

Glossary
acfh |
Actual cubic feet per hour. |
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acfm |
Actual cubic feet per minute, a term used to indicate the flow rate of gases, |
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at any condition of temperature and pressure. |
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°API |
A scale adopted by American Petroleum Institute to indicate the specific |
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gravity of a liquid. Water has an API gravity of 10°API and No. 2 fuel oil, |
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about 35°API. |
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ABMA |
American Boiler Manufacturers Association. |
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ASME |
American Society of Mechanical Engineers. |
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ASR |
Actual steam rate, a term used to indicate the actual steam consumption |
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of steam turbines in lb/kWh. |
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BHP |
Brake horsepower, a term used for power consumption or rating of tur- |
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bomachinery. This does not include the efficiency of the drive. |
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Btu |
British thermal unit, a term for measuring heat. |
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CFD |
Computational fluid dynamics |
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CO |
Carbon monoxide |
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CO2 |
Carbon dioxide |
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cP |
Centipoise, a unit for measurement of absolute viscosity. |
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CR |
Circulation ratio, a term used to indicate the ratio by weight of a mixture |
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of steam and water to that of steam in the mixture. A CR of 4 means that |
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1 lb of steam–water mixture has |
1 |
lb of steam and the remainder water. |
dB |
4 |
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Decibel, a unit for measuring noise or sound pressure levels. |
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dBA |
Decibel, scale A; a unit for measuring sound pressure levels corrected for |
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frequency characteristics of the human ear. |
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DNB |
Departure from nucleate boiling. |
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FGR |
Flue gas recirculation. |
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fps, fpm, fph |
Feet per second, minute, and hour; units for measuring the velocity of |
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fluids. |
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gpm, gph |
Volumetric flow rate in gallons per minute or hour. |
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HHV |
Higher heating value or gross heating value of fuels. |
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HRSG |
Heat recovery steam generator. |
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ID |
Inner diameter of tube or pipe. |
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in. WC |
A unit to measure pressure of gas streams; inches of water column. |
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kW |
Kilowatt, a unit of measurement of power. |
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LHV |
Lower heating value or net heating value of a fuel. |
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LMP |
Larson—Miller parameter. |
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LMTD |
Log-mean temperature difference. |
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ln |
Logarithm to base e; natural logarithm. |
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log |
Logarithm to base 10. |
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M Ib/h |
Thousands of pounds per hour |
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MM Btu |
Millions of British thermal units. |
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MW |
Molecular weight. |
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NOx |
Oxides of nitrogen. |
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NTU |
Number of transfer units; a term used in heat exchanger design. |
491
492 |
Glossary |
OD |
Outer diameter of tube or pipe. |
ppm |
Parts per million by weight or volume. |
psia |
Pounds per square inch absolute, a term for indicating pressure. |
psig |
Pounds per square inch gauge, a term for measuring pressure. |
RH |
Relative humidity. |
SBV, SBW |
Steam by volume and by weight in a steam–water mixture, terms used by |
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boiler designers. |
scfm, scfh |
Standard cubic feet per minute or hour, units for flow of gases at standard |
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conditions of temperature and pressure, namely at 70°F and 29.92 in.Hg, |
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or 14.696 psia. Sometimes 60°F and 14.696 psia is also used. The ratio of |
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scfm at 70°F to scfm at 60°F is 1.019. |
