CHAPTER FOUR:

Steam Boiler

heated, steam is
Boiler: A bOiler is a closed vessel in which water is
g"n"rat"o,superheatedoranycom.binationthereofunderpressureor
fuels or electricity' The
vacuum by the direct application of heat from combqstible
steam produced is ut"J iot' lC,^r,r.t'-^ I ?-UJ or steam turbine'
(r) producing n.,."l.,uni;uL *ohlUi"*-punOinJ it in steam engine
i;;; Heating ihe residential and industrial buildings chemicaland textile industries'
(iii) Performing certain processes-in the sugar mills,
boilers are coal or oil fired' A boiler thouldglljlt
follo*ing,
Usually
requirements
ffiiheboilershouldbesafeunderoperatingcon.ditions. for repair and
(ii) Accessibility. Thgvarious parts of the boiler should be accessible
maintenance.
to the
The boiler should be capable of supplying steam according
-ffi i"p""ity.
requirements.
be able to absorb a
(iv) Efficiency. To permit efficient operation, the boiler should
fuel in the furnace'
maximum amount of heat produced due to burning of
low'
(v) lt should be simple in construction and its maintenance cost should be
(vilGl-nitial cost should be low.
i"ib irr.g"l"-n;i-o-me no joints exposed to flames'
iuiiD boiler should be capa-n-omtarting and loading
rn. capacity also r

ih"'p"rfo.rance of a boiler may be measured in terms of its evaporativeor steam

evaporated
callei power of a boiler. It is dehned as the amount of water
in kg per kg of fuel burnt or
pioou""o in kg per hour. It may also be expressed
kglhr/m2 of heating surface'

4.1 .1Boiler Glassification-s ,1.. LL^2-r^^i^-

design {.,^a by rhair
anr.r hrr
type and theit
Boilers are classifi"I oFn-tir pressure capacity, their
use.
High & Low Pressure Boilers - is the highest amount
The M.A.W.P or Maximum Allowable working Pressure
measured in
ih;ith" vesset is designed to withstand. Pressure isgauge
oi'irf
i"tint of pounds per square inch or psi' Psig (gaug9) indicates is the su.m
pt"riut", which ignores the atmosplreric pressure' Psia (absolute)which varies
pressure at that location,
of gauge pr"rrrr" plus the atmospheric
gauge measures indicates pressure and
based on altitude. A
vacuum.
"otpound
. Lorr-pt""sure boilers are designed to withstand a maximum of 15
psig
steam or a M.A.W.P' 160 Psig water'

The boilers can be classified according to the following criteria.

--t-
 * According to flow of water and hot gases,
l. Water tube.
2. Fire tube.
In water tube boilers, water circulates through the tubes and hot products of
combustion flow over these tubes. In fire tube boiler the hot products of combustion
pass through the tubes, which are surounded, by water. Fire tube boilers have low
initial cost, and are more compacts. But they are more likely to explosion' water
in
volume is large and due to poor circulation they cannot meet quickly the change
demand. For the same output the outer shell of fire tube boilers is much
larger
steam
than the shell of water-tube boiler. Water tube boilers require less weight
of metal for
higher pressure, are accessible and
a given size, are less liable to explosion, produce
of water-tube
.i ,"rponre quickly to change in steam demand. Tubes and drums
of drum higher
boilers are smaller tiran that o1fire-tube boilers and due to smaller size
The
pressure can be used easily. water-tube boilers require lesser floor space.
efficiency of water-tube boilers is more.
fi According to position of furnace.
(i) Internally fired (ii) Externally fired
'tn
internaliy fired boilers the grate combustion chamber are enclosed within
the
boilers and fumace and grate are
boiler shell. Whereas in case of extremely fired
separated from the boiler shell.
)According to the position of principle axk'
(r) Vertical (li) Horizontal (iii) Inclined'
A According to aPPlication.
*1i;
Stationary, (ii) Mobile, (Marine, Locomotive)'
g According to the circulating water'
(r) Natural circulation (ii) Forced circulation'
I According to steam Pressure'
(r) Low pt*tu." (ir) Medium pressure (iii) Higher pressure
Water tube boilers are classified as follows'
1. Horizontal straight tube boilers
(a) Longitudinal drum (b) Cross-drum'
2. Bent tube boilers
(a) Two drum (b) Three drum
(c) Low head three drurn (rf four drum'
3. Cyclone fired boilers

Variousadvantagesofwatertubeboilersareasfollows.
(D ffign pressure of tn" order of 140 kglcm2 can be obtained'
steam can be generated easily.
tii H!*ing surface is large. Therefore
be obtained by use of large number of tubes.
iiiiy I-urg"-heating surfacJ can
tubes the rate of heat transfer becomes
iiu) g""iu." of high movement of water in the
large resulting into a greater efficiency'
Fire tube boilers are classified as follows'
l. Extemal furnace:
(l) Horizontal return tubular
(ii) Short fire box
(iii) Compact.
2. lnternal furnace:
(i) Horizontaltubular

-l
-/_-
(a) Shon fire box (b) Locomotive (c) Compact (d) Scotch'
(ii) Verticaltubular.
(a) Straight vertical shell, vertical tube
(b) Cochran (vertical shell) horizontal tube'
Various advantages of fire tube boilers are as follows'
(l) Low cost
iiil ftu"tuutions of steam demand can be met easily
(rt,) It is comPact in size.

