Caldera de Vapor. Explicado y fácil.

Summary

El guion detalla la importancia y funcionamiento de las calderas de vapor en la industria alimentaria, con énfasis en su aplicación en procesos como la producción de lácteos, conservas, panadería y más. Se explica el diseño 'pirotubular' y la utilización de turbulizadores para aumentar la eficiencia. Seguidamente, se explora la necesidad de control de niveles de agua, prevención de salidos de emergencia y mantenimiento regular. Finalmente, se menciona la presencia de vapor en las calles de Nueva York como síntoma de una red de calefacción extensa y eficiente.

Takeaways

• 🔧 Los hornos de vapor son utilizados en diversas industrias como la alimentaria, la farmacéutica y la textil.
• 💧 Los hornos de vapor se clasifican como 'pirotubulares', donde el humo viaja dentro de los tubos inmersos en agua para calentarla y generar vapor.
• 🔥 Los hornos de dos pasos utilizan turbuladores para aumentar la transferencia de calor y mejorar la eficiencia energética.
• 🛠️ La mantenimiento regular incluye la limpieza de los tubos y la purificación de los residuos, lo que requiere de aperturas estratégicas como la de purge y las válvulas de servicio.
• 🚰 Es fundamental pre-calentar el agua antes de suministrarla al horno para evitar disminuir la producción de vapor y mantener la eficiencia.
• 🔩 Los hornos de vapor requieren de un cuidadoso manejo de las válvulas, tanto de servicio como de alivio, para evitar daños y mantener la seguridad.
• 🛡️ Los sistemas de seguridad, como las válvulas de seguridad, son cruciales para prevenir accidentes en caso de sobrecalentamiento o sobrepresión.
• 🔬 Los hornos de vapor en entornos industriales como los laboratorios farmacéuticos y la industria de alimentos deben producir vapor de alta pureza.
• ⏱️ La programación de tareas de mantenimiento, como la regeneración de resinas en los suavizadores de agua, es esencial para garantizar la calidad del agua de alimentación y la eficiencia del horno.
• 🌐 La importancia de los hornos de vapor en la industria y la ciudad, como en la red de distribución de vapor en Manhattan, resalta su impacto en la economía y el medio ambiente.

Q & A

¿Qué es un boiler de vapor y para qué se utiliza en la industria alimentaria?

Un boiler de vapor es una máquina que genera vapor a partir del agua hirviendo, y en la industria alimentaria se utiliza para procesos como la pasteurización, la coccion, el enlatado y la conservación de alimentos.

¿Qué tipo de boiler se describe en el guion y cuál es su función principal?

Se describe un boiler de vapor 'pyrotubular', que es la mayoría de los boilers de vapor utilizados. Su función principal es generar vapor a través de la combustión de combustibles y el intercambio de calor entre el humo y el agua.

¿Qué son los tubulares y cómo afectan el proceso de generación de vapor en un boiler?

Los tubulares son tubos dentro del boiler que permiten que el humo viaje a través de ellos, transferiendo calor al agua y generando vapor. Este diseño mejora la eficiencia del intercambio de calor.

¿Qué es un turbulizador y cómo mejora el rendimiento de un boiler de vapor?

Un turbulizador es un dispositivo que se coloca en los boilers de vapor para crear turbulencia en el flujo de humo, lo que aumenta la transferencia de calor y mejora la eficiencia del boiler.

¿Cuál es la importancia de la válvula de seguridad en un boiler de vapor y cómo se mantienen?

La válvula de seguridad es crucial para prevenir la sobrepresión y la ruptura del boiler. Se mantienen verificando su funcionamiento periódicamente y realizando pruebas de presión para asegurar que estén en buen estado.

¿Qué es el proceso de purge y por qué es necesario en un boiler de vapor?

El purge es el proceso de drenar el boiler para eliminar los residuos y el lodo acumulados en el fondo. Es necesario para mantener la eficiencia del boiler y prevenir la corrosión y la acumulación de sales.

¿Cómo se controla la calidad del vapor generado en un boiler de vapor y por qué es importante?

