Energy Audit on Ships: Audit of Marine

Boiler
In continuation with the last article on energy audit on ships, we discuss the energy
audit of the ships boiler. One of the major and important machinery on the ship, a
marine boiler comes under special emphasis in an energy audit due to many well
marked and potential energy saving areas.

A well maintained boiler is not only safe but is also fuel efficient.

Basic Steps of Boiler Audit

As discussed earlier, the steps involved in an energy audit are data collection, data
analysis and making report.

Data Collection: Finding how the ship uses steam, costs of fuel consumed per
day and issues by reducing steam consumption for utilities. For example
reduction of domestic hot water temperature or reduction of accommodation
heating etc.
Data Analysis: Identifying measures that would lead to energy conservation.
These include measures with no investment, with medium investment and with
large investment.
Audit Report: The report has to be presented to the owners with the economic
viability to enable making decision.

Instruments Required for Boiler Audit

In any energy audit the use of proper calibrated instruments is essential. The
instruments that are required to carry out an in depth boiler energy audits are as follows:

Portable Oscilloscope: Its an all in one tool. It is used for visual display and
interpretation of data, trend analysis, data logger, spectrum analyzer and
measuring capacitance, resistance, continuity, AC and DC voltage, power
measurement for single phase and three phase, total power, apparent power,
reactive power, power factor, frequency and current etc.
Infrared Remote Thermometer: It is used for temperature measurement and for
finding hot spots.
Tachometer: For speed measurement of motors and shafts as slippage of belts
and lowering of speeds can cause improper air fuel ratio.
Master Pressure and Temperature Calibrator: For calibrating the online
instruments and sensors in the boiler control panel.
 Infrared Camera: This camera can take infrared photographs thus indicating
trouble areas and hot spots.
Flue Gas Analyzer: For analyzing flue gas and measuring concentration of O2,
CO2, CO, NOx, and SOx etc.
Ultra Sonic Leak Detector: It is used for checking steam traps that are leaking
and pin-hole leakages of steam.
Other Instruments: The other instruments that are used are digital manometers,
calibrated pressure gauges, Multi meter, Clamp ammeter, Contact thermometer,
Non contact water flow meter, power analyzer etc.

Pre-audit Precautions
Before carrying out energy audit on the boiler some precautions must be taken to
ensure accuracy and reliability of measurement.

The boiler load should be kept constant during the audit.

No soot blowing should be done during the audit.
No blow down should be done during the audit.

Energy Conservation and Optimization opportunities

Depending on the layout of the ship, make of the boiler, the quality of maintenance and
the condition of the boiler there may be some ship specific problems and
recommendations; but in addition to these there are some common areas where
generally loss of heat occurs and there is scope of energy conservation

Excess air in combustion: Specified quantity of air is required as per

stoichiometric air fuel ratio for combustion. However as metering in inadequate
some extra air is always supplied to avoid incomplete combustion. Excess air
lowers efficiency because it does not take part in the combustion and takes
away the heat of the furnace.
Less air in combustion: If the air is less than the recommended stoichiometric
air fuel ratio, incomplete combustion will result. Carbon will not fully burn to
carbon-di-oxide but will partially burn to form carbon monoxide. This will cause
loss of energy.
 Maximum Waste Heat Recovery: The funnel stack temperature must be as low
as possible but with sufficient margin to be above the dew point to avoid sulphur
corrosion. Generally a funnel temperature of 165 to 195 deg C when using Fuel
Oil is considered optimum. In any case when the funnel (Exhaust Stack)
temperature is higher than 200 deg C, a more stringent waste heat recovery
program should be required.
Feed Water Preheating: If the funnel temperature is higher than 200 deg C it
can be utilized for feed water preheating, thus increasing the waste heat
recovery. It will increase the overall efficiency of the plant
Combustion Air Preheating: In case there is still a margin in funnel temperature
combustion air preheating may be considered.
Blow- Down Optimization: The blow down of the boiler is required for
controlling the amount of TDS in the boiler. Blow down must be calculated and
done after measuring the TDS amount. Some engineers merrily blow down the
boiler excessively without need even when the parameters are in control and it
results in loss of precious water and heat. Blow down must be done in response
to the conductivity and the pH.
In the next article we will look into the areas of energy conservation and optimization
opportunities and audit report.

