A review on boiler deposition/foulage prevention and removal techniques for power plant

Burning coal in power plants produces significant amounts of deposits like fouling and slagging on boiler surfaces which contributes to the overall poor performance of the power plants (by reducing electricity generation capacity, decreasing boiler efficiency and increasing overall maintenance cost). Recent research and development on boiler fouling and slagging problems, with the current preventative measures and technologies available to minimise this deposition, is reviewed and discussed in this paper. There are several technologies to minimise the deposition problems in boilers, such as pulse detonation wave technology, intelligent shoot blower, anti-fouling coatings, chemical treatment technology, etc. The effectiveness of these technologies to prevent foulage problems is addressed, and concluding remarks and recommendations are drawn according to their effectiveness.