NIULPE Class 5 study plan

Sketch and label the major pressure-boundary parts of a fire-tube and a water-tube boiler from memory, then check the sketch against a reference text and correct every miss.

Explain in writing why the crown sheet, tube sheet, and furnace are the highest-risk areas for overheating and collapse, citing water-level and scale effects.

Match each fitting to its function - safety valve, main steam stop, feed check, bottom blowdown, surface blowdown, water column, gauge glass, low-water cutoff - and state where each is mounted and why.

Identify the trim and accessories found on a typical packaged boiler (economizer, air preheater, superheater, sootblower, manhole and handhole openings) and describe what each does to efficiency or access.

Answer 30 self-written recall questions on construction and fittings without notes, logging every wrong answer in an error list.

Sequence the cold start-up of a packaged boiler from pre-start checks through main steam valve opening, naming the interlock that must be proven at each step.

Describe the light-off and flame-safeguard sequence - purge, pilot, main flame, flame scanner response - and state the consequence of a failed purge or a lost flame signal.

Explain how a modulating combustion control loop uses steam pressure, fuel flow, and air flow to hold setpoint, and why air must lead on increase and lag on decrease.

Diagnose five written fault scenarios (short cycling, low-water trip, flame failure on light-off, high stack temperature, sluggish pressure response) and propose the first three checks for each.

Perform a dry-run narration of a normal shutdown and an emergency shutdown, stating the valve and burner actions in order.

Trace a steam header from boiler to process, labeling the main stop, non-return valve, drip legs and traps, expansion loops, and the supports that carry the line.

Explain why drain points and steam traps are placed at low points and ahead of valves, and describe water hammer causes and prevention in a written paragraph.

Size the role of each valve type - gate, globe, ball, check, safety relief - by matching it to a service where it belongs and one where it does not.

Describe the four phases of combustion and explain excess air, theoretical air, and why both too little and too much air cost efficiency.

Read a written flue-gas scenario (O2, CO, stack temperature) and state what it says about air/fuel ratio and heat loss.

Explain how a centrifugal pump builds head, what cavitation sounds and looks like, and the difference between NPSH available and required.

Describe the correct start-up and shut-off procedure for a centrifugal feedwater pump and why a running pump must not be valved off dead-headed.

Compare reciprocating, rotary, and centrifugal compressors by application, and explain why compressors need unloading controls and aftercoolers.

Identify the basic electrical components of a burner control circuit - disconnect, fuse, transformer, limit switch, relay, flame programmer, motor starter - and state the function of each.

Explain how a thermocouple or RTD produces a signal and how a 4-20 mA loop represents a measured range, including what a reading below 4 mA usually means.

Explain the damage mechanisms of scale, sludge, corrosion, and carryover, and tie each to a specific feedwater or boiler water test.

Describe what each of these tests measures and the corrective action for an out-of-range result: hardness, alkalinity, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, sulfite, phosphate.

Outline a blowdown and chemical-feed routine that keeps boiler water within limits without wasting fuel or water.

State in writing the purpose of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, the NBIC, and the jurisdiction's boiler rules, and how they interact for an operating plant.

Describe the duties of the boiler inspector, what records must be available at inspection, and the operator's legal responsibility when a boiler is found unsafe.

Build a preventive maintenance calendar covering burner tuning, safety-valve testing, low-water cutoff testing, gauge glass cleaning, trap inspection, and refractory checks.

Explain the correct procedure and frequency for a try-lever and a pop test of a safety valve, and why a valve must never be gagged or over-tightened.

Describe how to test a low-water fuel cutoff by evaporating the glass and by blowing down the float chamber, and what a failed test requires.

Explain hydrostatic testing, what it proves, and why it is performed under jurisdiction control rather than at operator discretion.

List the non-destructive examinations used on boilers (visual, ultrasonic thickness, magnetic particle, dye penetrant, radiography) and what each detects.

Convert between gauge and absolute pressure and between Fahrenheit and Celsius, and compute heat input, steam output, and boiler efficiency from given fuel and steam data.

Apply the sensible-heat, latent-heat, and superheat concepts to explain why steam quality and moisture content matter to a turbine or process load.

Calculate combustion air and excess air from a given flue-gas oxygen reading and explain the result in plain language.

Solve at least 15 timed practice problems mixing unit conversion, efficiency, and heat-transfer calculations, and rework every miss until correct.

Re-explain the combustion control loop from week 2 using the calculated efficiency numbers to justify air/fuel decisions.

Take two full-length timed practice exams under exam conditions and record the score by domain to find remaining weak areas.

Rework every missed question to the underlying principle, not just the right letter, and close each gap with a short written note.

Recite the safety-critical facts from memory: low-water trip response, safety-valve rules, purge requirements, and shutdown sequence.

Review the error lists from weeks 1 through 7 and confirm each entry is now understood or flagged for further study.