Furnaces and Boilers Course

Lesson 1 • Principles of Heat Transfer

Covers conduction, convection, and radiation as they apply to industrial heating systems. Establishes the thermal basis for understanding furnace and boiler operation.

Lesson 2 • Thermodynamic Cycles Overview

Introduces Rankine and other relevant thermodynamic cycles used in steam and heat systems. Provides the cycle framework needed for boiler efficiency analysis.

Lesson 3 • Combustion Chemistry Essentials

Explains fuel composition, oxidation reactions, and stoichiometric air-fuel ratios. Connects chemical theory to practical burner performance and efficiency.

Lesson 1 • Boiler Ratings and Performance Metrics

Defines boiler horsepower, evaporation ratio, and equivalent evaporation. Provides the measurement vocabulary needed for performance comparison and specification.

Lesson 2 • Steam and Water Fittings

Identifies safety valves, water gauges, blowdown valves, and feed check valves. Explains how each fitting protects boiler integrity and ensures safe operation.

Lesson 3 • Water-Tube Boiler Design

Covers water circulation paths, steam drums, and mud drums in water-tube boilers. Explains why this design suits high-pressure and high-capacity installations.

Lesson 4 • Key Boiler Components and Functions

Details burners, heat exchangers, headers, and pressure vessels as functional units. Builds component-level understanding required for maintenance and troubleshooting.

Lesson 1 • Furnace Classification Systems

Organizes furnaces by fuel type, heating mode, and batch vs. continuous operation. Establishes a classification framework used throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Furnace Atmosphere Control

Explains protective, reactive, and vacuum atmospheres used in heat treatment furnaces. Prepares students to specify atmosphere conditions for metallurgical processes.

Lesson 3 • Refractory Materials and Furnace Walls

Covers refractory brick, castables, and ceramic fiber used in furnace construction. Links material selection to operating temperature, thermal cycling, and energy loss.

Lesson 4 • Burner Systems in Furnaces

Describes premix, nozzle-mix, and radiant tube burners and their placement strategies. Connects burner selection to temperature uniformity and atmosphere control.

Lesson 1 • Combustion Air Supply Systems

Covers forced draft fans, air preheaters, and ductwork design for combustion air delivery. Links air supply design to burner performance and heat recovery.

Lesson 2 • Combustion Diagnostics and Tuning

Uses flue gas analysis, CO and O2 readings, and visual flame assessment to tune burners. Provides practical skills for optimizing combustion in the field.

Lesson 3 • Fuel Gas Train Components

Identifies pressure regulators, safety shutoff valves, and flow meters in a gas train. Explains how each component ensures safe and metered fuel delivery.

Lesson 4 • Air-Fuel Ratio Control Principles

Explains ratio control strategies including cross-limiting and parallel positioning. Connects ratio accuracy to combustion efficiency and emissions compliance.

Lesson 1 • Internal Chemical Treatment Programs

Explains phosphate, polymer, and chelant programs for scale and sludge control. Connects chemical dosing to boiler pressure rating and water quality.

Lesson 2 • Feedwater Quality Requirements

Defines hardness, dissolved oxygen, pH, and conductivity limits for boiler feedwater. Establishes the quality baseline that all treatment programs must achieve.

Lesson 3 • Water Softening and Deaeration

Covers ion exchange softening, dealkalizers, and mechanical and chemical deaeration. Links each process to the specific contaminant it removes from feedwater.

Lesson 4 • Corrosion Control in Boiler Systems

Addresses oxygen pitting, caustic gouging, and condensate line corrosion mechanisms. Provides chemical and operational strategies to protect metal surfaces.

Lesson 1 • Boiler and Furnace Inspection Requirements

Explains internal and external inspection intervals, inspector qualifications, and documentation. Connects inspection practice to regulatory compliance and insurance requirements.

Lesson 2 • Hazardous Energy Control Procedures

Applies lockout/tagout principles to boiler and furnace isolation before maintenance. Protects workers from thermal, pressure, electrical, and chemical energy hazards.

Lesson 3 • Emissions Monitoring and Reporting

Covers continuous emissions monitoring, stack testing, and regulatory reporting obligations. Links operational parameters to allowable emission limits for NOx, CO, and particulates.

Lesson 4 • Pressure Relief and Overpressure Protection

Covers safety valve sizing, set pressure selection, and discharge piping requirements. Ensures students can verify that overpressure protection meets design intent.

Lesson 1 • Normal Operating Procedures

Establishes routine monitoring tasks, log sheet completion, and parameter adjustment during operation. Builds disciplined operating habits that sustain efficiency and safety.

Lesson 2 • Planned and Emergency Shutdown

Distinguishes planned cooldown procedures from emergency trip responses and post-trip actions. Prepares operators to respond correctly under both normal and abnormal conditions.

Lesson 3 • Furnace Startup and Heat Soak

Covers furnace light-off, temperature ramp schedules, and heat soak requirements for refractory. Protects refractory integrity and ensures process temperature stability.

Lesson 4 • Pre-Startup Inspection and Checks

Defines the pre-startup checklist covering water levels, valve positions, and instrument readiness. Prevents startup incidents caused by overlooked equipment conditions.

Lesson 1 • Waste Heat Recovery Technologies

Evaluates recuperators, regenerators, economizers, and waste heat boilers for heat recovery. Connects each technology to achievable fuel savings and payback periods.

Lesson 2 • Boiler Efficiency Calculation Methods

Applies direct and indirect (heat loss) methods to calculate boiler thermal efficiency. Provides the analytical foundation for identifying and prioritizing efficiency improvements.

Lesson 3 • Energy Auditing and Monitoring

Applies energy audit methodology, key performance indicators, and metering strategies to heating systems. Produces an energy audit report with prioritized recommendations.

Lesson 4 • Steam System Optimization

Addresses steam trap management, condensate return, and distribution loss reduction. Demonstrates how steam system losses directly reduce boiler plant efficiency.