SCR |
Selective catalytic reduction. |
SSU |
Seconds, Saybolt Universal; a unit of kinematic viscosity of fluids. |
SVP |
Saturated vapor pressure, pressure of water vapor in a mixture of gases. |
UHC |
Unburned hydrocarbon. |
VOC |
Volatile organic compound. |

Nomenclature
(Wherever applicable, all the three systems of units are shown)
A |
air for combustion, kg/GJ (lb/MM Btu) |
σ |
Steffan–Boltzman constant, W/m2 K4 |
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Emissivity of casing, effectiveness of heat exchanger |
µ |
Viscosity, subscripts g and l stand for gas and liquid, kg/ms (kg/m h) |
β |
(lb/ft h) |
Volumetric expansion coefficient, 1/K (1/°F) |
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P |
Pressure drop, kPa (kg/cm2) (psi) |
T |
Temperature difference between tubes and fluid, K (°F) |
ς |
Damping factor |
ψ |
Damping criterion |
λ |
Wave length, m (ft) |
A , A , A |
Area of fin, obstruction area, and total, (m2/m) (ft2/ft) |
f o t |
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A |
Effective area, (m2/m) (ft2/ft) |
ef |
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b |
Fin thickness, (mm) (in.) |
C |
Amount of water condensed, kg/h (lb/h), also Cmin/Cmax |
Cmin, Cmax |
WCmin, WCmax (product of mass flow and specific heat of fluid, mini- |
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mum and maximum) |
C |
Factor C[(Cp/µ)0.4k0.6] defined in equation for inside heat transfer coef- |
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ficient in Appendix B |
Cp |
Gas specific heat, (kJ/kg K) (kcal/kg °C) (Btu/lb °F) |
C1–C6 |
Escoa constants for the calculation of heat transfer coefficient and pres- |
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sure drop in finned tubes |
di, do, dh |
Tube inner, outer diameter, effective diameter, m (in.) |
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E = Young’s modulus of elasticity, |
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N/m2 (186 to 200 × 109 N/m2 for carbon steel) |
E |
Efficiency of HRSG, also excess air |
fn, fe, fa |
Natural frequency of vibration, vortex shedding frequency, acoustic |
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frequency, 1/s |
ff |
fouling factor, subscripts i and o stand for inside and outside (m2 K/W) |
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(m2 h °C/kcal) (ft2 h °F/Btu) |
Fg |
Factor relating gas properties, [(Cp0.33k0.67/µ0.32)] |
Fr |
Froude number |
h1, h2 |
Enthalpy of gas at inlet, exit of condenser, (kJ/kg) (kcal/kg) (Btu/lb) |
h |
Fin height, mm (in.) |
hfg, hf, hg |
Enthalpy of vaporization, feed water, vapor, (kJ/kg), (kcal/kg), (Btu/lb) |
hc, hn, ho, hi |
Heat transfer coefficient, convective (condensing), nonluminous, out- |
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side, inside, (W/m2 K) (kcal/m2 h °C) (Btu/ft2 h °F) |
H |
Height of stack, m (ft) |
G |
Gas mass velocity, kg/m2 s (lb/ft2 h) |
I |
Moment of inertia, m4 |
I0, I1, K0, K1 |
Bessel functions |
493
494 |
|
Nomenclature |
g |
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Acceleration due to gravity, m/s2 (ft/s2) |
H, Hfg |
Latent heat, kJ/kg (kcal/kg) (Btu/lb) |
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kl |
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Thermal conductivity of liquid, (W/m K) kcal/m h °C (Btu/ft h °F) |
Km |
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Thermal conductivity of metal, (W/m K) kcal/m h °C (Btu/ft h °F) |
L, Le |
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Thickness of insulation, equivalent thickness, mm (in.), effective length, m |
LHV, HHV |
Lower and higher heating values of fuel, kJ/kg (kcal/kg) (Btu/lb) |
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LMTD |
Log-mean temperature difference, °C (°F) |
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m |
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Mass of tube, kg/m (lb/ft) |
M |
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Moisture in air, kg/kg |
MW |
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Molecular weight |
n |
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Mode of vibration |
n |
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Fins/m (fins/in.) |
Nd, Nw |
Number of tubes deep, wide |
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NTU |
Number of transfer units |
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Nu |
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Nusselt number |
Pr |
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Prandtl number |
P |
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Pressure, kPa (kg/cm2) (psi) |
R –R |
5 |
Thermal resistances, m2 K/W (m2 h °C/kcal) (ft2 h °F/Btu) |
1 |
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Re |
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Reynolds number |
q |
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Heat loss per unit area, (kW/m2) (kcal/m2 h) (Btu/ft2 h) |
Q |
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Duty or heat loss, (kW) (kcal/h) (Btu/h) |
ρ |
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Density, subscripts g, l, and v stand for gas, liquid, and vapor, kg/m3 |
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(lb/ft3) |
S |
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Strouhal number, fin spacing |
