The Life Cycle of Boiler

The Life Cycle for Energy Systems

The Life Cycle for Energy Systems

It is very useful for estimating investment costs and profitability of a system to define with the utmost accuracy and precision the life cycle of an energy system, particularly a boiler and its auxiliaries.

Expected Useful Life of Equipment (in years)

Equipment	Useful Life (years)
Smoke tube boilers and burner	30
Water tube boilers and burner	40
Biomass combustion chamber (refractory lining)	10
Biomass combustion grate (Cast iron Barrotti)	15
Feedwater deaerator	30
Economizers	15
Burner management controls	20
Combustion controls	20
Instrumentation	20
Boiler feed and condensate pumps	20
Condensate tanks and heat recovery	40
Fuel oil pumps	40
Fuel oil tanks	40
Shut-off and control valves	20
Water treatment equipment	20

In the life cycle cost, the following costs should be included:

• Management, Design, Construction
• Replacement costs of the existing plant
• Operational costs, such as energy and water used
• Operating, maintenance, and repair costs

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1. Creep Damage Analysis (EN 12952-4 2011)

The creep damage analysis of a boiler and its main components during operation is based on measured values of pressure and temperature. From these, the actual primary stress and the expected useful life under these conditions can be determined. It is essential to distinguish between the design life and the actual operating life, making periodic projections throughout the entire operating life of the boiler to determine its expected duration.

2. Calculation of Service Life and Creep Damage

The calculation of the usage factor due to creep considers the previous operating modes retrospectively. To limit the number of calculations required and present the results clearly, the operating pressure and temperature range is divided into increments. The theoretical life (Tal) is calculated for each temperature/pressure interval, and the creep damage (Dc) is obtained by summing the incremental damages ΔDci k.

3. Data Preservation and Analysis

In the case of online data preservation through a processing system, the subdivision into increments may be avoided. Creep damage is calculated using real-time measured values of pressure and temperature, allowing for more accurate and conservative predictions.

Conclusion

The life cycle cost analysis and the assessment of creep damage are essential tools to ensure the economic and operational efficiency of boilers. The useful life of the equipment is a crucial parameter, significantly affecting the costs and overall performance of the system. Implementing these analyses helps optimize the initial investment and operational costs, while ensuring compliance with federal energy standards.