ADAMA

SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY
UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL, CHEMICAL &

MATERIALS ENGINEERING
THERMAL AND AEROSPACE ENGINEERING PROGRAM

Seminar (ThE 6402)

Ways of Improving the Effectiveness of the Boiler
Plant in Asella Malt Factory
By:
Hiwot Berhanu
ID: PGR/18119/11

Advisor:
Dr. Addisu Bekele
 Seminar, ways of Improving the Effectiveness of the Boiler Plant

June 2011
Adama

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Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................1
1.1 Background of Asella Malt Factory..................................................................................1
1.1.1 Vision of Asella Malt Factory...................................................................................1
1.1.2 Mission of Asella malt factory..................................................................................1
1.1.3 Values of the Factory.................................................................................................1
1.2 Its Products and Services..................................................................................................2
1.3 Its Main Customers or the End Product Users..................................................................2
1.4 Main and General Utility Sections of the Plant................................................................3
1.4.1 Main Sections............................................................................................................3
1.4.2 General Utility Sections.............................................................................................3
1.5 Malting Process.................................................................................................................3
1.5.1 Intake.........................................................................................................................4
1.5.2 Drying........................................................................................................................4
1.5.3 Cleaning.....................................................................................................................4
1.5.4 Storage.......................................................................................................................5
1.5.5 Wet Process...............................................................................................................5
1.5.6 Steeping.....................................................................................................................5
1.5.7 Germination...............................................................................................................6
1.5.8 Kilning.......................................................................................................................7
1.5.9 De-Culming...............................................................................................................8
1.5.10 Malt Cleaning............................................................................................................9
1.6 Machineries And Equipment..........................................................................................10
2 CHAPTER TWO: MAJOR PROBLEMS OF ASELLA MALT FACTORY.........................8
2.1 Boiler Plant.......................................................................................................................8
2.2 Main Reasons for Selecting Boiler Plant of Asella Malt Factory.....................................8
2.3 Major problems associated with the boiler plant are listed below:...................................8
2.4 Working Principle of Horizontal Water-Tube Boiler.......................................................9
2.5 Main Components Of Horizontal Multi-Tube Type Boiler............................................10
2.5.1 Feed Water Heaters..................................................................................................10
2.5.2 Oil-Fired Furnace.....................................................................................................11
2.5.3 Deaerators................................................................................................................12
2.5.4 Pumps......................................................................................................................12

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2.5.5 Combustion Air Blowers.........................................................................................12

2.5.6 Flue..........................................................................................................................12
2.5.7 Economizer..............................................................................................................13
2.5.8 Steam Traps.............................................................................................................13
2.5.9 Piping.......................................................................................................................13
3 CHAPTER THREE: LITERATURE REVIEW....................................................................15
4 CHAPTER FOUR: WAYS OF IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE BOILER
PLANT..........................................................................................................................................17
4.1 Daily Checklist for Boiler Equipment............................................................................17
4.2 Weekly Checklist for Boiler Equipment.........................................................................18
4.3 In Case of Emergency.....................................................................................................19
4.4 Future Enhancement.......................................................................................................19
References......................................................................................................................................20

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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of Asella Malt Factory

The history of preparing malt in Ethiopia was started in 1974 at St. George Brewery. Asella Malt
Factory was established after 10 years later in September 1, 1984 with the aim of supplying malt
to local breweries. Asella Malt Factory is located in southeastern part of the Ethiopia 162 km far
from the capital city, Addis Ababa and 7 km from Asella town. Currently, it is the pioneer in
malt supply to the breweries throughout the Ethiopia. Asella Malt Factory has expanded its
processing capacity from 22,000 tons to 36,000 tons in 2012 to satisfy the increasing demand for
processed malt barley from brewery industries. The factory needs 500,000 quintals (50,000 tons)
of quality raw malt barley to produce 360,000quintals (36,000 tons) of malt per year. The
production of malt over the years has increased by 22%. During the visiting, the company
contained 248 permanent and temporary employees, 15 per cent of whom are women, from
which 129 workers are working in production department and 119 workers are supportive staff.

