The invention relates to boilers, in particular steam boilers, recovering thermal energy from the exhaust gases generated by a diesel engine or a similar engine, and to the regulation of the power of said boilers. The exhaust gas boiler is made up of a steam/water cylinder and a convection part, most commonly water-pipe-structured, recovering thermal energy. The pipes may be smooth or ribbed, and they are usually horizontally or vertically disposed. The water/steam cylinder acts as the storage container for the liquid to be fed to the convection part and for the steam generated therein. In addition, the exhaust gas boiler comprises a frame, a heat-insulated housing, inlet and outlet openings for exhaust gas, the necessary valves, piping, possibly collector pipes, pumps, control devices, safety devices, and a control panel. Before being fed into the boiler the water is treated by using boiler-water treatment devices and chemicals.

Exhaust gas boilers have most commonly been used on ships and in diesel power stations, in which operational reliability is of a very high importance. Partly for this reason, the systems in use seen simple and outdated in their technology. Furthermore, especially for ships, classification institutions control closely the systems used, and extensive and thorough test runs are carried out on new constructions, even for reasons of maritime safety. In cumbersome, deficient and severe operating conditions, the simplest solutions with respect to both regulation and other functions have proved best in terms of operational reliability. In the exhaust gas boilers of steam-generating diesel engines or the like, power regulation has usually been implemented by causing a portion of the exhaust gases to bypass the boiler, so-called bypass regulation, or by condensing any excess steam with a cooling substance such as water, air or the like, so-called condensation regulation. On the basis of their operating mode, the boilers have conventionally been classified into free-circulation boilers, in which the circulation is effected by gravity and by temperature differences, and forced-circulation boilers, in which the circulation is effected by means of a pump or a corresponding device. In forced-circulation boilers, a throttle valve, most commonly situated on the pressure side of the pump, has been used for power regulation, so called throttle regulation.

For bypass regulation it has been necessary to construct for the exhaust gas boiler a bypass, which is difficult to implement as a construction and expensive, since the arrangement additionally requires a regulating damper by means of which the exhaust gas flows are directed into the exhaust gas boiler and to bypass it. In order for the regulation properties to be good, the regulating damper should be double-acting, i.e. it should regulate the flows both to the boiler and to the bypass. The use of two separate dampers is an expensive option. In practice, the option of one regulating damper has often been settled for, at the expense of the regulating properties and flow resistances. The regulating damper has to operate it hot and soiling conditions, and thus the operational reliability will suffer. If the bypass flow of the boiler is increased, the flow velocity of the exhaust gases in the convection part is reduced. From this there follows the adhering of exhaust-gas soot, oil and other solids to the surfaces of the convection part; this weakens heat exchange, and in the worst case causes a fire.

In the condensation regulation system there is no need for an exhaust gas bypass or a regulating damper. Instead, for dumping the excess steam coming from the exhaust gas boiler there is needed a condenser, water and steam pipes, pumps and/or blowers, control valves, and regulators. The condenser may be either water-cooled or air-cooled.

In addition to the costs of investment, in the condensation regulation system there are incurred operating costs from the use of the pumps and/or blowers, in addition to which the cooling water may in some conditions be expensive, or a warm climate may require the increasing of the heat exchange surface of the air coolers and of the blower efficiency. Running at a constant power will also increase the boiler water treatment costs and the apparatus size. It can be deemed to be a good feature of the condensation regulation system that the exhaust gases have the highest possible flow velocity in the convection part, thus reducing soiling.

In forced-circulation exhaust gas boilers the pipes are often in a horizontal plane, and the pipes in different horizontal planes are interconnected by curved pipe parts, circulation occurring from one plane to another. Thereby sufficiently long pipes are obtained for the high velocities of the forced circulation, and there is time for vaporization to take place. A forced-circulation exhaust gas boiler can also be coupled so that pipes in one and the same horizontal level are connected to one another. In throttle regulation of an exhaust gas boiler, the flow is reduced in order to reduce the boiler power. When the flow velocity decreases sufficiently, water will be left lying on the bottom of horizontally disposed pipes and will form boiler scale as it boils dry. In some cases there may form separate steam pockets which, when discharging, may damage the boiler. When a forced-circulation exhaust gas boiler which has been run dry is being started, there forms a strong thermal shock, which will cause high thermal stresses and will strain the boiler.