ST, SL |
Transverse and longitudinal spacing, mm (in.) |
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tc, ta, tg, ts, tw1, tw2 |
Casing temperature, ambient temperature, average gas temperature, |
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saturation temperature, inner wall and outer wall temperatures, °C (°F) |
T |
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Absolute temperature in K (°R), subscript dp refers to dew point |
U |
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Overall heat transfer coefficient, subscripts I and o stand for inside and |
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outside, W/m2 K (kcal/m2 h °C) (Btu/ft2 h °F) |
UA |
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Product of U and surface area A, subscripts d and p stand for design |
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and performance, (kW/K) (kcal/h °C) (Btu/h °F) |
v |
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Specific volume, subscripts s, l refer to steam, liquid, m3/kg (ft3/lb) |
V |
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Velocity, subscripts h, v, g, and s stand for horizontal, vertical, gas, and |
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sonic, respectively, m/s (ft/s) |
VH |
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Velocity head, kPa (kg/cm2) (psi) |
w |
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Width of gas path, m (ft) |
w |
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Flow per tube, kg/m (lb/ft) |
wc |
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water column |
ws |
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Fin serration, mm (in.) |
W |
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Flow of fluid, subscripts f, g, i, l, o, and s stand for feed water, gas, |
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inside, liquid, outside, and steam, kg/h (lb/h) |
WC |
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Product of mass flow and specific heat, subscripts min and max stand |
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for minimum and maximum, kW/K (kcal/h °C) (Btu/h °F) |

Mechanical Engineering
Steam Generators and Waste Heat Boilers
For Process and Plant Engineers
"This book is an ideal reference for anyone involved in the heat transfer eld. It is practical for use as a reference by plant personnel who need an answer ‘right now’ but it is detailed enough to allow consulting engineers, process engineers, manufacturing engineers, designers, and even students to get a comprehensive understanding of how the equipment works and how to make sure what they have designed is really in the best interest of the plant."
—Bob Stemen, Applied Heat Recovery, USA
Incorporates Worked-Out Real-World Problems
Steam Generators and Waste Heat Boilers: For Process and Plant Engineers focuses on the thermal design and performance aspects of steam generators, HRSGs and fire tubes, water tube waste heat boilers including air heaters, and condensing economizers. Over 120 real-life problems are fully worked out, which will help plant engineers evaluate new boilers or make modifications to existing boiler components without assistance from boiler suppliers. The book examines recent trends and developments in boiler design and technology and presents novel ideas for improving boiler efficiency and lowering gas pressure drop. It helps plant engineers understand and evaluate the performance of steam generators and waste heat boilers at any load.
Learn How to Independently Evaluate the Thermal Performance of Boilers and Their Components
This book begins with basic combustion and boiler efficiency calculations. It then moves on to estimation of furnace exit gas temperature (FEGT), furnace duty, view factors, heat flux, and boiler circulation calculations. It also describes trends in large steam generator designs such as multi- ple-module; elevated drum design types of boilers such as D, O, and A; and forced circulation steam generators. It illustrates various options to improve boiler efficiency and lower operating costs. The author addresses the importance of flue gas analysis, fire tube versus water tube boilers used in chemical plants, and refineries. In addition, he describes cogeneration systems; heat recovery in sulfur plants, hydrogen plants, and cement plants; and the effect of fouling factor on performance. The book also explains HRSG simulation process and illustrates calculations for complete performance evaluation of boilers and their components.
•Helps plant engineers make independent evaluations of thermal performance of boilers before purchasing them
•Provides numerous examples on boiler thermal performance calculations that help plant engineers develop programming codes with ease
•Follows the metric and SI system, and British units are shown in parentheses wherever possible
•Includes calculation procedures for the basic sizing and performance evaluation of a complete steam generator or waste heat boiler system and their components with
appendices outlining simplified procedures for estimation of heat transfer coefficients
Steam Generators and Waste Heat Boilers: For Process and Plant Engineers serves as a source book for plant engineers, consultants, and boiler designers.
K23620