1.1.1 Vision of Asella Malt Factory

The factory envisioned to be a known malt producer in 2018 G.C by producing and delivering
quality malt to domestic and foreign market, which meets international standards.

1.1.2 Mission of Asella malt factory

 Satisfying customers’ needs and to be a competitive organization by producing quality
malt with the application of latest technology.
 Assisting researchers and producers of malt barley to increase malt barley production in
quality, quantity and its continuity.
 By reducing country’s foreign malt product import to save foreign currency and
contributing to national economic development.

1.1.3 Values of the Factory

 Following the national and factory vision

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 Focusing on malt quality

 Satisfying customers need
 Excelling workers skills and competency
 Respecting all professional ethics
 Sustaining profitability and productivity
 Supporting all social and economic activities of surrounding communities.
 Committed to team spirit and common goals

1.2 Its Products and Services

The man products depends on the initial grades, after grading machine: the first grade (2.5 mm
and above), second grade (2.2-2.5 mm) and the third or last grade is less than 2.2 mm. The first
and the second grade is for beer and its products. The last grade are collected in an overflow and
sold as low-value animal feedstuff. Another by-product of malting is barley malt sprouts that are
separated from kilned malt after the kilning process. Malt sprouts consist of roots, sprouts, and
malt hulls and are classified as a protein source.
 First grade malt
 Second grade malt
 Third grade barley

1.3 Its Main Customers or the End Product Users

Following the expansion of the number of breweries from three in early 20 years to about 10
breweries, the demand for malt barley is considerably increasing from year to year. Accordingly,
the number and type of market actors is also increasing.
Its clients include:
 BGI Ethiopia,
 Harer Brewery,
 Bedele Brewery Share Company,
 Meta Brewery and;
 Beer Garden etc.

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1.4 Main and General Utility Sections of the Plant

Asella Malt Factory can be broadly divided into main section and general utilities section. These
two divisions together have seven plants as listed below:

1.4.1 Main Sections

1. Machine tower and silos plant
2. Steeping plant
3. Germination plant
4. Kiln plant

1.4.2 General Utility Sections

5. Cooling plant
6. Water treatment plant
7. Boiler Plant

1.5 Malting Process

Barley has been malted for over 3,000 years. It is a natural process, the basic principles of which
have changed little over hundreds of years. Only in the past 50 years, have maltsters taken full
control thanks to a proper understanding of the biochemistry, suitable varieties and modern
equipment.
The malting process converts raw grain into malt. The malt is mainly used for brewing or whisky
making, but can also be used to make malt vinegar or malt extract. Various grains are used for
malting; the most common are barley, sorghum, wheat and rye. There are a number of different
types of equipment that can be used to produce the malt. A traditional floor malting germinates
the grains in a thin layer on a solid floor, and the grain is manually raked and turned to keep the
grains loose and aerated. In a modern malt house, the process is more automated, and the grain is
germinated on a floor that is slotted to allow air to be forced through the grain bed. Large
mechanical turners e.g. Saladin box, keep the much thicker bed loose with higher productivity
and better energy efficiency.

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The malting processes:

1.5.1 Intake
The grain is received at the malt house from the farmer or the market.
The barley is will tested to check for suitability for malting and to prevent dead or unfit barley
from entering the process.
Some of the typical quality checks include:
 Grain moisture,
 Nitrogen content
 Percentage of foreign matter
 Absence of fungal growth and metabolites
 Germinate capacity and germinate energy
 Water sensitivity

1.6 Drying process

1.6.1 Drying
Barley received at the malt house with a moisture content of more than 13% must be dried
without loss of germinate capacity (GC). The moisture is removed by circulating heated air (up
to 50 °C) through the grain and can either be performed using dedicated grain driers or as a batch
process using a kiln. High temperatures or over-drying will damage or kill the barley embryo and
the grain will not germinate after steeping. The dry barley can safely be stored in silos for up to
18 months without fungal growth or loss of grain vigor.

