AMIE Study Circle Blog

A tragic boiler explosion occurred on April 14, 2026, at Vedanta Limited's 1,200 MW coal-fired thermal power plant in Singhitarai village, Sakti district, Chhattisgarh. The incident resulted in approximately 20 fatalities and over 30 injuries, many from severe burns, among workers (including those from a subcontractor). Operations at the affected unit have been suspended, and authorities have filed an FIR against company officials, citing potential lapses.  WhatsApp channel " The Indian Boiler Engineer " What Happened The blast originated in Boiler-1, specifically involving a rupture in a high-pressure steam tube carrying steam from the boiler to the turbine. Workers described the force as feeling "like a missile landing," with thick smoke and intense heat causing panic. Possible Reasons (Based on Preliminary Investigations) Initial reports from the Chief Boiler Inspector, Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), and Department of Industrial Safety point t...

Chimney height and Draught head (i) h w = 353[(1/T a ) - {(1/T g )(m a + 1)/m a }] mm of water. (ii) h w = P/(ρ a - ρ g ) Assuming that the same draught is produced by gas column of height H 1 H 1 = H[{(T g /T a ) - 1}x {m a /(m a + 1)}] Here T a = absolute temperature of atmosphere T g = Average absolute temperature of chimney gas h w = equivalent mm of water head m a = mass of air H = height of chimney Condition for Maximum Discharge through a Chimney H 1,max = H WhatsApp channel " The Indian Boiler Engineer " Example A chimney is 28 m high and the temperature of hot gases inside the chimney is 320°C. The temperature of outside air is 23°C and furnace is supplied with 15 kg of coal burnt. Calculate the following: (i) Draught in millimetre of water (ii) Draught head in metres of hot gases Solution (i) h w = 353[(1/T a ) - {(1/T g )(m a + 1)/m a }] = 353 x 28 [(1/298) - {(1/593)(15 + 1)/15}] = 15.61 mm of water (ii) H 1 = H[{(T g /T a ) - 1}x {m a /(m a + 1...

Indirect method is also called as heat loss method . The efficiency is arrived at, by subtracting the heat loss fractions from 100. The standards do not include blow down loss in the efficiency determination process.  Join our WhatsApp Channel - The Indian Boiler Engineer for regular updates    Principal heat losses that take place in a boiler are listed below: •        Heat loss in dry flue gas •        Heat loss due to evaporation of water formed due to hydrogen present in the fuel •        Heat loss due to evaporation of moisture present in the fuel •        Heat loss due to moisture present in the combustion air •        Loss due to unburnt fuel in ash •        Heat loss due to radiation and other unaccounted losses Also, some heat is added to the boiler other than the f...