4.1 Starting Up the Furnace (I) Preparation Work 1. Ensure that all work is completed and the site is clean, so that the conditions for starting up are met. All valves are closed. 2. The overall hydrostatic test was completed as required, and it passed the acceptance inspection. 3. The airtightness test has been completed as required, with no leaks in the flue. 4. The water supply parameters meet the requirements. 5. The furnace drying process shall be carried out in accordance with the relevant requirements, strictly following the temperature rise curve. 6. The furnace boiling or chemical cleaning tasks were completed as required, and the water quality analysis met the standards necessary for operation. 7. The installation of the safety valve is complete; proper markings have been applied. 8. The flushing and purging of the process pipelines have been completed, and all kinds of debris and rust have been removed. 9. All relevant instruments are in good condition and in use. 10. The expansion indicators of the boiler drum and header are in good condition and functional. (II) Oven Drying 1. Purpose: After a boiler is newly installed, relocated, or overhauled, the newly built furnace walls and arch blocks, as well as the mortar used in their construction, contain a large amount of water. It is only as the mortar gradually dries and hardens that it can develop sufficient adhesion to the bricks. However, the drying of mortar must proceed slowly. Firstly, various types of mortar, especially the cement mortar used for ordinary bricks in the outer layer of furnace walls, require a curing process; without proper curing, the strength of the furnace walls often fails to meet the required standards ; Secondly, the heating and baking speed is too fast, resulting in a significant difference in thermal expansion between the inner and outer walls of the furnace. As a result, the outer wall often suffers from minor cracks, deformation, or even collapse, as its mortar has not yet dried and lacks sufficient adhesion and strength to resist the rapid expansion of the inner wall. The so-called “firing up the furnace” refers to the process of heating and drying the newly constructed furnace walls and arches at a much slower rate than usual when starting the fire. 2. Meeting the requirements: 1) After the installation of the boiler itself and the steam pipes, as well as completion of bricklaying and insulation work, ventilation, hydrostatic pressure, and air leakage tests must be carried out, with satisfactory results. 2) The induced draft fans, boiler feed water pumps, etc., have passed the trial operation, and there is sufficient water available for furnace drying. 3) The thermal and electrical instruments required for furnace drying must be installed and calibrated. 4) Prepare the radiant combustion chamber of the waste heat boiler properly: drain any gas residues, conduct gas oxygen analysis (with three consecutive samples meeting the requirement that O2% ≤ 0.0%), and ensure that the automatic safety valve functions properly. 5) Identify the key monitoring and expansion indicators for the boiler. 3. Precautions 1) The temperature should be increased gradually during furnace heating. 2) During furnace drying, the water level in the pot should be maintained at the lowest safe level indicated by the water gauge. 3) During furnace drying, it is necessary to regularly check the condition of the furnace; there should be no cracks or other defects such as unevenness. If any such issues are detected, corrective actions must be taken. 4) Anti-freezing measures should be taken when heating the furnace in winter. 4. Specific methods and steps: After the preparatory work before heating the furnace is completed, the radiation chamber can be ignited, or the furnace can be heated using the heat from the recycled flue gas. First, open the flue dampers to 1/6–1/5 to allow slow air flow, maintain the furnace pressure at a slight positive level of 4.9–9.8 Pa, and keep the boiler water temperature between 90°C. Three days later, the flue damper can be opened to 1/2, and depending on the situation, the radiant combustion chamber of the waste heat boiler can be started up or the butterfly valve at the inlet for regenerated flue gas can be gradually opened. The drying time for a boiler is around 6 to 10 days, depending on the boiler’s capacity and type, as well as the level of dryness or wetness of its furnace walls. In the later stage of furnace drying, the furnace can be boiled simultaneously. (III) Boiler Boiling 1. Purpose: It is mainly to remove oil, rust, and other contaminants adhering to the internal surfaces of a newly installed or repaired boiler, in order to prevent failures once the boiler starts operating. 2. Specific methods: 1) The furnace boiling operation is carried out immediately after furnace drying. 2) The chemicals used for boiler cleaning are alkaline; they cause the fats and oils inside the boiler to react with the alkali and precipitate. The amount required can be calculated as 2–5 kg of each of NaOH and Na3PO4 per ton of boiler. Then, the chemical is added to the dosing tank; after thorough mixing and dissolution, a 20% concentration solution is prepared. The process is adjusted, and the chemical is pumped into the boiler drum using pumps P704/1 and 2, until the water level in the boiler reaches the highest visible level. 3) Slowly open the flue damper to 1/3, bring the water in the boiler to a boil, and the steam generated can be vented through the relief valve and safety valve. 4) Keep the water in the pot boiling vigorously for 24 hours; when the water level drops, water with the same alkalinity can be added to the pot. 5) Once the boiling process is complete, wash away the dirt in the pot with clean water. After the water in the pot has cooled down, drain it all, and then open the manholes and access holes. 3. Precautions 1) Maintain the normal water level while boiling the furnace. 2) During boiler operation, the alkalinity of the boiler water must be no less than 50 milliequivalents per liter; otherwise, additional alkali needs to be added. 3) Check whether the drain valve is stuck or blocked. 4) During boiler heating, prevent the chemical solution from entering the superheater. 5) After the boiler is boiled, the water should be changed for rinsing, and the check valves and drain valves that came into contact with the chemical solution should also be rinsed. Inspect the inner walls of the boiler drum and header, and completely remove any debris. 4. Qualification standards: 1) The inner walls of the boiler drum and header are free of oil deposits and appear dark brown in color. 2) After removing the adhering substances, there are no rust spots on the metal surface. (IV) Commissioning of the waste heat boiler 1.4.1.1. All drain valves and chemical dosing valves of the boiler shall be closed, as well as the main steam valve at the superheater outlet. 1.4.1.2. Open the vent valve on the superheater and feed deoxygenated water into the furnace to fill the drum and the superheater; close the vent valve once water is seen flowing out of it. At the same time, open the drain valve on the superheater outlet header, and flush the superheating tubes for 1 hour (this step can be omitted for newly installed superheaters). At this point, activate the boiler level gauge and flush it once as well. 1.4.1.3. Close the drain valve at the superheater outlet header, reduce the water supply to the steam drum, and drain water from the bottom of the steam drum until it reaches the normal level; supply deoxygenated water to the furnace to bring the steam drum level back to normal. Set the water supply control valve to automatic mode. 1.4.1.4. Lead the main steam in front of the reheater to the outlet valve of the superheater, drain all the steam condensate, then slowly open the outlet valve of the superheater to allow steam to flow from the superheater into the drum. Once the pressure inside the drum is equal to the pressure of the main steam, open the outlet valve of the superheater fully. 1.4.1.5. Seal No. 3 and remove the seal; fully open the outlet flue dampers to allow smoke to enter the waste heat boiler and raise its temperature gradually. 1.4.1.6. Conduct a comprehensive inspection of the boiler, enable continuous blowdown, open the first drain valve, thoroughly flush the sampling pipelines, add chemicals to the boiler, and analyze the feedwater, steam, and boiler water. 1.4.1.7. Gradually close Valve 1# leading to the chimney to control the amount of flue gas entering the waste heat boiler; raise the temperature in accordance with the specified rate, with this rate being ≤100°C per hour, until the valve is fully closed. After the 2 tanks have cooled naturally for 8 hours, a water seal is applied. 1.4.1.8. The adjustment operations ensure that the outlet temperature of the superheater remains at ≤270°C, and the flue gas temperature of the economizer is ≥180°C; chemical analysis is used to monitor the quality of the feedwater, steam, and boiler water.