1.6.2 Cleaning
The aim of barley cleaning is to remove foreign matter like the one straw, chaff, dust and thin
corns found in the incoming grain, leaving only the grain most likely to produce a good malt.
Magnets are used to remove metals from the grain, in turn reducing the possibility of sparks,
which could lead to a dust explosion. Rotating and shaking sieves are used to remove unwanted
foreign matter either larger (straw and un-threshed ears) or smaller (sand and thin corns) than the

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normal barley grain. During the sieving process, an aspiration system removes the dust and
chaff. De-stoners or shaking screens are used to separate small stones from the barley. The
stones, which are denser than the barley, move out the top of the machine and the cleaned barley
exits at the bottom. Half corn separators may be used to remove broken grains. Half grains need
to be removed as only the one-half will germinate and produce enzymes. At the end of the
cleaning process, the barley is weighed to determine the cleaning losses. Cleaning losses is the
difference between the weight of barley received and the weight of the grain after cleaning.
Then, transferred to a silo for storage.

1.6.3 Storage
The barley must be safely stored to maintain the grain vigor for germination. Storage at a malt
house is normally in vertical silos made of steel or concrete for ease of use; but may be in flat
stores when large amounts of grain is to be stored. The barley is stored in a manner that protects
it from moisture and pests. A typical silo will store between 5,000 and 20,000 tons of clean dry
barley ready for malting.
During storage, the temperature of the silo is measured and monitored over time as a temperature
increase can indicate insect activity. Additional equipment may be used to keep the grain
temperature below 18 °C to inhibit insect growth. Silos are normally fitted with a system for
rotating grain from one silo to another to break-up hot spots within the grain. A fumigation
system can be used to administer a fumigant (normally phosphine) to the silo.

1.7 Wet Process

The wet process begins with steeping to get germination started and ends with kilning which
removes the moisture and produces a stable final product.

1.7.1 Steeping
Steeping is the start of the active malting process, steep water is added to cover the grain and the
grain moisture content increases from around 12% to between 40 and 45%. In a modern
pneumatic malt house, the grain is alternatively submerged (wet stand) and then drained (an air
rest) for two or three cycles to achieve the target grain moisture content and chit count.

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i. Wet Stand: When the grain is immersed in water known as a wet stand, air is bubbled
through the slurry of water and grain periodically. The aim of this aeration is to keep the
process aerobic to maximize barley growth. Other advantages of the rousing are to get
good mixing, to loosen dirt and to even out hydrostatic pressures at the bottom of the
steep vessels, with airflow rate of: 1.5m3/ton per hour.
ii. Air rest or dry stand. At the end of the wet stand, the water is drained out and this is the
start of the air rest. During the air rest, fans are run to supply fresh oxygen and to remove
excess CO2 produced by grain respiration. The temperature of the air supplied is
important, as it should not affect the grain temperature during steeping 10 to 15 °C. The
ventilation requirements are higher in the second and third air rests, as the grain
metabolic activity is higher with airflow rate of: 300m3/ton per hour.
At the end of steeping, the grain is cast-out to germination. Cast-out may be done as a slurry
during a wet stand or as moist grain during an air rest.

Figure 1 Steeping Process

1.7.2 Germination
The aim of germination is to grow the barley grains. This allows the development of malt
enzymes, and these enzymes modify the structure of the barley endosperm by breaking down the
cell walls and the protein matrix. Germination produces a large amount of heat; if safety
precautions are not taken, the malt will burn.
The enzymes produced during germination are needed to break down the starch for the brewer or
distiller during the mashing process. The grain bed is maintained at a constant temperature of

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between 10 and 16 °C by the constant supply of fresh humidified air and turners move through
the grain bed to keep it loose to allow for sufficient airflow.