References

Boiler Operations By M P Murgai and Ram Chandra

Training Manual for Energy Efficiency By Asian Productivity Organization, 2010
Presentation on Energy Audit in Thermal Power Stations by H.S.Bedi
Hand Book on Energy Audit and Environment Management by Y.P.Abbi and
Shashank Jain
Working manual on Energy Auditing in Industries By Asian Productivity
Organization

Practical Tips On Improving Boiler Efficiency for Professional Marine

Engineers
One of the important tasks of marine engineers on board ships is to ensure that all
the machinery systems are running efficiently. Each machinery in the engine room is
dependent on a variety of aspects, which decides its overall efficiency and performance.

Boiler is one such important machinery in the ships engine room that needs special
attention, considering the fact that it supports several other operations and machinery,
including the main engine. Maintaining and improving boiler efficiency requires taking
note of a number of factors.
Mentioned below are 6 important points that must be considered in order to improve
boiler efficiency.

1. Feed Water Temperature

To improve any systems efficiency, it is important to maintain the standard of all the
inputs of that system. In boiler system, it is the feed water which plays an important role
in deciding the overall efficiency. For this, the feed water temperature must be
maintained at approx. 80- 85 deg C to ensure boiler is operated at high efficiency. Any
reduction in the water temperature will lead to more time for heating up the water to
produce steam, more fuel consumption and decrease in the overall efficiency.

The hot well needs to be monitored for correct temperature and level. Any sudden fall in
the level of hot well means more addition of cold water to maintain the level, which
leads to reduction in the feed water temperature.

Pro-Tips:

Maintain Feed Water temp- 80 to 85 deg. C

Ensure hot well level controller is operating properly
Monitor feed water temperature through hot well

2. Supply of Air/Steam to Burner

Air/steam is required to ensure adequate fire is generated inside the furnace
through good combustion. It is therefore important to know the percentage of air/steam
for efficient combustion. For fuel oil fired marine boiler with register type burner, 15-20
% by weight of air is required for efficient combustion.

Controlling excess air within the required range will lead to decrease in the flue gas
losses. Every 1% reduction in the excess air supplied to the furnace results in approx
0.6% increase in the boiler overall efficiency.

Pro-Tips:

Excess Air/steam to be reduced or avoided

Know the stoihiometric air fuel ratio for your boiler under its current rating
Keep a check on the content of combustion gases using flue gas analyzer to
adjust the air fuel ratio accordingly
3. Structural Importance
The boiler is a high pressure vessel generating high temperature steam for various
purposes. The outer shell or structure is an important part which not only contains the
pressure but keeps the temperature of the flue gas intact inside the boiler for better heat
exchanging ability.

Things to Check:

Leakage from the boiler shell must also be checked. This occurs mainly due to
deformation or bulging of shell leading to cracks and leakage.
The insulation of the boiler must be checked for any damage or leakage.
The refractory should be checked at least once in a month for their condition. Any
damage in the refractory will lead to localized heating of the shell and damage
to the same.

Pro-Tips:

Check refractory and replace the damage refractory as soon as possible

Check for any black spots in the outer plates of the boiler. This indicates the
boiler shell has cracks and it is leaking
Ensure insulation of the shell is properly maintained to minimise the heat loss
and to maintain the boiler efficiency

4. Blow Down Control

It is normally observed that boiler blow down is not performed regularly by operators.
Blow down is only performed when the water test results are high in chloride or when
high conductivity alarm occurs. This leads to uncontrolled continuous blowdown which
is actually waste of boiler heat and efficiency. This reduces prominent amount of high
temperature water inside the boiler and addition of moderate temperature water from
hot well.
The boiler burner will now fire for longer period to maintain the steam pressure hence
fuel combustion will increase reducing the efficiency. It is recommended to perform
regular blowdowns for short period which not only maintains the chloride level but also
reduces the thermal stresses within the boiler.

