Economizer Selection Method with Reference to Its Reliability at Preliminary Design Stage of Seagoing Vessels

The economizers are used for production of steam heating on en route ships. The economizers are producing steam in a heat exchange process from the ship’s main engine exhaust gas. Products of the incomplete combustion of the heavy fuel oil remaining in engines, passing the boiler, collect on the heat exchange surface of the economizer. When the incorrect assumptions are made for the boiler operation conditions, the boiler steam capacity drops and fire and burning of the incomplete combustion products can occur in the economizer. To minimize combustion product quantity that collects on the boiler surface, the allowable exhaust gas pressure drop in the boiler should be taken into consideration, as well as the results from recommended exhaust gas flow velocity that is determined by main engine service load determined in the preliminary design phase of the ship. The remaining operating conditions are made in such a way to obtain high steam capacity of the boiler. It is essential at the design stage to take into consideration the future operating parameters of the combustionsteam-water installation, since these parameters depend on the choice of boiler and determined at the design stage production of steam. On the basis of operation parameters of contemporary container ships, an attempt was made to select economizer capacity in the preliminary design stage taking into consideration operation conditions of the propulsion system-steam installations unit in aspect of economizer reliability.