US-A-2222349 discloses a forced-feed flow-through boiler generating superheated steam, the properties of which, the pressure and the temperature are adjusted by choking the steam flows coming from the different parts of the boiler. The selected degree of the superheating determines the surface heights in the different parts of the boiler. As a boiler furnished with a burner or the like is in question, its efficiency is determined on the basis of the efficiency of the burner.

US-A-3162180 discloses a steam generator type boiler, in which the water surface in the water pipes or the like is adjusted by means of a float regulator. The efficiency of the boiler is controlled by means of an oil burner.

EP-A-51078 discloses the most generally used forced-circulation system exhaust gas boiler arrangement furnished with a pump. The boiler functions in accordance with the natural circulation back-pressure valves which have been added to it to lower ends of the tubes. The back-pressure valves prevent the flow in false direction and are necessary because of the steam/water cylinder placed in the upper part of the arrengement. The back-pressure valves do not have anything to do with the pressure of the boiler or the regulation of the efficiency.

FI patent publication No. 64978 discloses an exhaust gas boiler wherein the heat exchange surfaces of the convection part are made up of pipe coils made of smooth pipe. The boiler is cylindrical and the smoke ducts of the convection part are circular as seen from above and from below. The space left inside the innermost coil is used as a bypass duct in which also the silencer is situated. The regulating damper is on top of the bypass, and when it is closed, all exhaust gases will flow into the convection part. When the regulating damper is open, a portion of the exhaust gas flow will travel via the convection part. Soiling is reduced by a smooth pipe structure. A regulating range of 0 - 100 % is not achieved with the construction according to the FI patent. Owing to the smooth pipes, the thermal surfaces remain small and the boiler will be heavy in high power categories. It is best suited for high exhaust gas temperatures, i.e. for rapid diesel engines.

The object of the invention according to the present application is to provide a self-regulating exhaust gas boiler which is simple in construction and reliable in operation and does not include moving parts. The exhaust-gas bypass duct with a regulating damper is not necessary in the self-regulating exhaust gas boiler according to the present application. Since the self-regulating exhaust gas boiler according to the invention does not generate steam in amounts beyond consumption, a condenser with its auxiliary devices is not needed for the dumping of excess steam. The self-regulating exhaust gas boiler according to the invention operates with free, i.e. natural, circulation, in which case separate circulation pumps are not required. The entire exhaust gas flow always travels through the convection part, thus ensuring the best possible self-cleaning.

The self-regulating exhaust gas boiler according to the invention is based on the regulation of steam generation by regulating the water level in the convection part. This is made possible by the different heat transfer properties of the liquid phase and the steam phase. The steel boiler structure withstands the running of the exhaust gas boiler while dry, since the maximum temperature of the exhaust gases is approx. 350°.

More precisely, the self-regulating exhaust gas boiler according to the invention is characterized in what is stated in the characterising clauses of the claims presented hereinafter.

In the self-regulating exhaust gas boiler, the water level in the pipes, which are preferably vertically disposed, is regulated by means of at least one regulable valve in connection with the downcomer or downcomers of the steam/water cylinder. In the self-regulating exhaust gas boiler any superheated steam possibly emerging from the convection part is cooled by means of feed water by using steam guide baffles, the feed water being directed to an area inside the baffles by means of perforated and/or ribbed pipes, and/or by directing the steam to the water surface or under the water surface. The water level in the steam/water cylinder of the self-regulating exhaust gas boiler is adjusted to a constant level or is allowed to vary between an upper limit and a lower limit. The regulation of the water level can be effected by means of a separate independent control circuit. The valve regulating the water level in the convection part is controlled by means of the pressure, temperature and/or flow or corresponding quantities of the main steam line or the steam/water cylinder. The convection part may be made up of smooth or ribbed pipes; also a sheet structure or a combination of the foregoing is possible. A plurality of exhaust gas boilers can be coupled to a common steam/water cylinder, whereby a minimum will be reached in the number of feed-water pumps and water-level regulation. The raising of the steam/water cylinder to a higher level improves static pressure and speeds: up regulation. The exhaust gas flow through the self-regulating exhaust gas boiler travels in its entirety through the convection part.

The invention provides highly significant advantages.

