Question 411Steam Plants - Assistant Engineer

The correct answer is A) thoroughly purge the furnace. Before lighting a burner in a cold boiler, it is essential to thoroughly purge the furnace to remove any accumulated combustible gases. This is a critical safety step to prevent the risk of explosion or fire when the burner is ignited. Purging the furnace ensures that the combustion chamber is free of any flammable vapors or gases, making it safe to start the boiler. The other answer choices are incorrect because they do not address the need to purge the furnace before lighting the burner. Opening the surface blow valve (B), blowing down the mud drum (C), or closing the superheater vent (D) are not directly related to the safety concerns of purging the furnace prior to ignition.