Basic Parts of a Boiler

Maxwell Wallace Maxwell Wallace has been a professional freelance copywriter since 1999. His work has appeared in numerous print and online publications. An avid surfer, Wallace enjoys writing about travel and outdoor activities throughout the world. He holds a Bachelor of Science in communication and journalism from Suffolk University, Boston. By Maxwell Wallace, eHow Contributor
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High Efficiency Boiler Radiant Heat Boiler

A boiler is a self-contained combustion system that heats water. The hot water or steam produced by a boiler is then used in heating systems. Although designs vary, a boiler has four main parts: the burner, the combustion chamber, the heat exchanger and the pluming apparatus.

1. Burner
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The burner initiates the combustion reaction within the boiler. Thermostats send messages to the burner electronically when the system needs to produce heat. Fuel is pumped by a filter mechanism to the boiler from an outside source -- often an adjacent fuel tank. A nozzle on the burner turns this fuel into a fine spray and ignites it, creating the reaction in the combustion chamber.

Combustion Chamber
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The fuel is burned in the boiler's combustion chamber, which is usually made of cast iron. Temperatures in the combustion chamber can rise to several hundred degrees, usually in a very short time. The heat generated in the combustion chamber is transferred to the system's heat exchanger

Heat Exchanger
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In a hydronic boiler system, water is filtered around the combustion chamber through a series of flue passages. The pressurized, boiling water is then pumped through pipes to baseboard heaters or radiators, which give off the heat energy produced in the boiler.

Fuel Sources
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Boilers can run on a number of fuels. Heating oil, kerosene and liquid propane are common.

Other Uses of the Design

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The basic design of a boiler system is used for a variety of functions besides heating, including steam-powered locomotives, external combustion engines and power plants.

Maintenance
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Annual maintenance and cleaning of boiler systems is necessary to keep the system at peak efficiency. This can include the removal of residue and debris from the combustion chamber, replacement of gaskets and other equipment and temperature testing.

Warning
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Boiler systems should only be installed and maintained by trained, licensed technicians. Due to their intense heat energy, boilers can be extremely dangerous if not properly installed, operated or maintained.

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Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated under pressure. The steam or hot fluid is then circulated out of the boiler for use in various process or heating applications.

Construction material
Construction of boilers is mainly limited to copper, steel and cast iron. In Live steam toys, brass is often used.

Fuel
Sources of heat for the boiler can be the combustion of fuels such as wood, coal, oil or natural gas. Electric boilers use resistance or immersion type heating elements. Nuclear fission is also used as a heat source for generating steam. Waste-heat boilers, or HRSGs use the heat rejected from other processes such as gas turbines.

Classification
Fire tube

Boilers can be classified into fire-tube, water-tube boilers or cast iron sectional depending on whether the heat source is inside or outside the tubes or in the case of the cast iron sectional the design and manufacture of the boiler. The goal in all cases is to maximise the heat transfer between the water and the hot gases heating it. For example, steam locomotives have fire-tube boilers, where the fire is inside the tube and the water on the outside. These usually take the form of a set of straight tubes passing through the boiler through which hot gas flows. In a cast iron sectional boiler, sometimes called a "pork chop boiler" the water is contained inside cast iron sections. These sections are mechanically assembled on site to create the finished boiler. There are other types of boiler, largely of historical interest. For example, the Cornish boiler developed around 1812 by Richard Trevithick [[1]] for generating steam for steam engines. This was both stronger and more efficient than the simple boilers which preceded it. It was a cylindrical water tank around 27 feet long and 7 feet in diameter, and had a coal furnace placed in a single cylindrical tube about three feet wide which passed centrally along the long

axis of the tank. The fire was tended from one end and the hot gases from it travelled along the tube and out of the other end, to be circulated back along flues running along the outside of the boiler before being expelled via the chimney. This was later improved upon in the Lancashire boiler which had a pair of furnaces in separate tubes side-by-side. This was an important improvement since each furnace could be stoked at different times, allowing one to be cleaned whilst the other was operating. The above designs are really primitive fire tube boilers, and led on to the Scotch boiler which was a popular fire tube design.
Water tube

In water-tube boilers the water flows through a large number of narrow tubes around the fire. The tubes frequently have a large number of bends and sometimes fins to maximise the surface area. This type of boiler is generally preferred in high pressure applications since the high pressure water/steam is contained within narrow pipes which can contain the pressure with a thinner wall. These are very common in Electricity generating stations with different types of fuels.
Supercritical Boilers

Supercritical boilers use a much higher temperature and pressure. This is more efficient resulting in less fuel use and therefore less greenhouse gas production. These are very common for large units of about 300MW and above, mostly used in Electricity generating stations.
Others

There are other types on boilers which use instead of water, oil or mercury for specific purposes. They are however of small capacities and are few in use today.

