Boilers are mechanical devices used for steam generation. They are common equipment across households, which is how most of us are familiar with boilers. However, they are utilized to their maximum potential by industrial companies. Steam boilers are an essential part of any manufacturing process. They are used to produce steam used for heating purposes, running turbines, and so on. They come in two major types: Water-Tube Boilers and fire-tube boilers.
A Fire-Tube Boiler is a boiler with fire tubes immersed in water. The hot gases produced in the combustion chambers flow inside the fire tubes. The heat transfers from the gases to the water through conduction, forming steam. These boilers are mostly used for applications that require low to medium steam pressure and a low rate of steam generation. Firetube Steam Boilers are not used for applications that require a higher rate of steam production.
Firetube boilers include a furnace, grate, combustion chamber, chimney, fire tubes, and smokebox.
Advantages of Firetube Boilers
- Firetube boilers have simple designs and low maintenance costs
- Requires less skilled operators for efficient operation
- They can be used in small industries
- Treatment of feed water is not very essential in fire tube boilers
- No expensive pure feed water is required, which reduces the costs
- Firetube boilers are cheaper than watertube boilers, but produce the same output
Disadvantages
- The maximum working pressure of firetube boilers is up to 20 bar
- Overall efficiency is up to 75%
- Requires larger floor space for bigger output
- Load fluctuations are harder to handle
- The rate of steam generation and quality of steam for suitable power generation are not much different than watertube boilers
- Ideal for only small power plants