Pro Tips:

Avoid continuous long blowdown

Regular short blowdown are recommended
Keep a regular check on boiler water chloride content

5. Boiler Loading
Ships provided with more that one boiler or steam generators must ensure that the load
of the boiler is neither too low nor too high. The best operating range to get the
maximum boiler efficiency is 2/3rd of the boiler full load. If the boiler is operated below
50% load, more air is required to burn the fuel which increases the sensible heat loss. It
is always better to run less number of boiler at high load than more number at low load.

Pro Tips:

Highest efficiency of boiler can be achieved at 2/3rd of the full load

Avoid running the boiler at below 25% load as the efficiency reduces significantly
below this load

6. Soot deposits
The oil fired boilers are prone to soot deposits in the tube and internal boiler surface
which reduces the heat transfer rate. An elevated tube stack temperature is indication of
increased soot deposits over the tube. An estimated 1 percent efficiency loss occurs
with every 22 deg C increase in stack temperature and 3 mm of soot can cause an
increase in fuel consumption by 2.5 percent due to increased flue gas temperatures. A
regular cleaning of boiler and economiser tubes must therefore be performed. Record
and observe the stack temperature for indication of soot deposits.

Pro tips:
 Recommended to install a dial type thermometer at the base of the stack to
monitor the exhaust flue gas temperature
When the flue gas temperature rises to about 20 oC above the temperature for a
newly cleaned boiler, it is time to remove the soot deposits

Accidents at Sea: Steam Leak Causes Death

Burns and injury caused by steam are known to be more severe than those caused by
hot water. Accidents on ships because of steam leakage are very common. However,
when such incidents lead to death, its a matter of great concern.

In this article, we have described a real life accident wherein one seafarer lost his life
because of steam leakage and other was severely hurt.

Incident

The incident took place on a cargo ship where economizer and auxiliary boiler were two
separate units. One of the flanges in the line from boiler to economizer was leaking
because of a broken gasket. This was noticed just before the ships arrival at the port.

When the ship was berthed, the boiler was stopped and job of changing the leaky
gasket was assigned to ships 3rd engineer and fitter.

The leaky flange was at a higher level and thus a platform was rigged to reach the
flange and carry out the necessary work. In the meantime, the circulating valve on the
boiler for the economizer was found leaking which lead the boiler pressure drop to 0.5
bars.

The fitter wore a helmet, safety shoes, and a safety belt. The belts safety line was tied
to a nearby bracket. Both 3rdengineer and fitter were on the platform to change the
defective flange.

Unfortunately, while changing the flange, all of a sudden a mixture of hot water and
steam started leaking through the flange. The steam jet of hot water/ steam hit the fitter
on chest and stomach.

The 3rd engineer managed to move away from the jet of hot water and steam; however,
the fitter was not able to move quickly as he had buckled the belt to a bracket. By the
time he could unbuckle the belt, it was already too late and the damage had been done.

Later the leakage was stopped, and the fitter was brought down. The fitter was severely
burnt and in a state of shock. His boiler suit was badly stuck to his body because of
severe skin burns. The 3rd engineer also got burns on one of his leg and arms. Both
were taken to a hospital ashore.

It was later revealed that the fitters lungs and kidney were severely affected because of
the steam burns. The fitter died after 3 months. The 3rd engineer was also badly affected
and had to stay in the hospital for around 3-4 months. Fortunately, the 3rd engineer
survived.

