Steam generator arrangement

• US 8,042,497 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2008
• Issued: 10/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Babcock & Wilcox Company (Babcock International Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group Incorporated (Babcock International Group PLC)
• Inventors: Larson, Kevin A., Warren, Eric M., Thompson, Christopher J., Laursen, Thomas A., Shanmugavel, Shan A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson; Gregory A
• Application Number:
  US12/101,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20080251037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 122/135.2, 122/209.1, 122/213, 122/223, 122/490, 122/484, 122/479.5
• US Class Current: 122/209.1
• CPC Class Codes: F22B 35/001 Controlling by flue gas dampers for superheaters F22G5/04

Abstract

A method and apparatus effectively bypasses flue gas through or around selected boiler convection heat transfer tube banks within a new or existing boiler flue. Heat transfer tubes are removed, or omitted in the design of a new boiler flue, forming one or more voids at one or more locations within the tube banks. A bypass flue or conduit is formed within each void, for example using steel plates, along with existing flue walls, or using an integral sleeve. A wall of the bypass flue may include water or steam-cooled tubes. Dampers may be installed at either end of or within the bypass flue to control the amount of flue gas directed through each bypass flue.

Claims

1. A method of modifying a boiler flue of a boiler to provide an internal gas bypass arrangement, the boiler flue having parallel flow gas paths with superheater surface located in one gas flow path, reheater surface located in another gas flow path and outlet flow control dampers provided in the superheater and reheater gas flow paths, the boiler flue having a plurality of tube banks having multiple tube bank inlets and multiple tube bank outlets within the parallel gas flow paths within the boiler setting, comprising the steps of:

removing tubes from at least one of the tube banks to create a void within the tube bank;

installing a bypass flue within the boiler setting in the void from the inlet of the tube bank to the outlet of the tube bank for transporting flue gas there through; and

installing a damper within the bypass flue for controlling a pre-selected portion of the flowing flue gas through the bypass flue.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the boiler flue has front and rear walls, and the step of installing the bypass flue comprises the step of attaching a pair of plates between the front and rear walls of the boiler flue.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the boiler flue has side walls, and the step of installing the bypass flue comprises attaching a pair of plates between the side walls of the boiler flue.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of installing the bypass flue comprises providing an integral flue sleeve in the void to totally encase the flue gas path.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising the steps of removing tubes from multiple tube banks to create a plurality of voids within the tube banks and installing multiple bypass flues within the boiler setting in the voids from the inlets of the tube banks to the outlets of the tube banks for transporting flue gas there through.