La calidad del vapor se controla mediante la regulación de la presión y la temperatura, y mediante el uso de aditivos como reducidores de oxígeno y antiscalantes. Es importante para garantizar que el vapor esté libre de contaminantes y sea adecuado para los procesos industriales específicos.

¿Qué son los dos tipos de válvulas principales que se mencionan en el guion y cuál es su función?

Las dos tipos de válvulas principales son la válvula de servicio y la válvula de alivio. La válvula de servicio controla la salida de vapor para usos industriales, mientras que la válvula de alivio se utiliza para liberar vapor en caso de sobrepresión.

¿Qué es la condensación y cómo afecta el funcionamiento de un boiler de vapor?

La condensación es el proceso por el cual el vapor se convierte en líquido, generalmente al disminuir la temperatura. En un boiler de vapor, la condensación puede afectar el nivel del agua y la presión, por lo que es importante monitorear y controlar para mantener la eficiencia del sistema.

¿Cómo se aborda la problemática de la corrosión y la acumulación de sales en un boiler de vapor?

Para abordar la corrosión y la acumulación de sales, se realizan purges regulares y se controla la calidad del agua de entrada mediante la adición de aditivos y el tratamiento de la agua, como el uso de suavizantes de agua.

Outlines

00:00

🔧 Introducción al horno de vapor industrial

Este párrafo introduce el tema del horno de vapor, mencionando su importancia en la industria alimentaria y otros sectores. Se describe brevemente cómo funciona un horno de vapor, con énfasis en los hornos de tubos pirotubulares, y se explica el concepto de hornos de dos y tres pasos, así como el uso de turbulizadores para aumentar la eficiencia. Además, se menciona la visita a Sogecal, una gran fabricante de hornos de vapor, y se habla de los distintos tipos de válvulas, como la válvula de servicio, la válvula de alivio y las válvulas de seguridad.

05:01

💧 Niveles de agua y control de presión en hornos de vapor

En este párrafo se explica cómo se manejan los niveles de agua y la presión en los hornos de vapor. Se describe el uso de tubos de choque líquido y la función de los interruptores de presión, que incluyen un elemento anti-shock para prevenir cambios repentinos de presión. También se discute la importancia de mantener la pureza del vapor y las medidas para eliminar los residuos, como el desagüe diario de lodo. Se menciona la necesidad de abrir y cerrar las válvulas lentamente para evitar daños en el equipo y se destaca la importancia de calentar el agua antes de agregarla al horno para mantener una producción constante de vapor.

10:01

🛠 Operación diaria y mantenimiento de hornos de vapor

Este párrafo detalla la rutina diaria de operación y mantenimiento de un horno de vapor, incluyendo el proceso de inicio, la supervisión de niveles de agua, la necesidad de purgar los residuos y la regulación de la presión. Se abordan las regulaciones que requieren la verificación periódica del horno y la importancia de las verificaciones de seguridad, como la apertura de válvulas de seguridad. Además, se discute la adaptación del horno a las necesidades de presión de la instalación y se menciona la necesidad de mantener la calidad del agua mediante la eliminación de sales y la prevención de incrustaciones.

15:04

🚰 Tratamiento del agua en hornos de vapor

En este párrafo se aborda el tratamiento del agua antes de su uso en hornos de vapor, destacando la necesidad de suavizar el agua para reducir la formación de incrustaciones y lodo. Se describe el uso de un disminuidor de durezas y los aditivos que se aplican para mejorar la calidad del agua, como el reductor de oxígeno y el antiescalante. Se menciona también el sistema de bombeo que se utiliza para suministrar agua caliente al horno y la importancia de mantener los tanques y equipos de tratamiento del agua en buen estado.

20:13

🔩 Reparación de emergencia en un horno de vapor

Este párrafo narra una situación de emergencia en la que un gozne en la zona de nivelación de un horno de vapor se rompe, causando una fuga que necesita ser reparada. Se describe el proceso para resolver el problema, incluyendo la detención del horno, la apertura de la válvula de evacuación y la limpieza de obstrucciones. Se resalta la importancia de tener un taller organizado y el uso de un cinta de unión de corte para reparar la fuga. Se enfatiza la necesidad de realizar la reparación de manera precisa para garantizar que no ocurran fugas adicionales.