Conclusion

This is an extremely unfortunate accident which could have been averted if proper precautions
had been taken before opening the flange. Dealing with steam on board ship is a dangerous
task, and seafarers must take all the necessary measures that are required before getting
involved with such work

Choosing A Marine Boiler While Designing A Ship

Marine boilers used in ships today are mostly for auxiliary purposes in vessels that run
on marine diesel engines or diesel electric propulsion. In case of ships using steam
turbines (mostly found in high speed vessels used by navies), boilers are a part of the
main propulsion system. However, in this article, we will focus on auxiliary boilers, i.e.
boilers used for running auxiliary systems in a ship.

To look at this from a ship designers point of view, he/she should be able to choose the
right kind of boiler for a particular ship depending on the requirement for that particular
project. The process is pretty much an application of first principles, but in a somewhat
different way.

To rate a boiler, one first needs to correctly estimate the steam output required from a
boiler for the ship being designed. For this, the three main requirements are:

Requirement 1 Steam consumption required to compensate heat losses in tanks.

Requirement 2 Steam consumption required to raise the temperature of fuel oil in

tanks.

Requirement 3 Steam consumption required for other services.

We will discuss each of the requirements, and once done, we will see how the obtained
data is used to estimate the capacity of the boiler.

Requirement 1- Steam consumption required to compensate heat losses in tanks:

Most ships run by diesel engines have fuel oil tanks that are used to store Heavy Fuel
Oil (HFO). Since the viscosity of HFO is very high, stored HFO is almost as dense as
tar, and its high viscosity makes it unable to flow. But in order to transfer the stored HFO
to the settling tanks and then the HFO service tank, the viscosity needs to be
maintained at a level corresponding to which easy flow is possible. For this, HFO
storage tanks are equipped with heating coils to maintain the fuel at a certain
temperature. The heating fluid in the heating coils is steam that is produced in the
auxiliary boiler.

First, each HFO storage tank is located in the general arrangement drawing, and the
surrounding space adjacent to each tank bulkhead is noted. Depending on the
surrounding of each tank bulkhead (Engine Room, Void, Ballast Water Tank, Sludge
Tank, etc.) the ambient temperature is fixed for heat transfer through each bulkhead of
the tank in analysis.

The amount of steam flow rate required to maintain the temperature of fuel in each such
tank is calculated using the following steps:

Heat loss from tank bulkhead

Q1 = U A (T2 T1)

Where

Qb = heat loss from bulkhead (W)

U = overall heat transfer co-efficient (W/m2 0C)

A = Area of tank bulkhead under consideration (m2)

T2 = Temperature of the tank to be maintained (0C)

T1 = Temperature of the adjacent medium of the bulkhead considered ( 0C)

Heat loss from tank Qt = Sum of heat loss from all the six bulkheads of the tank

Q1 = sum of heat loss from all the tanks

As we know the heat transfer rate, the mass flow rate of steam can be calculated
using the following formula :

ms = Q1 / h

Where,

ms = mass flow rate of steam (kg/s)

Q1 = calculated heat transfer (kW)

h = enthalpy drop of the steam (kJ/kg)

Requirement 2- Steam consumption required to raise the temperature of fuel oil in

tanks:

Not only is steam required to compensate the heat losses from fuel oil tanks, but steam
is also used to heat the fuel oil to required temperature before being used in the engine.

For this, the time (t) in hours, required to heat up the oil in each type of tank is generally
considered as follows:

T/t

For Storage Tank 0.2 DEG C/HR RISE IN TEMP.

Service and Settling tank 4 DEG C/HR RISE IN TEMP.
All other Tanks 1 DEG C/HR RISE IN TEMP.

This calculation includes two steps:

 Calculation of heat (Q in watts) required to heat contents of each tank, and
summation of all the individual heat requirements to obtain total heat transfer
required to raise the temperature of fuel oil in tanks (Q2)
Utilising the above obtained heat requirement to find the required mass flow rate
of steam for this purpose.

