Boiler mountings and accessories in detail

The boiler is used in different industrial processes and heating applications. There are some essential devices installed on the boiler for its safety and control are called boiler mountings. Also, there some devices installed on the boiler for smooth and efficient operations are called boiler accessories. In this article, we are going to see boiler mountings and accessories in detail for your engineering examination.

Boiler Mountings

We can call boiler mountings are an integral part of the boiler. They are fitted on every boiler for its safety and control. Boiler mountings are necessary/compulsory as per government regulations.

We can classify boiler mountings for safety and control as follows-

Boiler Mountings for safety

For the safety of the boiler and its operators, the following devices installed on the boiler.

Water Level Indicator

Water level indicator is one of the most important boiler mountings. There are two water level indicators installed on the boiler. These are installed on the front side of the boiler. A water level indicator is used to measure the level of water in the boiler. It helps the boiler operator to feed more water in the boiler in case it reaches the minimum level of the water.

Safety Valves

Safety valves are provided on the top of the boiler. It helps the boiler from bursting due to excessive pressure created in the boiler. The main function of the Safety valves is to allow the steam to escape to the atmosphere if the pressure in the boiler exceeds the supported pressure level. There are four types of safety valves –

• Dead Weight Safety Valve
• Lever Safety Valve
• Spring Loaded Safety Valve
• High Steam and Low Water Safety Valve

The function and working of these safety valves are different and they are used in various types of boiler applications.

Fusible Plug

The function of this mounting of the boiler is to extinguish the fire when the water level in the boiler falls below the minimum level which is already decided. A fusible plug is made from the metal of a low melting point. Once the water level drops to the minimum level, the fusible plug melts due to the high temperature of the steam. It allows steam to rush to the furnace and start the fire.

Boiler Mountings for Control

For the safety of the boiler, the following devices installed on the boiler.

Pressure Guage

The pressure gauge is used to measure or record the pressure of the steam in the boiler. It is fitted on the front side of the boiler which makes it for the boiler operator to measure the steam pressure and save it to the record.

There are many pressure gauges are being used in the industry. But the most common pressure gauges used for boiler mountings is the Bourdon pressure gauge.

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Junction Valve and Stop Valve

Junction valve helps to regulate the steam supply from boiler to steam pipe. The stop valve helps to regulate the steam supply from steam pipe to prime mover or steam engine. These valves are commonly placed near the prime mover.

Feed Check Valve

The feed check valve is a one-directional valve that prevents the backflow of the water from the boiler in case the feed pump is not working or failed due to some reason. This valve is fitted in the water feed pipe of the boiler. It is one of the important boiler mountings.

Manhole

The elliptical shape hole is provided on the boiler so that man can enter into the boiler for its maintenance, repair, or inspection. The size of the manhole is big enough to fit the man.

Blow-off Cock

Blow-off cock is fitted on the boiler at the bottom space. It is used to remove the sediments and mud from the boiler while it is in operation. It is also used to remove the water from the boiler, in case you have to do an inspection, maintenance, or repair of the boiler.

Boiler Accessories

Boiler accessories are used for smooth and efficient boiler operations. So, they are not compulsory or regulated by any government body. The list of boiler accessories in detail is given below-

Differnt Boiler Accessories

Water Heating Devices

These devices are used to heat the water before entering the boiler. It is usually heated by the steam from the turbine or from the exhaust steam. It increases the thermal efficiency of the whole boiler plant.

Water Feeding Devices

These devices are used to supply water to the boiler while it is in operation. It uses the reciprocating type or centrifugal type feed pumps to feed the water.

Superheaters

The superheater is used to increase the temperature of the steam above its saturation temperature. It is a heat transfer device that uses a set of pipes to transfer the heat. The most common superheater is Surgden’s superheater.

Economiser

An economiser is also a heat transfer device used to heat the feed water using hot flue gases before they leave the chimney. It helps to increase the efficiency of the whole boiler plant.

Air Preheater

Air preheater uses the waste heat of the flue gases from the economiser to heat the fresh air to be supplied to the boiler for steam generation. Air Preheater increases the combustion efficiency of the plant.

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In this article, we have seen the different boiler mounting and boiler accessories in detail. If you have any queries regarding this article, feel free to post in the comment box. We will try to solve them as soon as possible.