4.1.2 Fire-Tube Boiler

spberica!.shaq?
This boiler consisilia cylindrical shell with its crowl haYing ?
The at the bottom of
The fumace is also helqiqplerical in shape'
n';H::"";J[Hil-ffi :]:i5K"'iir6ffi n'r"Ji",maeio.
just below the
.ffii"?,; l;";""i ash
formed is colrected in th" ash-pit tocated

;;".;Ji; ieffi"a maffaiifrhe furnace and the combustion chamber are

chamber is lined with
Ionnected through a pipe. The back of the combustion
firebricks. The hot gurJ, fro* the cofr'fi:Gio ber flow through the nest of
and 165 to 170 in
tffii nr" tru"!(generally 6.25 cm in externaldiameter
transfers a large portffif tffieat to the
number). The passing?;il;ifr.f-* t'u'bes
fire.tubes are finally discharged to
water by convection.hn. ni. gases coming out of
spherical top and spherical shape ot
the atmosphere through chimnJy Gig.l&2). The
shapes require least material for
firebox are the speciai features of iftit boiler. These
the volume. The hemi rptt.ti"A crown of the
boiler shell gives maximum strength to
The hemi-soherical crown of the
withstand the pressure of the steam inside the boiler' fot
fire box is advantageous for '"'i'ting jq!en"f-h4t'
fftit @
furnace'
the absoffiiffiTTfie radiant heat from the provided
in this boiler. lf oil is used as fuel, no grate is
4,dfi4_fi6;l"ur.ffifilet oil burners are fitted a
at
but the bottom ot the fumace is lined with firebricks.
near the top of the crown of shell is
suitable location below the fire door. {palh-olg
of hand-holes are provided around
provided for cleaning. In addition to tlffiffiber
smoke box is provided with doors for
the outer shell for clJaning purposes. The
cleaning of the interior of the fire tubes'
means of the draught produced by..th:
The airflow through the grate is caused by
(not sh-own) to. control the discharge
chimney. A damper i, pf:"."a inside_the "ii*n.y
the supply of air to the grate is controlled'
of hot gases from the c'himney and thereby
nozzle (not shown; to discharge the
The chimney may also be provided with-a steam
to the nozzle is supplied from the
flue gases faster througiili" "t',in,n"y. The steam
are listed below:
;';. The outstandin! features of this boilerfloor area'
l. It is very compact and requires minimum
2. Any type of fuel can be used with this boiler'
3. It i; well suited for small capacity requirements'
coal firing and aboutT1o/owith oil
4. It gives aboutT1Vothermal .tfi"i.n"y with
firing.
area varies from 10: I to 25: 1'
5. The ratio of grat e areato the heating surface

of each is briefly described

It is provided with all required mountings. The function
below:
l.PressureGauge.Thisindicatesthepressureofthesteamintheboi|er.

-3-
 2. Water Level Indicator. This indicates the water level in the boiler, the water level
in the boiler should not fall below a particular level otherwise the boiler will be
overheated and the tubes may burn out.
3. Safety Valve. The function of the safety valve is to prevent the increase of steam
pressure in the holler above its design pressure. When the pressure increases above
design pressure, the valve opens and discharges the steam to the atmosphere. When
this pressure falls just below design pressure, the valve closes automatically. Usually
the valve is spring controlled.
4. Fusible Plug. If the water level in the boiler falls below a predetennined level, the
boiler shell and tubes will be overheated. And if it is continued, the tubes may burn,
as the water cover will be removed. It can he prevented by stopping the burning of
fuel on the grate. When the temperature of the shell increases above a particular level,
the fusible plug, which is mounted over the gr4gq! {gwnjnge Fig. l,......- melts and
s an openlng. the remarnrng roug tnls
ng water througn
-holton iE'e graGand the fire is extinguished.

- Pffis&$?Slqs
5*t!
!ilrnhEle
Ar{i pr*xng
F*.d;;-*' p'pe
UJ$E
c':1>
lkErin
lllre le{el '}
ndca0r .*; _=$#i
FIEH€ p*rg
Yt;--s',r rl
[s*&$pn *!.F -""' t'
&wnber

Fn€ brd

gsd€r sh€fl

Bh*d
Fr*#a

lldrdr€ens
d*s&bturof

ffi.==. E..=- li=== i...-;ur,..

