[ Reply | Next | Previous | Up ]
From: atc/nc cat
Category: Safety
Date: 09 Dec 2004
The fouling of the external tubes on the draft side occurs gradually. When was the last time you guys inspected the heater draft section? Do you have sootblowing system that you could be use when the unit is in operation? Do you have a Results Group that monitors the rise in delta P who could predict when to shutdown the unit to do mechanical cleaning or clearing periodically? Normally, if steam or hot air soot blowers are part of the system you can monitor the change in delta P before & after sootblower. Accumulation of soot or other type of deposits/ obstructions that is permanently affecting your draft system performance and heat exchange that were not solved by using on-line sootblowers could only be verified by actual inspection. This is the most accurate assessment that you could do at this time.