Boiler glossary

Boiler glossary F

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FAIL-SAFE -- Design in which power supply, control or structural failure leads to automatic operation of protective device; normally shut down of the burner.
A characteristic of a particular type of actuator, which upon loss of power supply will act in a predetermined way, i.e., cause the valve plug to fully close, fully open or remain in fixed position.
FATIGUE -- The tendency of a material to break under repeated strain.
FEEDWATER PUMP-- A pump that supplies water to a boiler.
FEEDWATER -- The water supplied to the boiler to replace the steam that has been used. Water that enters the drum from the feedline. Usually hot, it may consist of a mixture of condensate and makeup water.
FEEDWATER INJECTOR -- It forces water into a boiler against the boiler pressure by means of a steam jet.
FEEDWATER TREATMENT -- The treatment of boiler feedwater by the addition of chemicals to prevent the formation of scale or to eliminate other objectionable characteristics.
FEU -- Maritime abbreviation for "forty-foot equivalent unit" which refers to a container that is 40 feet in length (12.2 meter), 8 feet wide (2.4 meter), and a little over 8 feet high. See TEU
FIRE BARS -- The grate that supports the fuel in the firebox so that air for combustion can be drawn through it.
FIREBOX -- The furnace of the boiler.
FIRE-TUBE BOILER -- A type of boiler design in which combustion gases flow inside the tubes and water flows outside the tubes.
FLAME DETECTOR -- A device which indicates if a fuel is burning, or if ignition has been lost. The indication signal is normally transmitted to a control system.
FLAREBACK -- A backfire of flame and hot gases into a ship's fireroom from the firebox caused by a fuel oil explosion in the firebox.
FLASH BOILER -- A monotube boiler in which the feed water evaporates to steam immediately in the tube.
FLUE GAS -- The gaseous product of combustion in the flue to the stack. This stream is commonly kept at an elevated temperature to avoid condensation in flue stack.
FLY ASH -- A fine ash from the pulverized fuel burned in power stations, used in brick-making and as a partial substitute for cement in concrete.
FOAMING -- A condition that occurs when an organic substance, usually oil, is floating on the surface of the water in a boiler. Foaming is generally indicated in the gauge glass by large swings in water level.
FORCED CIRCULATION -- The circulation of water in a boiler by means of an external pump.
FORCED-DRAFT FAN -- A fan supplying air under pressure to the burner.
FPSO -- Floating Production, Storage and Offloading.
FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION -- A heat dependent process used to separate a substance into pure fractions.
FRASER BOILER -- An old boiler without tubes.
FSO -- Floating Storage and Offloading.
FUEL OIL CALCULATION PROGRAM -- The progeam can easily calculate the theoretical requirement of air per kilogram of fuel and at the same give the fuel oil's CCAI and Specific energy as well as viscosity and density at operation temperatur.
FUEL OILS -- Oils obtained as residues in the distillation of petroleum; used, either alone or mixed with other oils, for domestic heating and for furnace firing (particularly marine furnaces); also as fuel for internal combustion engines.
FUEL-TO-STEAM EFFICIENCY -- The ratio of heat added to boiler feedwater to produce the output steam to the amount of energy inputted with fuel.
FULLY CONDENSING FURNACE -- A furnace designed with sufficient heat transfer surface to condense moisture from the flue products, thereby increasing furnace efficiency.
FUNNEL -- The chimney of a boiler. Convection within it induces a draught through the firebox.
FURNACE -- An enclosed space provided for the combustion of fuel.
FUSIBLE PLUG -- A hollowed threaded plug having the hollowed portion filled with a low melting point material used, for example, in the crown of a boiler firebox. If the water level falls below them the metal in the plug melts and steam is dumped into the firebox to prevent serious overheating of the plates.