25:15

🌆 Vapor en las cloacas de Nueva York

En este párrafo, se discute la presencia de vapor en las cloacas de Nueva York, un fenómeno que se debe a fugas en las uniones de las tuberías. Se entrevista a un experto que explica que estas fugas son comunes y que el sistema de calefacción de Nueva York es uno de los más grandes del mundo, lo que ayuda a reducir la contaminación. Se sugiere que al ver un viejo horno de vapor, deberíamos apreciar su historia y el papel que ha jugado en el desarrollo de la tecnología de calefacción.

Keywords

💡Caldera

Una caldera es un tipo de hornillo o tanque utilizado para producir vapor a partir del agua. En el guion, se menciona que la caldera tiene un quemador y un montón de tubos por donde viaja el humo, calentando el agua y produciendo vapor. Esto es fundamental para entender cómo funciona un sistema de caldera, que es central en la industria de la alimentación y otros sectores.

💡Pyrotubular

Este término se refiere a un tipo de caldera en la que el humo viaja por los tubos. En el guion, se describe cómo en este tipo de caldera, el humo se mueve dentro de los tubos que están sumergidos en agua, calentándola y generando vapor. Es un concepto clave para entender el diseño y la eficiencia de las calderas industriales.

💡Turbulador

Un turbulador es una pieza colocada dentro de ciertas calderas para aumentar la turbulencia del humo y mejorar la transferencia de calor. En el guion, se menciona que estos turbuladores están en calderas de dos pasos y ayudan a que el humo golpee las paredes, liberando más calor. Es un componente que mejora la eficiencia energética de la caldera.

💡Valvula de seguridad

Las valvulas de seguridad son dispositivos críticos en una caldera que se activan para evitar sobrepresiones peligrosas. En el guion, se habla de cómo se encuentran en áreas críticas de la caldera y son esenciales para mantener la seguridad del equipo. Son un ejemplo claro de las medidas preventivas que se toman en sistemas de vapor.

💡Purgado

El purgado es el proceso de eliminar los residuos y los sedimentos del fondo de la caldera. En el guion, se menciona que se debe realizar diariamente para mantener la eficiencia y la pureza del vapor generado. Es un paso importante en el mantenimiento de una caldera y en la prevención de problemas a largo plazo.

💡Regulador de presión

Un regulador de presión es un dispositivo que mantiene la presión dentro de los límites de seguridad en una caldera. En el guion, se describe cómo estos reguladores tienen un diseño especial para evitar impactos repentinos de presión y para proteger el funcionamiento del dispositivo. Son esenciales para la estabilidad y la seguridad del sistema.

💡Vapor

El vapor es el resultado final del proceso de calentamiento del agua en una caldera. En el guion, se discute cómo el vapor es utilizado en diversas industrias, como la alimentaria y la hospitalaria, y cómo su producción es un indicador de la eficiencia de la caldera. El vapor es el producto principal de los sistemas de caldera y es crucial para muchas operaciones industriales.

💡Lodo

El lodo se refiere a los residuos sólidos que se acumulan en la caldera a lo largo del tiempo. En el guion, se menciona que el lodo puede causar problemas si no se purga regularmente, y se describe cómo se debe manejar para evitar obstrucciones y mantener la eficiencia de la caldera. El lodo es un desecho que debe ser gestionado adecuadamente en sistemas de vapor.

💡Regulación

La regulación es el proceso de control y monitoreo de los parámetros críticos en una caldera, como la presión, el nivel del agua y la temperatura. En el guion, se habla de cómo la regulación es un aspecto clave del funcionamiento diario de una caldera, y cómo se realiza a intervalos regulares para garantizar la seguridad y el rendimiento. La regulación es fundamental para prevenir accidentes y para optimizar la producción de vapor.

💡Mantenimiento

El mantenimiento es el conjunto de actividades realizadas para asegurar que una caldera funcione de manera segura y eficiente. En el guion, se describen varias tareas de mantenimiento, como el chequeo de valvulas, la limpieza de tubos y la regulación de la presión. El mantenimiento es esencial para prevenir fallos y para prolongar la vida útil del equipo.

