Lars Josefsson | Boiler glossary

Boiler glossary F

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.
FSO -- Floating Storage and Offloading.
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.


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