How to manage boiler swell and shrink

Understanding the phenomenon

Industrial plants make use of boilers for generating process steam and are central to thermal power generation. Babcock is a leading provider of boilers within steam production. We’re ahead of the curve when it comes to service delivery, both our own and that of our clients. We understand that for our boilers to remain the best in the industry, our service delivery can’t stop when the build is complete. Our products and services are created to maximise output and are easily repaired with minimal delay.

The importance of controlling boiler drum levels
Controlling the level in a boiler drum is crucial to ensuring your boiler remains at optimal operating capability. This drum is where the water and steam are separated and maintaining the correct levels is imperative to ensure a seamless operation. If the level drops too low, the boiler will run dry which will result in mechanical damage. If the level reaches too high, water will flow over the steam pipework which will cause damage to the equipment. The critical management of this level seems well within an engineer’s reach. But there’s the phenomenon of boiler swell and shrink that makes controlling the level rather challenging and which can cause downtime in your operation.

Boiler drum levels are the main reason behind inefficiencies, quality control issues, output limitations and safety risks. By making use of proven and tested methods of improving drum level control these issues can be avoided. 

To find out more about the boiler shrink and swell phenomenon, and for ways in which to manage it download our technical whitepaper.