Highlights

La importancia de los generadores de vapor en la industria alimentaria, como en la producción de lácteos, conservas de pescado, verduras, alimentos precocinados, embutidos y panadería.

Los generadores de vapor también son utilizados en laboratorios farmacéuticos, textiles, papelería, hormigón precastigado, cosméticos y lavandería.

Explicación de cómo funciona un generador de vapor, incluyendo la descripción de los quemadores y los tubos que permiten el intercambio de calor entre el humo y el agua.

Los generadores de vapor 'pirotubulares' son la mayoría de los utilizados, donde el humo viaja dentro de los tubos.

Los generadores de dos pasos utilizan turbuladores para aumentar el intercambio de calor y la eficiencia energética.

La descripción de los turbuladores y su papel en la mejora del rendimiento de los generadores de vapor.

La visita a Sogecal, un fabricante líder de generadores de vapor, para observar un turbulador y entender su funcionamiento.

Importancia de la regulación y la seguridad en los generadores de vapor, con la instalación de válvulas de seguridad y alivio.

La necesidad de mantener los niveles de agua adecuados en los generadores de vapor para evitar daños en los tubos.

La función de los sensores y reguladores de presión en los generadores de vapor para mantener la producción de vapor constante y segura.

La importancia de la prevención de choques de presión y la protección térmica para la longevidad de los interruptores de presión.

La producción de vapor de alta calidad y su valor incalculable para la industria alimentaria y hospitalaria.

La necesidad de purgar los residuos y lodos en los generadores de vapor para mantener su eficiencia.

La importancia de manejar los válvulas de los generadores de vapor con precaución para evitar daños en los tubos.

La necesidad de reemplazar el vapor producido con agua, utilizando bombas verticales multicorreas para mantener la presión adecuada.

La diferencia en el tiempo de calentamiento del agua fría y caliente al reemplazar el agua en un generador de vapor.

La importancia de pre-calentar el agua antes de agregarla al generador de vapor para una producción de vapor más constante.

La función de las válvulas de seguridad y su diseño para evitar la exposición a agua hirviendo en caso de escape de vapor.

La vida diaria de un generador de vapor, incluyendo el inicio, la supervisión y el mantenimiento programado.

La necesidad de realizar revisiones y mantenimiento en los generadores de vapor cada dos horas como requisito de seguridad.

La importancia de la calidad del agua en los generadores de vapor y el uso de suavizadores de agua para prevenir incrustaciones.

La función de los aditivos en la mejora de la calidad del agua de alimentación del generador de vapor.

La automatización del suministro de agua y la temperatura del retorno para mejorar la eficiencia energética.

La necesidad de realizar análisis periódicos y mantenimiento de los tanques de almacenamiento de agua.

La importancia de la prevención y resolución de emergencias en los sistemas de generadores de vapor.

La experiencia de observar la salida de vapor de las cloacas y su comparación con las de la ciudad de Nueva York.

La explicación de Don Carlos sobre la fuente del vapor en las cloacas de Nueva York y su relación con el sistema de calefacción.

Transcripts

Well, I don't know what occurrences of a steam engine at this point!

As soon as we start it up, they're going to stop us because it doesn't have the ITV test

Supreme voice: "My son, it's about steam boilers for the Food Industry"...

Supreme voice: ..."such as dairy products, canned fish, vegetables, pre-cooked, sausages, bakery..."

Yes, this is a Steam Machine, it has a Steam Boiler.

Supreme voice: "Industrial boilers today"

Well, man, have warned before.

Come on, let's go there, to see the Steam Boiler!!!

Supreme voice: "They are also used in pharmaceutical laboratories, textiles, stationery, precast concrete, cosmetics, laundry..."

Well, to see how a Steam Boiler works,

the best thing to do is to go see our friend Manolo and tell us in person.

While I'm preparing lunch to have lunch with him, it's also very interesting that for just a moment

the Chico de la ventana tells us a little about how it works and so when Manolo is showing it to us we'll understand it better.

