Secured Function Protection for your Sootblowers by Sealing and Scavenging Air Supply with INDIVIDUAL FANS 

The provision of sealing and scavenging air for sootblowers is generally required in case of positive pressure at the flue gas side. It is also necessary in case of non-secured negative pressure (pulsation) in the boiler.

The supply of air prevents corrosive flue gases from penetrating the steam flowed parts of the sootblowers.
Otherwise these flue gases would condense and acids are built up damaging feed tubes, valves / valve sets, packings. This has to be avoided.
Additionally, the air supply at the wall box will prevent the flue gases from escaping into the atmosphere / boiler house.

These are the reasons why Bergemann recommend to install sealing and scavenging air supply for the sootblowers also at partial load and heat retention of the boiler.


Advantageous is the provision of sootblowers with single radial air fans*. It is the better alternative in comparison with the supply by a central air fan.
More and more power station operators are using this possibility considering the clear advantages per example:

* patented

• Adjustment and thus complicated air quantity measuring of the shut-off valves in order to obtain constant air supply to each sootblower is no more necessary 
• The disadvantageous distribution of the air pressure in case of central air supply is no more required
• Reduced voltage at same air quantity
  - Continuous saving of energy costs
• The complex direction of piping at the boiler to each single sootblower is no more necessary
• Due to the individual provision more safety in case of any fan shut-down
• In case of central air fan the whole sootblowing equipment is not protected and endangered
• In case of radial air fans only one sootblower would be endangered

A secured sealing and scavenging air with individual fans supply will reduce the maintenance costs and spare parts requirement for the sootblowers. Additional, the availability of the sootblower equipment will be increased.

Saving of expenses!

Below you will find a detailed function description.

Scavenging Air:

Through the internal piping built on the sootblower the scavenging air is fed to the vent valve. The vent valve operates like a check valve and is built on the sootblower.
It opens during the blower is waiting in rest position and allows the scavenging air to enter the steam-flowed parts. As soon as the blower valve opens, the vent valve is closed by the pressure of the streaming in blowing medium (steam /air).

Sealing Air:

Sealing air is flowing continuously through the piping built on the sootblower and through a flexible hose in the pre-chamber of the wall box in which lamella packets are provided.
Sealing air is flowing continuously through these lamella packets. This prevents flue gases from escaping through the annular gap between wall box tube / lamellas and lance tube into the atmosphere.