Steam Generators

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MET 101
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Basic Mechanical Engineering
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Dr. Amit Arora

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Department of Mechanical Engineering

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Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur

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 Steam Generator
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• Steam generator is the equipment used for producing steam

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– Popularly known as boiler

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• Suitable heat source supplies heat to water, stored in a drum,

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to convert it into steam at desired pressure & temperature

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• It is a combination of apparatus meant for producing, furnishing

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or recovering heat, together with the apparatus for transferring
that heat to the fluid desired to be heated and vapourized

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• Applications !
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1. Power generation

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– Mechanical work or electric power is generated by expanding
steam in the steam engine or steam turbine
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2. Winter air conditioning and Water heating

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– Residential or industrial air conditioning in cold weather

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– Hot water supply for domestic or industrial use

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3. Industrial processing

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– Textile industry

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– Sugar industry
– Chemical industry

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4. Cooking

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5. Sterilization

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– High pressure steam is used in microbiology laboratories and

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similar environments for sterilization

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6. Agricultural
– Soil sterilization aimed at enhancing soil health
 Boiler Terminology
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• Boiler shell contains the water & steam at working pressure

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– Its capacity should be sufficient to meet the steam requirement

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• Combustion chamber is the space meant for burning the fuel

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– Generally located below the boiler shell

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• Grate is the platform, in combustion chamber,

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upon which fuel is kept while it burns

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• Furnace is the space b/w grate & boiler shell

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– Also known as fire box

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• Heating surface is that part of boiler which is
exposed to fire flames or hot gases
• Mountings and accessories !
 Simple Vertical Boiler
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• Salient features of the boiler

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– Vertical, internally fired

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– Shell type, mobile boiler
– Low pressure (< 10 bar)

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– Natural water circulation

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– Single-pass flue gas passage

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• Flue gas path is vertically up

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• Application !

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– Mobile applications viz. steam

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rollers, pile drivers, steam
shovels, portable hoisting rigs
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 Babcock & Wilcox boiler
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• Salient features of boiler
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– Horizontally aligned drum

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– Externally fired

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– Water-tube type

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– Stationary boiler

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– Low pressure (< 18 bar)

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– Multi tube type

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– Natural water circulation

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– Multi-pass flue gas passage

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• Flue gas path !

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• Application !
– Thermal power plants
• Merits
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– Better steam generation rate

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– Reasonable initial and maintenance cost

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– Superheated steam

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– Natural water circulation

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• Demerits

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– Low working pressure
– Medium steam generation rate
 Water tube Vs Fire tube
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• Water inside the tubes, and gases • Hot gases inside the tubes, and
on the outer side water on the outer side

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• Higher steam generation rate • Low steam generation rate
• For large capacity applications
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• For small capacity applications

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• High working pressure (≤250 bar) • Low working pressure (≤25 bar)

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• High overall efficiency (upto 90%) • Lower overall efficiency (<75%)

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• Low floor area requirement • Higher floor area requirement

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• Ease of dismantling, hence • Large shell size makes

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transportation transportation cumbersome

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• Accommodates fluctuating loads • Unsuitable for fluctuating loads

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• Simpler & cheaper construction
due to small shell size
• Cumbersome & costly
construction due to large shell
 Mountings & Accessories
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• Various boiler components can be grouped into two categories

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– Boiler mountings

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– Boiler Accessories
• Boiler mountings

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– They are the components fitted mainly to ensure safety of

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the boiler and to control of the process of steam generation

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– Accordingly they form an integral part of the boiler body

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• Boiler accessories

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– They are the components fitted to enhance the efficiency of
the steam power plant