Figure 2 Metabolic interrelationships occurring in malting barley (Picture credit: Briggs)

Figure 3 Germinating Process

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1.7.3 Kilning
Kilning thus reduces the grain moisture content and stops the germination process. There are
three stages:
i. The first stage or the free drying stage the air temperatures are kept cool to dry the grain
without causing the enzymes to denature. As the grain dries it is possible to raise the air-
on temperatures,
ii. The second stage or the forced drying stage to further dry the grain, the target malt
moisture after kilning is around 5% by weight. During forced drying the relative humidity
of the air coming off the bed drops and the maltster is able to use a portion of the warm
air as return air.
iii. The curing stage: during the last few hours of kilning, the air on temperature is raised to
above 80 °C to break S-Methyl Methionine (SMM) down to Dimethyl Sulfide (DMS) to
reduce the DMS potential of the malt. DMS is an off flavor that tastes like sweetcorn in
the final beer. .
Finally, the kilned malt is cooled before the kiln is stripped (emptied).

Figure 4 Kilning Process

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1.8 De-Culming

The rootlets of the malt also known as culms are removed from the malt soon after transfer from
the kiln. The removed culms are sold or processed as animal feed. The cleaned malt is stored in
silos to be blended with similar malt pieces to produce larger homogenous batches of malt.

Figure 5 De-culming Process

Finally, the malt is cleaned prior to sale using sieves and aspiration to remove the dust, lumps
and stones in the malt. Magnets are again used to remove any steel that might damage the mill
rollers.

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Barley Barley Barley Removing dust

Intake Drying Cleaning & Grading & other particles

Water
Steeping CO2
Air
Water

Turning Germination
Cold Air

Kilning Hot Air

De-culming

Weighting and Packing

Figure 6 Flow chart of the malting process.

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1.9 Machineries And Equipment

 Silos and storages  Germinating Equipment

 Elevators and Conveyors  Kilning Equipment
 Servo Balances  Magnetic and Vibrating Separators
 Milling Machine  Polisher
 Grading Machine  Rotating and Shaking Sieves
 Boiler  De-Stoners or Shaking Screens
 Steeping Vessels and Steeping  Half Corn Separators
Equipment  Steep Vessel

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3 CHAPTER TWO: MAJOR PROBLEMS OF ASELLA MALT

FACTORY
Major problems of Asella Malt Factory were identified during our industrial visiting are shut
down for planned maintenance, production adjustment, equipment failure mainly boiler, process
failures, normal production loss, abnormal production loss, quality defects, and reprocessing.
The bottleneck is a boiler plant for malt processing due to which productivity is going down most
of the time.
The boiler plant faces machines failures, and rate of failures is increasing year after year, which
affect the production cost. The important problems of the boiler plant are machine breakdown,
machine idle, production loss, too much maintenance man-hour, high maintenance expenses, and
plant capacity loss. Objective of the seminar is for productivity improvement through
identification of problems in machines and the improvement of efficiency.

3.1 Boiler Plant

Asella Malt Factory has a horizontal type boiler, multi tubular and two pass packaged type boiler
that uses furnace oil as fuel. There are 147 tubes in first pass and 143 tubes in second pass.

3.2 Main Reasons for Selecting Boiler Plant of Asella Malt Factory

1. The boiler plant is a general utility plant and downtime of this plant directly affects the
malt production
2. The boiler plant is one of the main contributors for product quality and customer
satisfaction.
3. Constant maintenance is necessary for the continuous operation of the plant.

3.3 Major Problems Associated With the Boiler Plant

1. Negligence of continuous follow-up and care causes consumption of additional fuel.

2. Boiler malfunction reduces the quality of product and can reduce customer satisfaction

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3. Leakage of furnace oil from intake causes water pollution in the plant vicinity.
Environmental studies in literature indicate that one liter of furnace oil pollutes one
million liters of water.
4. Inadequate handling and operation of water softener makes the water to remain in a state
of permanent hardness. These factors create accumulation of rust and dissolved oxygen
that causes corrosion and reduces the life of boiler.
5. The accumulation of rust, corrosion and scale formation inside the tube can reduce
normal heat transfer that increases fuel consumption adding to the cost of malt
production.
6. In extreme cases, rust and salt deposition can result in explosion.