The regulation of the self-regulating exhaust gas boiler is virtually foolproof, and it is equally suited for the oceans and the jungle. Spare parts possibly needed, such as presso-stats and thermometers, are available all over the world. The self-regulating exhaust gas boiler is also simple to run manually. The investment costs and the operating costs are reduced, since neither condensers nor bypass ducts are required. The usability of the self-regulating exhaust gas boiler is also improved by the possibility of designing the exhaust gas boiler for the maximum flow velocity, in which case the self-cleaning of the convection surfaces will be the best possible while the flow velccities remain almost constant. By means of a vertical pipe construction it is possible to reduce the formation of boiler scale, and with cautious running and careful operation it is almost entirely eliminated. Blowing can be arranged for the lower cylinder and the surface of a free-circulation boiler, and thereby the usability and useful life of the self-regulating exhaust gas boiler can be improved.

The invention is described below in greater detail with the help of the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 depicts schematically a front elevation of one embodiment of t:he self-regulating exhaust gas boiler.

Figure 2 depicts a side elevation of the self-regulating exhaust gas boiler of Figure 1, partly in cross-section.

Figure 3 depicts schematically a coupling in which a plurality of exhaust gas boilers have been coupled to a common steam/water cylinder.

In Figures 1 and 2, the storage container for the feed water and steam of the self-regulating exhaust gas boiler is a steam/water cylinder 2. The feed-water flow 3 comes from water treatment devices and is regulated by means of a valve 4. A pipe 5 directs the feed water to a distributor pipe 6 inside the steam/water cylinder 2. The aim in the design of the distributor pipe 6 is that heat exchange between the steam 7 and the feed water 8 should be as advantageous as possible. The feed-water level 9 in the steam/water cylinder 2 is regulated by means of a regulator 10, from which, for example, an electric signal is transmitted via wires 22 to the valve 4 or, for example, the feed-water pipe. The regulation may be continuous or lower limit/upper limit regulation. Visually the water level 9 can be monitored by means of monitoring vials 11. The steam flow 12 produced by the self-regulating exhaust gas boiler 1 is regulated by means of a main steam valve 13, which is mounted in a main steam pipe 14 connected to the steam/water cylinder 2. The safety devices of the self-regulating exhaust gas boiler 1 include safety valves 15, which release excess pressure from the boiler an underpressure guard 16, which prevents the formation of underpressure in the boiler upon cooling; and a pressure gauge 17 indicating the pressure prevailing in the boiler.

To the lower section of the mantle 18 of the steam/water cylinder 2 there are connected downcomers 19, in which there are mounted regulating valves 20. The pressostat 21 measuring the pressure in the steam/water cylinder 2 controls the valves, for example, by means of an electric signal via wires 23, or the valves 20 may also be self-actuated, controlled directly by the steam 7 pressure, temperature, or the like.

The downcomers 19 are connected to a lower cylinder 40, which distributes the feed water 8 to convection-part 41 lower distributor pipes 42, to which there are attached vertical pipes 43. Heat exchange is by mediation of the vertical pipes 43, which may be either smooth or ribbed 44 in order to improve their heat exchange properties. The pipes of the convection part 41 may also be replaced by sheet structures. The upper ends of the vertical pipes 43 are connected to upper collector pipes 45, which direct the steam 7 to the steam/water cylinder 2 and are attached by their other ends to its mantle 18. The steam 7 entering the steam/water cylinder via openings 46 is directed by a baffle 47 to heat the feed water 8 in the distributor pipe 6 and/or the feed water 8 cools the superheated steam 7. The water level 48 in the convection part 41 determines the power of the self-regulating exhaust gas boiler 1.

The connection part 41 of the self-regulating exhaust gas boiler 1 can be suspended by its upper section to the frame 50, and the steam/water cylinder 2 can be attached to it, for example, by mediation of supports 51. The exhaust gas flow 52 travels in its entirely via inlet and outlet openings 53 and 54 through the convection part 41. By means of flanges 55 and 56, the self-regulating exhaust gas boiler 1 is coupled, for example, to the exhaust-gas duct of a diesel engine. Cylinders 57 and 58, or the like, connected to the flanges 55 and 56 are connected by mediation of cones 59 and 60 to the frame 50. The exterior surfaces (50, 57, 58, 59, 60) of the self-regulating exhaust gas boiler are usually thermally insulated for the sake of energy economy and in order to lower the surface temperature for reasons of occupational safety.