Fig. (1) Fire-tube boiler with accessories

5. Blow-off Cock. The water supplied to the boiler always contains impqlies like
mud, sand and, salt Due to heating, these are deposited ut tn6tamffii'ifr;6'oiler, and
if they are not removed, they are accumulated at the bottom of the boiler and reduce
ffi
itv aand heat transfer rates. Also the salt
lty goes on increasingtue to
ited salts are removed witt the help of blow-Ff'-
66ct--fHi6low-off cock is located at the bottom of the boiler as shown in the figure
-

^LI -
and is operated only when the boiler When the blow-off cock is opened
during the running of the boiler, the high-pressure steam pushes the water and the
collected material at the bottom is bl es
t ! i19ryrgPQt.tl:g: ,o I r9u:'of
working for few minutes. This keeps the boiler clean.
6. Steam Stop Valve. It re$laies the-flow-'dfsteaffi-supply outside. The steam from
the boiler first enters into an ant-priming pipe where most of the water particles
associated with steam is removed.
7. Feed Check Valve. The high pressure feed water is supplied to the boiler through
this valve.
This valve opens towards the boiler only and feeds the water to the boiler. If the feed
water pressure is less than the boiler steam pressure then this valve remains closed
and prevents the back flow ofsteam through the valve'

Hoov Stearn €ngines Worft, Frretrrhe Bo'ler

6TSAnil *{s?
CI*JT Boiler &ASSffi

Furnace
,:- :: :':::aj':'Jiilr friitti::.i:i:i-},:"ii ;i!a:nl:t:' ,r:t:r,
'r:i:.:aal

Fig. (2) ShaPe of fire'tube

4.1.3 Water-tube boilers

. Water-tube boilers have water running through the tubes and fire or gases
of combustion surrounding the tubes. The water tubes are connected into
a
steam drum at the top and a mud drum at the bottom. The fire is in the
Combustion chamber. The boiler design can also be identified by the shape
of the tube configuration, with the common types being-called A, o,
and D
segtio
,tyt" Ooit"ts fnJ cast iro,l r is- neither fire tube nor water tube
thbughithasso@ticsofawatertubeboi|er'Thewater
Cgg! iron sectionals
is inJide the sections and the fire is outside the sections.
used for steam heating may have Oistinit operating proUteililifi6t are not
typicall/F5}fld in othei boiler types, such as the intolerance for poor water
chemistry.
. A boiler may be classified as either a steam boiler or hot water boiler. The
vessels are the same and the boiter trim (controls & piping) determine the
top
use of the vessel. A steam boiler must maintain a water level covering the
production. A hot
of the heating (tube) surfaces while leaving room for-steam
water boiler G completely full of water over the top of the boiler into the
expansion tank.

INDUSTRIAL Water Tube BOILERS

paper
The boilers are generally required in power station, chemical industries'
industries, pharmaceutical industries and many others..Efficiency,
reliability
Tq-cos!-
boilers similar to central statrolls' 11oller s
are maior fu"to.r in the design of industrial
air"i@ns paniesin
fo.el gn countrieswith-largeffi-m demands have con sid"lublt, 11:i::1 lL
^ ^ ^",
cogeleration, the si*uii6iEouFprodu"tion of stgtqm "ral
|egis|ation.Hightemperaturea@rs550"Canduptocritica|
ffi'L.n?*-u]ju'susedevenihoughhighpressuffrdtemperaturearerarely,
td;i;. P.dcers red[et"""t but they are used to generate electricity to surging
use wood, municipal -
prices of the oil, most of the industrialtoilers are designed to
and refinery gas few industrial boilers which
iulverized coal, industrial solid waste
are in common use are discussed below'

ilgfs1ry-

firpfamfrEl

Super
l?eg&

heaile{

Fig.3 simple water-tube boiler layout

- 6-
MERITS AND DEMERITS OF WATER TUBE BOILERS OVER
FIRE TUBE BOILERS MERITS

l. Generation of steam is much quicker due to small ratio of water content to steam
content. This also helps in reaching the steaming temperature in short time'
2. Its evaporative capacity is considerably larger and the steam pressure range is also
high-200 bar.
3.-Heating surfaces are more effective as the hot gases travel at right angles to the
direction of water flow.
4. The combustion efficiency is higher because complete combustion of fuel is
possible
-S.
as the combustion space is much larger.
fn" thermal stresses in the boiler parts are less as different parts of the boiler
remain at uniform temperature due to quick circulation of water.
6. The boiler can be transported and erected as its different parts can be
"arily
separated.
T.bamage due to the bursting of water tube is less serious. Therefore, water tube
boilers are sometimes called safety boilers.
8. All parts of the water tube boilers are easily accessible for cleaning,
inspecting and
repairing.
9. The water tube boiler's furnace area can be easily altered to meet the
fuel
requirements

Demerits:
is less suitable for impure and sedimentary water, as a small deposit
l. lt of scale may
of pure feed water is
cause the overheating and bursting of tube. Therefore, use
essential.
2.They require careful attention. The maintenance costs are higher.
3. Failure in feed water supply even for short period is liable
to make the boiler over-
heated.