3.4 Working Principle of Horizontal Water-Tube Boiler

Combustion of fuel takes place in furnace, the furnace uses furnace oil, which is a fraction
obtained from petroleum distillation, either as a distillate or a residue. The hot gases from the
furnace flows through boiler tube and water is contained in shell. Heat transfer takes place from
hot gases to water/steam.

Figure 7 Horizontal multi-tube type boiler (picture credit: Cleaver Brooks)

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The evaporative capacity of Asella Malt Factory boiler is 10,000 kg/hr. The water from the
supply is found to have temporary hardness that can be softened by addition of certain chemicals.
The water softener equipment first softens the feed water to the boiler.

There are two steam generating boiler plants in the factory, each works in shifts as per the
requirements of batch processing of malt in the kiln plant. The steam production of each boiler 6
to 7 tons per hour, design pressure 10 bar, feed water maximum temperature 180°C, combustion
efficiency 80%. Boiler plant is typically operational for 17 hours for one kiln box, and average
amount of malt product 70,000 kg. Kiln temperature level requirements vary with time. The
initial 9 hours need low temperature, following 5 hours the kiln plant is at medium temperature,
and final 3 hours kiln is maintained at high temperature.

Figure 8 Sectional view of horizontal multi-tube type boiler (picture credit: Cleaver Brooks)

3.5 Main Components of Horizontal Multi-Tube Type Boiler

Boiler systems are comprised of the following main components.

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3.5.1 Feed Water Heaters

Feed water heaters are energy recovery devices generally found only in large steam generating
plants where the steam user reduces not all of the steam generated to condensate. This waste
steam is reduced to condensate for return to the boiler in the feed water heater. The boiler feed
water is used as a cooling medium to reduce the steam to condensate, which increases the
temperature of the feed water and, thereby, increases the thermal efficiency of the boiler.

3.5.2 Oil-Fired Furnace

The basic element of a steam boiler is furnace, in which fuel combustion takes place in presence
of oxygen, usually from air, releasing energy of a chemical reaction, which raises enthalpy of a
heat receiver to a level suitable for transferring the heat to a heat exchanger surface. Many
boilers furnace or fuel heaters to reduce the fuel viscosity, so the fuel can be atomized by rotary
cup atomizer system for complete combustion. Furnace oil is the major fuel used in oil-fired
furnaces, especially for reheating and heat treatment of materials. The key to efficient furnace
operation lies in complete combustion of fuel with minimum excess air. The furnace of the boiler
can be categorized into three main components namely:
i. Control and safety mechanism,
ii. Rotary cup atomizer and,
iii. Ignition of furnace

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Figure 9 Schematic of Rotary Cup Atomizer and Steam Generator (Picture credit: AALBORG
industries)

3.5.3 Deaerators
A deaerator is a special case of feed water heater that is designed to promote the removal of non-
condensable gases from the boiler feed water. The principal gases of concern are oxygen, carbon
dioxide, and ammonia, which are major contributors to boilers, and steam and condensate piping
corrosion problems. In small steam plants, a portion of the steam generated by the boiler is used
to operate the deaerator if waste steam is not available. Failure to maintain and properly operate
the deaerator can lead to early failure of the boiler, steam using equipment, and the steam and
condensate piping.

3.5.4 Pumps
In most hot water systems, the system circulating pumps are electric motor-driven, end suction
centrifugal pumps. In steam systems, the condensate return pumps are typically electric motor-
driven, end suction, centrifugal or turbine-type pumps. Feed water pumps are generally electric
motor-driven, multiple-stage, end suction centrifugal pumps. The shutoff head of the pump must
be greater than the steam or hot water system operating pressure.

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3.5.5 Combustion Air Blowers

In many packaged boiler installations, the combustion air fan is designed and provided by the
boiler manufacturer and is integral with the boiler housing. In installations where a stand-alone
fan is provided, low-pressure centrifugal blowers are commonly used. An important
characteristic of the blower is the ability to maintain a relatively constant air pressure over a wide
range of airflows.

