performance surface blocks. of each boiler is continually checked by ments. The power building consists of two main rooms. The larger one contains three 224 hp two drum, bent tube boilers installed by Combustion Engineering Co. Each unit is designed for continuous operation at 15,000 lb per hour of steam at 330 F and 140 psi. The production sections in operation at present require 30,000 lb per hour in the winter but use only 5,000 lb of steam for process loads, when heating is no longer required. When the final section of the plant, now in construc tion, is placed in operation, the total capacity of the three boilers will be re quired in extreme weather. The steam is piped from each boiler to a collector and distributor manifold located on the balcony of the second room in the power building. All con trol valves for the main lines, to and from the furnaces, are conveniently grouped where they are easily accessible. By generating the steam at 140 lb the size of the pipes, manifolds and valves is reduced--and, of course, the amount of insulation required for control is similarly minimized. ' Having briefly reviewed the plant in general, let us now pick up the insula tion topic. In addition to line insula tion, the feed water pumps (American Marsh Duplex), the deaerator (30,000 lb per hr, Cochrane Corp.), the 8,361 | } j j ; j j t j Fig. 1. These pipes carry condensate to the heat exchanger and go on to a hot water supply tank. Pipes and flanges are insulated with 1 in. formed mineral wool. Flange insulation is cut and notched to fit. Flanges and pipes have a protective cement coat and a hard and identifying coating of paint Fig. 2. 30,000 ib per hr feedwater heater and deaerator are insulated with 1 in. mineral wool blocks cemented and banded into place. Blocks are covered with canvas, coated with two layers of sealing compound and finally painted. 8,361 gal capacity tank at right is for chemical treatment of incoming water 84 Fig. 3. This 2,000 gal cold water tank is used (or well supply storage. It is insulated to prevent sweating, incoming water being considerably less than room temperature. Insulation is i in. mineral woof blocks, cement, and paint. Fig. 4--right. This 500 gal tank contains hot water at 180 F and is also insulated with 1 in. mineral wool blocks, covered with cement and paint gal deaerated storage tank, and feed water heaters (Swartwout single ele ment) are insulated. Insulation Techniques The entire distribution line, including all valves, pressure reducers and mani folds is insulated with 1 in. of formed, semi-rigid mineral wool pipe insulation. Application of this type of insulating material is very simple. The pre formed pipe insulation is merely ce mented and banded in place and covered with heavy canvas duck. The irregular surfaces of valves and manifolds are quickly fitted by notching and sawing the easily worked mineral wool to con form to each contour. The cemented insulation is banded on 12 in. centers with steel straps, covered with duck, banded again, where necessary, and the entire outer surface is painted with sealing compound over which any type of decorative and protective coating can be brushed or sprayed. By applying the insulation in sections, maintenance and repairs which inevita- Fig. 5. 12 in. diameter steam collector manifold and supply control valves arc insulated with I in. mineral wool board insulation covered with 2 layers of canvas and a coating of paint Fig. 6. Steam collection drum is insulated with 2 in. board insulation which is canvas covered, cement sealed, and painted. Steam la at 140 tb and 330 F. Mains are insulated with' 1 in. formed pipe insulation and covered in the same manner as the drum insulation. Fig. 7---right, water at 180 F and b also insulated with 1 in. mineral wool blocks, covered with cement and paint rbiy must be done on high pressure steam lines, are simplified. Removal of sections does not impair the insulating value of adjacent sections, and the high mechanical strength of mineral wool pipe insulation eliminated the wasteful powdering, sifting, settling and such de fects frequently encountered in other rigid pipe insulation. The deaerator is insulated with 1 in. semi-rigid mineral wool blocks, ce mented and banded into place, covered with canvas and coated with two layers of sealing compound and two coats of paint. The deaerator water storage tank is similarly insulated to minimize heat loss in the supply system, as well as to reduce radiation into the work room. A cold water make up tank is also insu lated with blocks to prevent sweating. All circulating and process pumps and lines are insulated with l'/i in. of formed mineral wool. The insulation is so effective that not only is it true that no line is more than moderately warm, running, by test, under 95 F surface tempera ture, but heat loss is so slight that comfortable working conditions pre vail even on the working platforms located between and above the three boilers. No perceptible temperature increase prevails between the floor and the balcony. The 32 foot ceiling clearance minimizes solar radiation through the roof. The distribution lines are carried from the balcony level in the power building, directly over the rail spur into the ceiling level of the production floor. Strategically located pressure reducers provide steam at 35 or 40 psi pressure for heating and most process purposes. However, the 140 psi lines allow for the use of dry steam whenever it is needed, without the necessity for control equip ment. Condensate Collection . A centrally located condensate col lecting system, operating in conjunction with a large heat exchanger unit, per forms a multiple