A sootblower is a device for removing the

soot Soot ( ) is a mass of impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. It is more properly restricted to the product of the gas-phase combustion process but is commonly extended to include the residual pyrolysed ...

that is deposited on the internal furnace tubes of a

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central h ...

during

combustion Combustion, or burning, is a high-temperature exothermic redox chemical reaction between a fuel (the reductant) and an oxidant, usually atmospheric oxygen, that produces oxidized, often gaseous products, in a mixture termed as smoke. Combusti ...

to prevent plugging of the gas passes and maintain boiler efficiency. Types of soot blowers: #Wall Blowers also known as IRs (Insertable Rotating) #Long Retractable Sootblower (LRSB) or IK (Insertable Kinetic) #Part-Retractable Sootblowers #Oscillating Sootblowers #Rake Sootblowers #Air Heater Blower #Rotating Element Sootblowers #Multi-Media Sootblowers #Fixed Rotating Steam blowing medium: *Steam *Air *High Pressure Water *Dual-media air heater

Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

is normally used as a medium for blowing away the soot since

capital cost Capital costs are fixed, one-time expenses incurred on the purchase of land, buildings, construction, and equipment used in the production of goods or in the rendering of services. In other words, it is the total cost needed to bring a project to a ...

of steam pressure reducing equipment and drain is less than the cost of

compressors A compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of a gas by reducing its volume. An air compressor is a specific type of gas compressor. Compressors are similar to pumps: both increase the pressure on a fluid and both can transp ...

, motors and control of air systems.

Benefits of Sootblowers

* Increased plant availability * Improved boiler and fired heater efficiency * Controlled deposit build-up * Reduced {{CO2 emissions * Steam savings * Optimised combustion process * Increased energy recovery effectiveness * Flexible operation for changing fuel mixture and varying fuel quality

Problems caused by soot

Reduced efficiency

Soot deposited on the heating surfaces of a boiler acts as a heat insulator. The result is that less heat is transferred to the water to raise steam and more heat is wasted up the

chimney A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typic ...

. This leads to higher fuel consumption and/or poor steaming.

Soot fires

A soot fire can be damaging to a boiler because it can cause localized hotspots to occur in the tubes. These hotspots may reach temperatures that weaken the materials of the tubes. Sootblowers reduce the risk of soot fires and their resulting damage.

Operation

A sootblower may be operated manually or by a remotely controlled motor. The soot, which is removed from the heating surfaces, will be blown out with the

flue gas Flue gas is the gas exiting to the atmosphere via a flue, which is a pipe or channel for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace, oven, furnace, boiler or steam generator. Quite often, the flue gas refers to the combustion exhaust gas produced a ...

es. If the boiler is equipped with a

dust collector A dust collector is a system used to enhance the quality of air released from industrial and commercial processes by collecting dust and other impurities from air or gas. Designed to handle high-volume dust loads, a dust collector system consists ...

, it will trap the soot. Otherwise, the soot will be ejected into the outside air through the

chimney stack A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typ ...

Industries

A sootblower can make an important contribution for an optimised, more efficient and low-emission operation supporting clean energy generation in many industries, including: * Power Industry * Petrochemical Industry * Waste-to Energy Plants * Biomass Plants * Marine * Other Industrial Processes

External links

Marine Engineer World

Boiler Efficiency - Clyde Bergemann (cbpg.com) Steam boiler components