3.5.6 Flue
Flues is a boiler firebox exhaust duct or boiler discharge stack, it must be large enough to
conduct the products of combustion away from the boiler with a minimum of duct friction loss.
Flues may be fabricated from any material suitable for the operating temperature and pressure.
Common materials of construction associated with packaged boiler installations are carbon steel
and stainless steel.

3.5.7 Economizer
An economizer is an energy recovery device that uses the hot exhaust gases from the boiler i.e.
waste heat, to heat combustion air or feed water.

3.5.8 Steam Traps

Steam traps Steam traps are installed throughout steam systems to remove condensate i.e. spent
steam, air, and non-condensable gases from the steam system. brine

3.5.9 Piping
Piping two-inches and smaller used in steam and hot water systems.

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Figure 10 Total steam generating system (Picture credit: Online Dynamic Enterprise Solution for
Industry Excellence)

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Figure 11 Schematic for horizontal multi-tube type boiler room (Picture credit: Online Dynamic
Enterprise Solution for Industry Excellence)

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4 CHAPTER THREE: LITERATURE REVIEW

An extensive research work has been done still date on ways of improving the effectiveness of
the boiler plant by changing different parameters to meet the industry requirements.

A quick look at the literature clearly shows the ways of improving the effectiveness of the boiler
plant.

Buljubašić (2008), provided some methods for improving the effectiveness of the steam boiler.
He discussed on the set of operating conditions, it is possible to choose parameters whose
influence on the boiler performance will be analyzed. The chosen parameters are: lower heating
value of the fuel, fuel consumption, feed water pressure at the feed water inlet, feed water
temperature at the feed water inlet, and combustion air surplus coefficient at the furnace inlet.
The above-mentioned parameters were chosen because their monitoring and regulation in real-
time are available on the observed steam boiler. After an analysis of parameters' influence on the
steam boiler performance, it was concluded that the feed water pressure, followed by feed water
temperature, taking into account that these two parameters are dependent, made the least
influence. Although, combustion air coefficient has a significant influence on performance
parameters, in everyday work of the observed steam boiler, this coefficient is kept more or less
constant or the changes are so small that they do not cause any bigger oscillations of the
performance parameters. Furthermore, out of five analyzed parameters, the biggest changes are
caused by the two parameters: lower heating value of the fuel and amount of fuel consumption.
This is an obvious conclusion, since the mentioned two parameters are those that have a direct
influence on the amount of energy brought into the furnace, and therefore also to the boiler
efficiency coefficient [1].

Kutucuoglu et al. (2001) case studies reported in literature show a coherent set of improvement
techniques are necessary to bring about changes in the steam boiler plant. Improvements in
overall equipment effectiveness are continuous maintenance, can reduce the equipment losses of
the steam boiler. Methods like statistical process control, and automated process control can lead
to an introduction of integrated process control that can improve the quality of product and
reduce plant losses [2].

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EERE (2006), operating and maintenance practices have a significant impact on plant
performance, including its efficiency, reliability, and operating costs. For most fuel-fired boiler,
energy efficiency can be increased by using waste heat gas recovery systems to capture and use
some of the heat in the flue gas. The most commonly used waste heat recovery methods are
preheating combustion air and water heating. Due to the large size of many steam boilers, the
surface area of the outer surface of the boiler is very high, and significant heat loss can occur
through the boiler shell. Proper insulation is important to keep these losses to a minimum. Air
infiltration is an undesirable, but unavoidable, concern in boiler systems and ductwork. This
occurs because of the large temperature difference between the hot combustion gases and
ambient air temperature, which creates a negative pressure in the furnace. Hot condensate that is
not returned to the boiler represents a corresponding loss of energy [3].

Summary of the literatures

On reviewing the literature, it is found that the ways of improving the effectiveness of the steam
boiler plant can be carried out by numerous methods. Different researchers were used different
effectiveness ways to obtain a good steam boiler operation.