Hello.

Hello. Hello everyone.

Talking about steam boilers is a bit like throwing myself at the feet of the horses

because there are so many different boilers, so many sizes and so many powers...

that standardizing and focusing on one is not so easy.

We are going to see a medium type Caldera, like the one that Manolo is going to show us later

and a brushstroke can help us a lot to have two considerations.

Look closely, this is the Caldera presented in profile. We have a burner that is in a home.

Inside that home you see a lot of tubes with twisted paths

that are tubes that we make so that the smoke can travel through it.

In this way, in order to throw very hot smoke (into the atmosphere)

we make that smoke travel inside the tubes and give heat to the water because that entire area is bathed in water

and we take advantage of that energetically. As a consequence of this type of boilers

where what goes inside the tube is the smoke, the result of the fire,

we will call them "pyrotubular" boilers, which are the vast majority of those we have to make steam boilers.

This type of boilers have a characteristic is that the smoke goes backwards and returns forwards behind.

We could have the chimney we would have done about TWO STEPS into the water

or go back again to the end as the one we have drawn would be a THREE STEPS Boiler.

The two-pass boilers to encourage them to give off even more heat against the walls are boilers in which

we insert some pieces to create turbulence and for the smoke to hit the walls, giving off more heat.

Those turbulences generated by these pieces make the piece known as TURBULATOR.

They are usually put in 2-pass boilers and not so much in 3-pass boilers because three-pass boilers

already have enough tubes and do not need tubulators.

Manolo is not going to stop the Caldera to show us a tubulator.

So what we do is go see our friends at Sogecal.

Sogecal is a huge manufacturer of steam boilers that has highly technical solutions

with cutting-edge engineering. In addition, it is always nice to come and see them

because they are very nice people who always receive us very well.

We ask them to open a boiler for us and we can see what a turbulator is like.

This type of turbulator is quite clean and does not generate soot.

The ones with springs do fill up a lot with soot

and when you have to do the cleaning operation it is really much narrower. These are pretty good.

What we have to be clear about is that we already have boiling water, the water is producing steam

and logically that steam is going to come out from above and we are going to place this steam valve

where the steam is produced. you can see

and this will be the "service valve".

We will also find a slightly smaller valve next to it

that is the "relief valve"

where if we have an incident and we have to release the steam for some reason

we have to reduce pressure, we will do it through the relief valve.

It is also used for testing.

And of course it is the area where we will place "safety valves".

because it is where we have the risk of something going under pressure.

Anyway, this is the Caldera seen in profile. We may be interested in seeing it from the front to be able to understand some more small detail.

We have drawn one of three steps in this case. What I want you to understand is that in the upper part

the water is boiling we are producing steam And that means that the levels are moving

because where we have height above the bubble below the bubble

there is an oscillation of water that is moving. To know our real level, what we do

is take a shot from above, another from below and through communicating vessels in the arm on the right we have a level that marks us

in a very stable way where we have that level of water that covers all the tubes. .

If it did not cover the tubes and the level dropped, they would be damaged and in this we must always be very careful in that.

Within this bridge of communicating vessels we have our sensor elements

because it is a good place to have them. We have manometers that give us the pressure reading

and we have working pressure switches. Pressure switches to turn the burner on and off

are the ones that are measuring whether or not that pressure-temperature relationship is reached because we have boiling water.

Take a look at a curious thing: the pressure switches have a kind of small

tube curl that is an anti-liquid shock tube, it can also be called an expansion lyre,

some call it a pig's tail because of its shape and its mission is precisely to prevent the pressure switch from

receive sudden pressure shocks there in the lower part, a little water can condense

and when water condenses it has the effect of a siphon, leaving a gas chamber that

will always be gas that moves on the pressure switch It will have the same pressure on one side on the other

, but there will be no liquid hits, which are much more rigid

and also, if we were to see it with a thermal camera, we would see that it is acting as a thermal insulator.

All that mass of water is acting as a thermal insulator and allows the pressure switch to work at lower temperatures

in such a way that the life of the pressure switch is much more protected. That is very interesting.

