Effects of Altitude on Boilers and Solutions

November 08, 2022

When the boiler is used in the plateau area, due to the change of atmospheric pressure, the atmospheric pressure of the boiler drum and induced draft fan must be corrected, so that the boiler can operate normally.

Influence of altitude on boiler output

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1) The combustion speed is reduced, the burnout time is prolonged, and the furnace volume needs to be increased;

2) The blackness of the flame decreases, which affects the radiation heat transfer, and the flue gas temperature at the furnace outlet increases, resulting in an increase in the exhaust gas temperature and a decrease in thermal efficiency, which requires a larger heating area of the boiler;

3) At high altitude, the oxygen content of the air is low, and the amount of air required for fuel combustion increases, resulting in a larger amount of flue gas and a larger loss of smoke exhaust, and the heating area of the boiler needs to be increased. Therefore, the boiler body needs to be corrected.

Principle of Boiler Body Altitude Correction

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The boiler body is generally corrected according to the coefficient of reducing the altitude of the use site by 1000 meters, and the coefficient is checked in the table below. For example, if it is used at an altitude of 2800 meters, the body should be checked for the coefficient at an altitude of 1800 meters, and take 1.24. If the user needs 15t/h steam, the boiler should be configured at 18.6t/h. In other words, the output of a normal 15t/h boiler can only reach about 12t/h when used at an altitude of 2800 meters.

Principle of altitude correction of I.D.Fan and F.D.Fan

海拔对锅炉的影响和修正方法_08

The higher the altitude, the greater the amount of air required for fuel combustion, resulting in a larger amount of flue gas and greater resistance to smoke and wind. Therefore, the air pressure and air volume of the drum and induced draft fan need to be corrected, that is, the wind pressure and air volume are multiplied by the coefficients found in the following table. This factor does not include the reserve factor for normal theoretical calculations.