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5 CHAPTER FOUR: WAYS OF IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS

OF THE BOILER PLANT

Performance of the boiler, as if efficiency and evaporation ratio reduces with time, due to poor
combustion, heat transfer fouling and poor operation and maintenance. Deterioration of fuel
quality and water quality also leads to poor performance of boiler.

Effectiveness testing helps to find out how far the boiler effectiveness drifts away from the best
effectiveness. Any observed abnormal deviations could therefore be investigated to pinpoint the
problem area for necessary corrective action. Hence, it is necessary to find out the current level
of efficiency for performance evaluation, which is a pre requisite for energy conservation action
in plant.

In order to investigate, to pinpoint the problem area for necessary corrective action should
followed. Constant maintenance is necessary for the continuous operation of the plant.

For this maintenance, checklist preparation is required.

5.1 Daily Checklist for Boiler Equipment

These are shown here for completeness:

 Observe/check the switching points of the water level regulator
 Observe the switching points of the temperature or pressure regulator respectively
 Check easy movement of the burner control (control elements for air and fuel)
 Check combustion air fan, ignition and/or ventilation fan for easy turning and power
transmission
 Check tightness of control device and/or intermediate venting
 Check pre-pump ventilation
 Check flame detection unit
 Examine combustion quality
 Purge water level gauge
 Check temperature or pressure limiter for changes of the set values (test keys)
 Operate draining and desalting device

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 Examine feed water and boiler water by means of chemical analysis

 Check boiler water monitoring devices for infiltration of foreign substances by means of
the test key
 Check boiler valves for tightness.
 Check feeding and recirculation device by alternate operation.
 Check tightness and easy movements of fuel tank, fuel lines as well as mountings.
 Check fuel pressure indicator.
 Examine combustion chamber and flue gas passes
 Check vent safety valves
 Check water level limiter by lowering the water level (LWL)
 Control of the temperature and pressure indicators via, precision thermometer
respectively manometer
 Close and open the flue gas tap in order to check the limit switch
 Interrupt the impulse line of the air pressure flow indicator and the air pressure control
device at the burner
 Check fuel shut-off device
 Check easy movement and tightness of the safety shut-off device upstream of the burner
 Check gas ignitions control device and intermediate venting respectively
 Operate main cutout
 Check ignition device
 Check pre-purge ventilation
 Check flame detector by blacking out the flame sensor
 Examine combustion quality

5.2 Weekly Checklist for Boiler Equipment

In case of steam boiler which can be switched from high to low pressure, the limiters must be
checked at least during each operating period, however at least weekly in case of low pressure
operation.

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5.3 In Case of Emergency

 Switch off main cutout

 Cut off fuel supply
 In case of water shortage, water shortage and damage to the boiler do not refill boiler
 Release boiler pressure and report to the supervisor respectively to the local boiler
authority

5.4 Future Enhancement

If Asella malt factory has implemented the continuous maintenance principles in their boiler
plant. Noticeable improvements in average capacity, production capacity and decrease in
breakdowns and maintenance costs will be perceived. An effective implementation of continuous
maintenance covers way for further implementation of total production maintenance principles
and this will further improve the employee’s morale and helps in quickly achieving the set goals.
Otherwise, replacing the current boiler by new optimized designed boiler with high efficiency
solves totally the problem related with boiler plant.

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 Seminar, ways of Improving the Effectiveness of the Boiler Plant

References

[1] Buljubašić I. “Analysis of processes in a steam boiler with the goal of minimizing the fuel
consumption”, PhD thesis, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tuzla, BiH, 2008.
[2] Kutucuoglu, K.Y., Hamali, J., Irani, Z. and Sharp, J.M. “A case study for managing steam
boiler by applying continuous maintenance using performance measurement system”, Volume
21, Number.1, Pp. 173-194, 2001
[3] EERE US Dept. of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “ Energy Tips-Steam:
Upgrade Boilers with Energy-Efficient ways” Industrial Technologies Program, (2006).

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