This is how our Boiler produces a fully sterilized top-quality steam that

has incalculable value for the food industry, for the hospital industry, for many things.

But all this purity has a price to pay and that is that inside the Boiler we lose to remain dregs

They are dregs that will go to the bottom and gradually generate sludge.

We have to purge that sludge has a solution as simple as that: daily we will open

and close the purge that can be automated in some cases.

Yes, it is true that when managing all the valves of a steam boiler we have to do it slowly,

opening and closing slowly. That is why we generally have barrel seat keys.

But unlike all the others, the petcock is a ball key to be able to make a sudden opening

and by making a sudden opening break the slope of the sludge that we have.

If not, water would simply run over (the grounds) and we would be removing water but not sludge.

We have to make that mud break up and come out. Then the closure is good to do slowly,

put two valves in series, one ball and one seat, close slowly with the other, it's not bad either.

And now to finish all this steam that we are removing because we have produced it,

we have to replace it in the form of water. We will have a team of pumps that

are usually vertical multistage pumps to exert a pressure greater than the pressure inside,

otherwise we would not have the strength to put water in.

And I think that Javier wants to tell us something about this. Let's see if he has finished with what he was preparing...

Javier, are you around?

One last detail that I want to tell you.

It is a very simple exercise but I want us to be clear about it.

We have two pots of water that are producing steam. Both are boiling, both are at the same pressure.

And when our steam is running out, we will have to fill up with water.

We'll put water in it with some pumps and that's it.

Of course, it is not the same to put cold water as to put hot water.

I have two jugs: one with hot water and the other with cold water.

we replace them at the same time

and now we just have to wait and see what happens.

We can start to watch the time and observe how they react.

If you see water falling, it's from what's condensing up there, I'll pick it up before my wife sees it.

Observing that at that moment we already have boiling water has been a very quick experiment.

Our steam boiler produces steam again immediately if I put hot water in it, however if we put cold water in it

it does not break to boil yet, it takes longer. Therefore we are a long time without service.

In other words, it is very important to preheat the water before putting it in the Boiler when it has to be replaced

because that way my steam production is more constant.

And now the two pots have come to a boil and

we have steam production again, observe how we have drops that are falling and

they are drops that have recently condensed steam, they are at 100 degrees.

This is once again an important detail that we cannot ignore

and that is that when we want to contain all this and the pressure

begins to rise and the temperatures begin to rise, we will also need safety valves

that, if it gets out of hand, will make everything this jumps but water will jump out and steam will jump out so

a safety valve like the ones you have at home I don't know but this one we have here is curious.

Surely Manolo will not give it importance because Manolo sees it as very normal, but I would like

us to see it together first. It has a steam outlet that is going to be channeled upwards

so that all the steam is spit out and on the other side and at the lowest point it has

an outlet that will be for liquid and this will be led to the sewers.

In this way, the boiling water will go to the sewers in the event that it had to jump

and the steam does go to the atmosphere without having a shower of boiling water on people.

That is a small detail of the valve that when it is not going to be used because there is no probability of liquid,

it puts a stopper and that's it.

It seems to me that it is an interesting detail for us to see later when Manolo is showing it to us.

And now we are going to see it because it has to be waiting for us.

We are here with Manolo who is an electrician in the world of heating who knows and

closely controls this Steam Boiler.

Can you tell us a little, what is the day-to-day life of a machine with these characteristics?

Manolo: The day-to-day of this machine with these characteristics begins first

with the start-up.

These boilers have two feed pumps for safety reasons:

in case one fails to enter the other. This is already required by the regulations,

just as it has two safety valves, the service valve and the evacuation valve.

It is what we call twin installations.

So normally, when the start-up is done, what we do is the following: I open the filling valve,

I select the pump, I start to fill the boiler (with water)

If no fault indicator shows me, I start to light the burner

the second time fire flame and siren stoppage.

But I have to have the service key closed

and the evacuation key also closed.

When the working temperature of the Boiler...

already reaches the temperature that I have marked on the working thermometer of 161 degrees (Celsius),

I check if there are no leaks in the Boiler and leaks in the level detectors

and I open the evacuation to steam and once I have done all these functions I open

the service key very slowly because of the water hammer and for not putting a lot of pressure

on the pipes that are probably cold from the installation.