Boiler LaY-uP
idle and is not
eny extenied period of time (summer) during which a boiler(s) is
supply.
e*pecied to operate. Lockout/Tag out boiler(s) and shut-offgas
treated feed
e non-op"rational steam boiler should be filied to the top with chemically
heating systems,
water or condensate to minimize corrosion during lay-up. Inactive
due to danger of freezing'
along with boilers, in vacated buildings, should be drained
gases through the full length of
Boiler Pass. The path of travel of the combustion
zone. A boiler may have as
boiler including the initial pass in the primary combustion
many as four passes.
controls the firing
Boiler Programmer. A boiler programmer is the mastermind that
;;i;;i;;3ir"'.rip"'r"rms tw; tu-nctions' (l) Senses th: p':::T:-:l"flame durin'
pilot and main flaml and (2) programs the operation of a lurnl tv*:i
t-"^t}:
when they are needed,
motors, blowers, ignition andfuel valves are energized only
and then in proper sequence. Note: Not all boilers
have programmers.
BoilerSystem:Asysiemcomprisedofthe.boile(o,'ry
pumps'
interconnecting piping, vessels, valves, fittings and
#<
-

a-
Breeching. A duct for the transport of the products of combustion between the boilers
and the stack.
Forced-Draft Fan. A fan, in boilers with power bumers that supplies air for
combustion of fuel as well as draft.
Furnace. An enclosed space provided for the combustion of fuel.
Gage Glass. The transparent part of a water gage assembly connected directly or
thrJugh a water column to the boiler, below and above the waterline, to indicate the
water level in a steam boiler.
Induced-Draft Fan. A fan, generally mounted on horizontal breeching, which pulls
the flue gases out of some boilers, with atmospheric bumers, into the stack'
Limit Control. A device, with a manual reset, which shuts down the burner when

tubes.
water tube. A tube(s), in a boiler, having the water and steam on the inside and heat

. applied to the outside.

A
* riater Softener. Equipment used to remove the hardness from boiler feed water'
sodiumzeolitewatersofte.,erusesanionexcfiffistoremovecalciumand

-8-
magnesium ions from water and replaces them with sodium. A brine solution and
resin beads are part of the system which most water softeners use.

:',1 1i:' i '

:.t 'r:l',.t :'

.n

ile.f'
il,:i,7,

Fig.(a) HP Steam Boiler

4.2 REQUIREMENTS OF A GOOD BOILER

A good boiler must possess the following qualities:
l. The boiler should be capable to generate steam at the required pressure and
quantity as quickly as possible with minimum fuelconsumption.
2. The initial cost, installation cost and the maintenance cost should be as low as
possible.
3. The boiler should be light in weight, and should occupy small floor area.

-aJ
a-
4. The boiler must be able to meet the fluctuating demands without pressure
fluctuations.
5. All the parts of the boiler should be easily approachable for cleaning and
inspection.
6. The boiler should have a minimum ofjoints to avoid leaks which may occur due to
expansion and contraction.
7. The boiler should be erected at site within a reasonable time and with minimum
labor.
8. The water and flue gas velocities should be high for high heat transfer rates with
minimum pressure drop through the system.
9. There should be no deposition of mud and foreign materials on the inside surface
and soot deposition on the outer surface ofthe heat transferring parts.
10. The boiier should conform to the safety regulations as laid down in the Boiler Act.

.2.1 HIGH PRESSURE BOILERS

In all modern power plants, high pressure boilers (> 100 bar) are universally used as
they offer the iollowing advantages. In order to obtain efficient operation and high
capacity,forced circulation of water through boiler tubes is found helpful.
t. ifre and the capacity of the plant can be increased as reduced quantity of
"ffci.n"y
steam is required for the same power generation if high pressure steam is used'
2.Theforcia circulation of water through boiler tubes provides freedom in the
heat
arrangement of fumace and water walls, in addition to the reduction in the
exchange area.
3. The iendency of scale formation is reduced due to high velocity of
water'
parts are uniformly heated'
4. The danger of overheating is reduced as all the
and this reduces
5. The differential expansion is reduced due to uniform temperature
the possibility of gas and air leakages.

-lo-
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- lq-