Figure 3 depicts an embodiment in which three separate self-regulating exhaust gas boilers 1 are coupled to a common steam/water cylinder 2. Arrows 24 indicate the travel of the steam 7, Steam pipes 25 or upper collector pipes 45 coming fror the separate exhaust gas boilers 1 are connected to a connecting steam pipe 26 leading to the steam/water cylinder 2. A steam 7 collector pipe system of some other type is, of course also possible, or the self-regulating exhaust gas boilers 1 are coupled directly to the steam/water cylinder 2 by mediation of upper collector pipes 45 or directly. In the embodiment of Figure 3, the connecting steam pipe 26 is directed from above to the steam/water cylinder 2 through the mantle 18, and it is connected to a perforated steam distributor pipe 27, which is situated in part or entirely below the surface 9 of the feed water 8. Thereby feed water 8 is heated and superheated steam is saturated. The steam jets 29 discharging through perforations 23 are effectively mixed with the feed water 8. The wate level regulator 10 controls via a wire 30 a pump 31 in the feed-water pipe 5. In this embodiment, the pipe 5 leads directly to the steam/water cylinder 2. The upper end of the downcomer 32 is attached to the lower section of the mantle 18 of the steam/water cylinder 2 and its lower end is attached to a manifold 33, to which the downcomers 19 of the separate exhaust gas boilers 1 are coupled. The water level in the convection parts 41, as well as in the individual boilers 1, is regulated by means of valves 20. The flow of feed water 8 to the self-regulating exhaust gas boilers is indicated by arrow 34.

The self-regulating exhaust gas boiler 1 according to the invention works as follows. The exhaust gas flow 52 from a diesel engine or the like is not regulated in any way; it flows in its entirety through the convection part 41, keeping the heat exchange surfaces clean owing to its high flow velocity. In the vertical pipes 43 of the convection part 41 the liquid to be vaporized is on the inside and the exhaust gas is on their outside. In order to enhance heat exchange, the pipes are usually ribbed on the gas-flow side. When the valve 13 of the main steam line 14 is opened either manually or under control of a target of use, the pressure and temperature in the steam/water cylinder 2 decrease, and the valve 20 is opened under the control of a pressostat 21, a thermostat, or directly under the control of the steam 7 pressure, temperature or the like, whereupon feed water 8 will flow under gravity via the downcomer 19 to the convection part 41 and will raise the water level 48. The generation of steam 7 increases, since the transfer of heat by water and a water-steam mixture is considerably better than that by steam. The steam above the water surface 48 superheats the more the lower the power at which the exhaust gas boiler is run, since at low powers the water level 48 is low and the superheating surface increases. The valve 20 can be regulated as a continuous-working or an on/off type, depending on the targets of use of the steam, which determine the speed and precision of the regulation. The speed of the regulation can be increased by increasing the number and/or diameter of the downcomers. Also by a raising of the steam/water cylinder 2 to a higher level, as shown in Figure 3, the static pressure of the feed water 8 can be increased and thereby the power regulation speed can be improved. The level 9 of the feed water 8 in the steam/water cylinder 2 can also be regulated by continuous regulation or controlled by upper and lower limits. The regulation of the water level 9 can also be implemented completely independently by controlling the operation of the pump 31 and/or the valve 4. In terms of stable operation of the self-regulating exhaust gas boiler 1 it is important that the superheating heat of the superheated steam can be transferred to the feed water. The surface 9 of the feed water 8 acts to some extent as a heat exchange surface, but it is not sufficient. Therefore efforts are made to enhance heat exchange by means of various perforated and ribbed pipe systems or by directing the steam 7 to the surface 9 or under it. Heat exchange can also be enhanced by means of various steam or water jets.

The regulation of the water level 9 in the steam/water cylinder serves to prevent overfilling. When the self-regulating exhaust gas boiler is run at zero power, feed water 8 may be left only on the bottom of the lower cylinder 40, where it is possible to arrange exit blowing. Surface blowing in the steam/water cylinder 2 can also be easily arranged owing to the water surface 9 regulation.

The invention of the present application is not limited only to the constructions and embodiments presented above. Thus, for example, the construction of the convection part 41 may vary according to the pipes available. The ribbing may be spiral or longitudinal. Various combinations of upper collector pipes and lower distributor pipes can be used, or they may be entirely omitted. The steam/water cylinder 2 may be of another shape or its disposition may be different. Also, the heating of the feed water E by means of partly superheated steam 7 can be implemented in many different ways. For a person skilled in the art, the use of numerous control devices and operating within the inventive idea is also clear.