Question 481Steam Plants - Assistant Engineer

The correct answer is A) Increasing the forced draft air pressure. When increasing the firing rate of a boiler, the first step should be to increase the forced draft air pressure. This ensures that there is sufficient air supply to support the increased fuel combustion, which will in turn increase the heat input to the boiler. Increasing the fuel pressure or feed water flow without first increasing the air supply can lead to incomplete combustion and potential safety issues. Decreasing the steam pressure is not the correct initial step, as that would not directly address the need for more air to support the increased firing rate.