function. The heat exchanger is used to heat the hot water for office temperature control, and for wash water purposes. The decision to use hot water heating in the office build ing was based on the more readily con trolled temperatures which result from the use of hot water, rather than steam. However, it also provided a means of recovering residual heat in end line steam, while at the same time control ling the operation of the condensate recovery tanks. Condensate is returned to the power building by pumps located near the heat exchanger system. The feedwater for the boilers con sists largely of returned condensate. Necessary makeup is added directly from the city mains into the deaerated water storage tank. Daily analyses are made by the plant, chemist to insure the correct operation of the water treat ing system and prevent corrosive scale forming conditions occurring in the internal water of the boilers. A. D. Connelly, Plant Engineer for the Salisbury Axle Company and E. H. Roper of A. Bentley and Sons Co., To ledo, were jointly responsible for the exceptional layout which exists there. The performance of the equipment, in the brief time it has been in service, has been almost completely free of leaks or other defects. No indications of scale formation have occurred in the boilers. No insulation breakdown has occurred. No conditions of cracking, sagging, powdering or other mechanical failures in the insulation has been encountered. The continuing fine appearance of the system is partly attributable to the mechanical strength of the mineral wool insulation. The Corliss Engine that was Bushed Here is a sad tale of the Corliss engine that was kept away from civilization too long . . . Use of the indicator as a cureall is deplored by the author . . . Pieces cut off each dashpot rod adjusting screw to give the steam valves as much lap as possible . . . After all was running smoothly the important adjustment measurements were punch marked on the engine By WILLIAM S. WHITE AWAY UP HERE in Alberta, west of the highway running north and then decided that what was needed was an indicator to really achieve something. south between the cities of Calgary andSo, as one of those old fashioned engi Edmonton, and about 65 miles south neers who apparently was the only one west of Edmonton is a large section of in Alberta to have such an instrument, country which is in the process of being my services were enlisted, and I finally logged off for the making of lumber. became bushed for seven days, away Clearing of land and farming has fol from any tools or equipment, except for lowed the sawmills. When one leaves a few small tools 1 took with me. I had the settled fanning parts, he rapidly been told, that it was only necessary to becomes what is called "bushed" and indicate and adjust the valves as a final lost among the tall timber. setting. From these parts, a great many pa Great faith seemed to have been tients are sent to mental institutions, built up in the indicator as a cure-all and it is a common expression if one although it should have been obvious displays any eccentricities, to say he has that as the engine had not been used been "bushed." Perhaps, then, one for many years, and then left standing, should not be amazed at the lack of it needed a complete overhaul. forethought displayed by those who After arriving at the mill we got manage and control sawmills, which steam up on the boiler and made an from time to time are removed and attempt to get some indicator diagrams. carried further into the forest and bush But with the strange behavior of the as the trees are all cut down within exhaust it was evident that the valve reasonable range of the mill. setting would have to be checked me A sawmill which had been carried back chanically, as the cards that were taken into fresh timber about 65 miles from were simply oblong squares. The dash- the nearest telephone, and 200 miles pots worked very erratically. In check from the nearest machine shop, had ac ing the valve setting, it was found that quired a 16 in. by 30 in. double eccen the stefun valves had very little lap tric Corliss, purchased very much second with the dashpot closed, and exhaust hand. Without having the engine exam valves were late. These were set too ined or tested they had taken it to the close at 2 in. from the end of the stroke. new site, put in a foundation and set it After the valve setting adjustments up, along with a 125 hp HRT boiler, were made the engine was started up which, strange to say, was very well in and immediately came up to speed until stalled and bricked in and in full accord the governor stopped the valves from ance with requirements of the Boilers lifting together. The engine continued 1 Act of the Province. And as. far as the to increase in speed, and it was neces foundation of the engine was concerned, sary to throttle her to where the hooks a very good job had been made of that, would occasionally lift the valves slight too. . ly. The cards taken by the indicator When the new boiler was eventually showed that steam was leaking badly steamed up, an attempt was made to through the steam valves, and in effect run the engine, and it was found that the the opening and closing of the exhaust steam pressure could not be held to run valves kept the engine running without the engine alone to say nothing of doing the steam valves opening at all. It was any sawing. It appears that various decided to give the steam valves as persons attempted to set the valves on much lap as reasonably possible when this engine, but with no success. It was in the closed position. 86 Seotember, 1947--POWER PLANT ENGINEERING--Chicago, III.