🔍 Key Concepts

• Boiler blowdown types – surface blow vs. bottom blow and what each one removes • Effect on boiler circulation and pressure when fires are left on • Manufacturer and safety guidance on when you must secure fires before certain blowdown operations

💭 Think About

• Think about which part of the boiler you are opening to the drain and how that affects water level and metal stress if the fires stay lit. • Ask yourself: which method is normally done frequently and gently while the boiler is under load, and which methods are done less often with the boiler cooled or fires secured? • Consider which blowdown method is designed mainly to remove surface impurities like oil and dissolved solids, and which are intended to remove sludge and sediment from low points.

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify which method is routinely performed while the boiler is operating under steam and load. • Check which blowdown connections are at the lowest points of the boiler and would cause rapid loss of water or severe thermal stress if opened with fires on. • Confirm from basic boiler operation principles which blowdown type is typically done continuously or intermittently during normal steaming rather than only when the boiler is off-line.