High Risk Work Licence - Standard Boiler (BS) study plan

Sketch and label the main pressure parts of a shell boiler (shell, furnace, tube plates, firetubes, crown and girder stays) from memory, naming each part's function

Distinguish firetube from watertube construction and list three operating consequences of each arrangement

Explain the purpose of at least eight boiler fittings (safety valve, main steam stop, feed check, feed isolating, blowdown, water gauge glass, pressure gauge, low-water cut-out) and where each sits in the steam/water circuit

Define the terminology set: working pressure, design pressure, MAWP, saturation temperature, priming, foaming, carry-over, and stay pitch

Describe how a safety valve is set, tested and sealed, and state why it must never be gagged or isolated from the boiler

Sequence the correct water-level test procedure for a gauge glass, including blowing through, and explain how a low-water cut-out is proven

Compare feed pump types (centrifugal, reciprocating, injector) by principle of operation and typical application

Trace the feedwater path from storage through treatment, pump, economiser and feed check valve into the boiler

Explain the combustion triangle and the three T's, and relate excess air to stack loss and CO formation

Identify burner components (register, swirler, pilot, flame scanner, fuel control valve) and describe a safe light-up sequence including purge and proving time

Differentiate natural, forced, induced and balanced draft and state how each is achieved

Write the normal start-up sequence from cold for a standard boiler, from pre-start checks through to putting on load

Interpret the key water chemistry parameters (pH, total dissolved solids, alkalinity, hardness, dissolved oxygen, conductivity) and state the corrosion or scaling risk each controls

Explain the difference between bottom blowdown and surface (scum) blowdown and when each is used

Describe continuous and intermittent feedwater control and the operator's role in maintaining level within the normal band

Explain why a boiler is warmed through slowly and what thermal stress does to tube plates and stays

List the immediate actions for low water, high water, and a gauge glass that shows a false level, and justify why the low-water response is not to add feed in an unproven condition

Describe the correct response to a tube leak, a safety valve lifting below set pressure, and a burner flame failure

Explain how priming and foaming are recognised, their causes, and the corrective actions

Distinguish an emergency shutdown from a normal shutdown and list the conditions that force an emergency stop

Outline the actions for a furnace explosion or puff-back and the conditions that precede it

Describe fuel supply isolation, purge and leak-test requirements before relighting after a trip

Explain draft loss, high stack temperature and CO readings as early warning signs of poor combustion

State the reporting and isolation duties after any protective device operates

List the inspections and tests due on a standard boiler (internal and external inspection, safety valve test, pressure gauge and cut-out checks) and the typical interval for each

Describe what records must be kept, why they matter evidentially, and how to complete a shift log accurately

Explain the operator's duty of care, the concept of competent person, and the obligation to stop and report unsafe conditions

Identify the licence class obligations and the consequences of operating outside them

Revise every domain using the corrected facts gathered in weeks 1-7, prioritising the domains with the lowest practice scores

Complete two full-length timed practice papers under exam conditions

Explain aloud, without notes, the safety valve, gauge glass and low-water cut-out procedures

Review all decision trees and procedure cards and close any remaining gaps