Hydronic boilers
Hydronic boilers are used in generating heat typically for residential uses. They are the typical power plant for central heating systems fitted to houses in northern Europe, as apposed to the forced air furnaces or wood burning stoves more common in North America. The hydronic boiler operates by way of heating water/fluid to a preset temperature and circulating that fluid throughtout the home typically by way of radiators, baseboard heaters or through the floors. The fluid can be heated by any means....gas, wood, fuel oil, etc, but in built-up areas where piped gas is available, natural gas is currently the most economical and therefore the usual choice. The fluid is in an enclosed system and circulated throughout by means of a motorized pump. These hydronic systems are being used more and more in new construction in North America as they are more economical than forced air furnaces and it easier to consruct smaller diameter water

pipes as it is the larger ventilation piping. Most new systems are fitted with condensing boilers for greater efficiency. "Boiler" is clearly a misnomer for this kind of device, which is really nothing but a large water heater in which the water is never intended to boil; but the name is universal and unlikely ever to change.

Control and safety fittings

To help the operator control and monitor the operations from satisfactory and safety point of view, well designed control and supervisory equipment are provided at suitable places. These are being regularly updated with the technological improvements.

Firetube or Watertube? What's the difference?

Boilers come in many different sizes, shapes and designs. This creates quite a challenge for those of us that do not purchase boilers on a regular basis. The choice between a firetube design and a water tube design can become very confusing for novice boiler buyers.

Advantages/Disadvantages We thought a quick discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of these boiler designs might prove helpful.

FIRETUBE BOILERS

The Hurst LPE "Performance" boiler is America's most heavily designed and built boiler in its class. A welded steel firetube boiler, the LPE has extra heavy 12 gauge tubes for extended life. All tubes are attached to the tube sheets by rolling and flaring. There are no welded tubes in the LPE. Thickest materials used in the industry...
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Boiler shell is 5/16" thick boiler plate. Twin boiler tube sheets are 1/2" thick boiler plate. Insulation is 2" mineral wool and is lagged with 22 gauge boiler jacket. Extra heavy 3" channel iron boiler skids.

Designed to last with special industrial grade features...

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Couplings are 3,000 psi. Flanged, detachable front and rear smoke boxes.

So What is a Firetube Boiler?

The name firetube is very descriptive. The fire, or hot flue gases from the burner, is channeled through tubes that are surrounded by the fluid to be heated. The body of the boiler is the pressure vessel and contains the fluid. In most cases this fluid is water that will be circulated for heating purposes or converted to steam for process use. Every set of tubes that the flue gas travels through, before it makes a turn, is considered a "pass". So a three-pass boiler will have three sets of tubes with the stack outlet located on the rear of the boiler. A 4-pass will have four sets and the stack outlet at the front.

Firetube Boilers are: y y y y y y

Relatively inexpensive Easy to clean Compact in size Available in sizes from 600,000 btu/hr to 50,000,000 btu/hr Easy to replace tubes Well suited for space heating and industrial process applications

Disadvantages of Firetube Boilers include: y y

Not suitable for high pressure applications 250 psig and above Limitation for high capacity steam generation

WATERTUBE BOILERS

Unilux Series "Z" Water Boilers: Provide 85% efficiency to your customers! The unilux series "Z" boilers are available from 20 BHP to 1500 BHP as cataloged standard with larger sizes available by request. This unique, modern forced draft design is the ultimate in water boiler technology. Available as factory packaged or field erect (FE). 20 year warranty on vessel as standard.

What is a Watertube?

A Watertube design is the exact opposite of a fire tube. Here the water flows through the tubes and are incased in a furnace in which the burner fires into. These tubes are connected to a steam drum and a mud drum. The water is heated and steam is produced in the upper drum. Large steam users are better suited for the Water tube design. The industrial watertube boiler typically produces steam or hot water primarily for industrial process applications, and is used less frequently for heating applications.
Watertube Boilers are: y y y y

Available in sizes that are far greater than the firetube design. Up to several million pounds per hour of steam. Able to handle higher pressures up to 5,000 psig Recover faster than their firetube cousin Have the ability to reach very high temperatures

Disadvantages of the Watertube design include:

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High initial capital cost Cleaning is more difficult due to the design No commonality between tubes Physical size may be an issue

The best gauge of which design to consider can be found in the duty in which the boiler is to perform. Fortunately most boiler sales agencies offer a number of boiler designs and can help you make the correct choice. Ask these professionals what they would recommend and have them explain why.