I'm going to open the evacuation valve.

It opens very slowly.

and to close the same thing: slowly to prevent the tube from vibrating.

This here is the service valve which we should not open completely,

always leave a gap to prevent the key from getting stuck.

These boilers have to be reset every two hours.

and because ?

Due to regulations and also to monitor the water level that we have to see

Purge if we have to purge the sludge from below,

even once the evacuation one.

In other words, what do you mean that even if the boiler does not have any type of problem,

it must be checked every two hours in such a way that they make you come by

every two hours, you have to come here to check the boiler to press the reset button

so that the timer start again.

If it does not come within two hours, the boiler will automatically set the alarm and

start giving the siren chivato and stop.

Although the lime kiln can give more working pressure,

it always adapts to the working pressure of the installation.

In this case we have iron rollers, we have dryers and we have washing machines

with a maximum of 140 ºC for the iron roller and the dryer is more than enough.

140 degrees is equivalent to more or less four or five kilos (bars)

and we have a little more in case there are machines running simultaneously

so that there is not so much load loss.

and this area? This area is the level section.

It has to have a minimum fill level and another maximum fill level and here we check how it is.

When we open the level cock to bleed them and check the operation itself,

both one and the other

have already recovered the level

. The purge must be done every day so that we have clean levels of the sensors,

both these and the ones we have here.

But if I open these now abruptly the alarm will go off. We are not interested, we are not interested (laughs)

So you also have to open the sludge one once a day or several times a day, the sludge one has to be opened very

carefully because now the temperature of the boiler is very high and the steam drag

and animate the key bit by bit

and now you're dragging it straight into the sewer? (the sludge)

Yes ,

because if not...

This can normally be

done both hot and cold

. sludge purges, it is also necessary to purge salts

because the increase above 6000 Poises

brings with it an increase in surface tension and as a consequence the size of the bubbles

that boil on the sheet of water grows considerably and this can produce entrainment of liquid

with the vapor, that is, produces a low-quality vapor.

That is why a detector orders a purge to reduce up to 2,000 poises in the zone of maximum concentration of salts,

which is 5 centimeters below the surface of the sheet of water.

These here are the safety valves. Normally they are put in twins in case one fails to enter the other

and once a week or for a period of time not exceeding 15 days they must be opened

to check if they really perform their function.

In addition, they also carry an external verification, which are called OCAs. (Authorized Control Body)

that come periodically to check the condition of the boiler.

But as a maintainer, you have to open them at least once a week, simply by touching them

and releasing them abruptly to close them again

and thus we verify that they can actually do their job. function are not stuck

the safety valves are calibrated to 8 kilos, we can check it on the

nameplate of the boiler, it marks 8 and a half kilos and the valve 8.

In this case we have a supply tank.

It is fed with softened water by regulation.

At least here, yes, because the quality of water that we have in this town is very hard.

We have 40 degrees of lime from French degrees of hardness, an outrage.

If it weren't for the disqualifier behind us... complicated

So Manolo this is the area where the hardness of the water is removed

so that it enters the lime kiln as pure as possible...

and in this way the dregs are as few as possible

Let there be the slightest incrustation in the caldera.

This is a programmer head, normally we have it programmed to do the cycle at night.

Of course, because the softeners at the time they are regenerating the resin do not allow feeding.

So when the Caldera is demanding we can't feed it if we are doing the regeneration.

So we program it at night, it does the regeneration cycle at night

and when we are working during the day the water softener is at full capacity.

From time to time, every 15 days we do an analysis and check the correct operation of the softener

and here we usually give practically two to six degrees of food.

Another important part Javier is the part of additives that we use for the quality of the Caldera feed.

One is an oxygen reducer and one is an antiscalant.

These pumps work automatically.

At the time the boiler feed valves enter.

Behind you have the power solenoid valve.

By the time the level probe has reached the optimal level it is already short and it is not

constantly filling water simply on demand.