A sample of this calculation is shown below:

The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of fuel oil tanks can be expressed
as:

Q2 = m Cp dT / t

Where Q2 = mean heat transfer rate (kW)

m = mass of fuel oil in the tank (kg)

Cp = specific heat capacity of the fuel oil (kJ/kg oC)

dT = Change in temperature of the fuel oil (oC)

t = total time over which the heating process occurs (hours)

As we know the heat transfer rate, the mass flow rate of steam can be calculated using
the following formula :

ms = Q2 / h

Where ms = mass flow rate of steam (kg/hr)

Q2 = calculated heat required to raise the temperature (kW)

h = enthalpy drop of the steam (kJ/kg)

Requirement 3- Steam consumption required for other services:

Steam is also used in ships to cater to other heating requirements, some of which are
listed below:
 Used as a heat exchange medium in Heavy Fuel Oil purifiers, Light Diesel Oil
purifiers, and Lube Oil purifiers.
Steam used as a heating medium in booster modules.
To pre-heat main engine jacket cooling water.
Used as a heating medium in calorifiers (calorifiers are high pressure storage
units of heated water, which is used in gantry and toilet utilities).

Heat requirement by all such services are calculated individually and added. The
obtained heat requirement is termed as Q3 (for the purpose of this article only).

Once the heat requirements for the three purposes (mentioned above) are obtained,
they are added to obtain the Total Heat Rate and Total Steam Mass Flow Rate
Required for the boiler:

Total Heat Rate Required (Q) = Q1 + Q2 + Q3 (kW)

Total Mass Flow Rate Required is calculated from the relation: mS = Q / h (kg/hr)

Where, h = enthalpy drop of the steam (kJ/kg)

Now, there are two rating systems to obtain a suitable boiler:

From and At Rating:

In the above graph, the vertical axis corresponds to the steam output as a percentage of
the from and at rating, at different pressures. That is, for example:

At 15 bar,

If feed water temperature is 68 degree Celsius,

Then the percentage from and at rating from the graph is 90%

So if a boiler has a rated steam output of 2000 kg/hr, the actual steam output of the
boiler will be 90% of the rated output, which is 1800 kg/hr.

Now, when a designer chooses a boiler, he/she needs to specify the rated steam output
to the boiler manufacturer. The boiler manufacturer, along with the boiler, provides the
boiler from and at rating graph for the proposed boiler, and the above calculation is
carried out for various boiler pressures and feed water temperatures, to check that
the actual steam output is more than the steam flow rate (mS) obtained in the initial
design calculations that we have previously discussed.

Kilowatt Rating:

While some boiler manufacturers prefer from and at ratings, some others prefer another
system called the Kilowatt rating system, which is however just a different way of
expressing the same data.

In order to obtain the Actual Steam Flowrate from the kW rating of a boiler, the following
relation is used:

In the above expression, the energy to be added refers to the amount of energy added
to the boiler by the feed water (which in turn depends on the feed water temperature).

The designer should make sure that the steam output obtained above is more than
the steam flow rate (mS) obtained in the initial design calculations that we have
previously discussed.

The above checks are to carried out at various working pressures of the boiler, and
different ranges of feed water temperature, depending on the steam requirement at
various sailing conditions. It is to be ensured that the chosen boiler meets the
requirements in all such conditions, at different load combinations.

The type of boiler to be used in the ship is also to be chosen by the designer based on
the following criteria:

Functionality of the boiler.

Space Constraints.

For most auxiliary boilers, shell and tube boilers are used, where the boiler drum holds
the water reserve, and fire tubes run along the length of the drum. The hot gases
produced by the burner are carried in the fire tubes that provide more surface area for
heat transfer to the water. In most cases, the auxiliary boilers are horizontally oriented in
case there are no space constraints, as they prevent pressure fluctuations which is
more in case of vertically oriented boilers.

However, for exhaust gas economisers or exhaust gas boilers (These are boilers that
do not have a furnace. They are also fire tube boilers, where exhaust gases from the
engine are passed through the fire tubes to heat the water in the boiler drum.) vertical
configurations are preferable, as it provides less back pressure on the exhaust gas
system. Exhaust gas boilers are used when the vessel is on voyage, and when in port,
the auxiliary boiler is used.