Boiler Air Inleakage Identification

Boiler air inleakage is a major cause of reduced efficiency at power plants. Inleakage can occur both upstream and downstream of the O₂ monitors that control the boiler. Inleakage upstream of the monitors can result in sub-optimal fuel-air mixture leading to combustion and heat rate issues. When occurring downstream of the monitors, inleakage can have the following adverse effects:

• inefficiency due to increased pressure losses and cooling of the flue gas by air
• limitation of operation at high load due to fan capacity
• reduced collection efficiency of ESPs and baghouses due to excess flow
• increased potential for corrosion of ducting and internal components

ASC Inleakage Identification

Finding leaks can be a very challenging endeavor, and the difficulty often leads utilities to delay or even ignore minimization of leakage. However, ASC has developed robust new methodologies to find leaks relatively accurately and economically, using a variety of thermal, acoustic, and visual techniques.

Visual Detection of Inleakage at an Access Door

Thermal Imaging Used to Visualize Area Near Leaks