REGULAR MAINTENANCE, MONITORING AND OPERATOR TRAINING CRITICAL TO BOILER SAFETY

摘要

When the first steam boilers were introduced in the 18th century, in the U.S. and Europe, safety was a big issue. During a 12-year period, 1879 through 1891, there were 2,159 reported steam boiler explosions in the U.S. These explosions killed 3,123 people and seriously injured 4,352. The earlier steam boilers were manually operated, and the only safety requirements were generally the installation of water level gauges, low water alarms and safety valves. However, as boilers became larger and steam pressures increased, the operation changed from manual to the current automatic control. Today's automatic boiler control systems include burner management systems (BMS) with flame scanners and igniters. According to William A. Wood, assistant vice president, Hartford Steam Boiler, electric utilities are looking at ways to prevent catastrophic failures of boilers. In many instances, when inspectors have examined how accidents can be prevented, the answer is improved training. Since the late 1990s, the power generation industry has seen a revival in training for maintenance and operating staff. During training, the utility management emphasizes the importance of well researched and detailed written operating procedures.