So that water that we are dosing is the one that comes to this tank

and is tempered with the return steam or the return condensate

to be the one that we feed hot to the Boiler and that does not suddenly cool down.

We temper the water, we save energy because it is not the same to feed raw water that can reach 5 degrees

than practically 40 or 60 that we are adding.

These tanks must be emptied from time to time

because they accumulate waste and sludge. Like the ones in the Caldera... exactly.

The same thing we do with the Caldera from time to time.

Periodically you have to open the drain cock.

Even once a month or every two months, empty it completely

to prevent a lot of residue from accumulating here and to prevent it from entering... Everything we remove here does not enter the boiler.

Exactly. ... and I can't show you much else.

Well, I think that if we have time in the two hours...

we could go and celebrate this with lunch.

Well, it almost seems like a good idea to me, let's go.

And we continue talking in our little pause with Manolo about this exciting world

when an incident arises that requires our attention.

A gasket in the level area seems to have broken, which is a leak that needs to be fixed.

We will follow the steps indicated above.

Manolo: If we had a problem in the installation,

the first thing that would have to be done is to stop the Boiler, open the evacuation of the Boiler...

and close the service valve in case there is a problem in the installation.

We release the level and see how, despite the purges,

sometimes obstructions occur that we are going to clean.

Resolving an emergency of this type requires an organized workshop like Manolo's,

which has the joints in a specific room so that they are kept in optimal conditions.

Even so, it seems that the joint is going to have to be made with a cut-out joint band

This material is so fragile that it jumps with the look.

Prime content

Making a joint for a flanged joint

requires us to design it in such a way that we can guarantee its placement,

since if it is off-center it will reduce the passage of liquid and increase the chances of leaks,

so we cut them so that their flange is as wide as to support

the screws opposite to where we are introducing it,

having a tab that does not run into any screw to be able to position it.

It is a way of ensuring that you will be well positioned.

The truth is that seeing the steam coming out of the sewer before...

I couldn't help but think about the New York sewers

and if it has something to do with what we're seeing.

For that, we went to Central Park for a moment,

where our friend Carlos

Hombre Don Carlos awaits us !!! Good morning.

How about you here? I am very excited to see him.

Are you OK?

Yes, I am very happy. Some friends and I have a question because

we have now been seeing steam coming out of a sewer and you, who are from New York, could guide us

because we know that in New York a lot of steam comes out of the sewers. Why is this?

Which steam did you mean: the one which leaks from the sewer system or the one which gets out from the buildings

like Empire Estate or Chrysler building. Which steam do you mean?

The truth is that I should have studied English when I was a child because I haven't learned anything.

I tell you in Spanish?

I tell you in Spanish? Yes yes, in Spanish yes.

I tell you in Spanish? Yes yes, in Spanish yes. OK

It is the result of leaks from the pipes coming out of the joints.

Pipes that already have slack.

Yes some that can be broken.

We have seen that before in a friend's Caldera.

Steam lost in heating systems.

In other words, it is not that the pipe is rusty or old, but that a joint must be changed from time to time.

That is, we have to change them.

And is this network of facilities that we have very large?

Oh yes, about 170 km.

Joplets. On the island of Manhattan 170 kilometers of distribution.

In fact, we had heard that it was the largest distribution network in the world.

Yes, it is more than 100 miles.

Thank you very much for this help because we were really confused.

You are welcome.

We talked for a while more about the steam pulses due to purges or joints that need maintenance.

The truth is that since the first elevator that worked with steam in a bank.

to heating and air conditioning, downtown New York saves a lot of pollution with this energy system.

From now on, when you see an old boiler,

lose a moment to recognize each of its scars

and think that the dreams of children

continue to travel in the Steam Machine.

Hey, Don Carlos, with everything you know, you could sign up with us for these things. of the heating.

Don Carlos: but my world is that of electronics.

Well, you can learn on our channel HEATING MA NON TROPPO that we have a lot of things.

Don Carlos: sure but I have no idea of ​​cold.

From cold we have our sister channel MAESTRO CIFU where you can also subscribe.

Don Carlos: I don't have a computer, I don't have internet.

Well, no one is perfect.