Boiler room design
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Our company needs to relocate to a new location, and we plan to install 3 steam boilers and 4 heat transfer oil boilers; all of them are gas boilers, with the heat transfer oil boilers being vertical type. Is it possible to arrange all these boilers in a straight line? Is it acceptable if the safety distance in the boiler room is less than 3m? Will not having partition walls around a gas boiler, with only rain protection on the top, affect its combustion?
If the property owner is in the south, where there’s no need to build walls around the area, then there’s no problem at all. Even in the north, I don’t think it will have a significant impact on combustion; it might only affect the proper functioning of various pipelines.
It is acceptable to arrange boilers side by side; as for the spacing, you can refer to the boiler room design specifications. If it’s not clear, you can consult the manufacturer that supplied the boiler or turn to a local design institute.
Code for Design of Boiler Rooms GB50041－92
There are no specific requirements regarding the layout of boilers and the spaces between them. It just needs to be convenient for pipeline installation. Boilers with different capacities have different requirements: the clear distance in front of the boiler is at least 3 meters for 1–4 t/h capacity, at least 4 meters for 6–20 t/h capacity, and at least 5 meters for 35–65 t/h capacity. The clear distance on the sides and at the back is at least 0.8 meters for 1–4 t/h capacity, at least 1.5 meters for 6–20 t/h capacity, and at least 1.8 meters for 35–65 t/h capacity
There are design specifications for this; check them out
Thank you all. The relevant design specifications do not specify any requirements regarding the distance between furnace rooms, while the petrochemical design specifications require that this distance be no less than three meters. But current designs definitely cannot meet this requirement; for now, only ease of operation and installation needs to be considered. However, I’ve heard from senior colleagues that in the past there were incidents in the company where burners flew out of the boilers, so now when arranging them, the burners must not be positioned near the boilers; even if the distance between them exceeds the specified standards, it’s not allowed. As a result, the distance between the boilers has to be reduced.
In the situation you described, there might be unburned gases inside the furnace, which caused an explosion at the moment of ignition. Today’s burners should all come equipped with a pre-purge function; this situation occurs quite rarely. However, for safety reasons, it is not appropriate to place another boiler in front of an existing one – at least I have never seen anyone arrange things that way.
If the boiler is designed to be weather-resistant, it can be placed outdoors; as long as the spacing between them meets the relevant standards, there will be no issue with a fence.
Refer to the Boiler Room Design Code (GB 50041-2008)