Professional Documents
Culture Documents
What is a Boiler?
A pressure vessel that provides a heat transfer surface (generally a set of
tubes) between the combustion products and the water. A boiler is usually
integrated into a system with many components.
Why use a Boiler?
Boilers are used to produce steam. The generation part of a steam system
uses a boiler to add energy to a feedwater supply to generate steam. The
energy is released from the combustion of fossil fuels or from process waste
heat.
Watertube Boiler
In watertube boilers, boiler water passes through the tubes while the exhaust gases remain in the shell side,
passing over the tube surfaces. Because tubes can typically withstand higher internal pressure than the large
chamber shell in a firetube, watertube boilers are used where high steam pressures (3,000 psi, sometimes
higher) are required. Watertube boilers are also capable of high efficiencies and can generate saturated or
superheated steam. In fact, the ability of watertube boilers to generate superheated steam makes these boilers
particularly attractive in applications that require dry, high-pressure, high energy steam, including steam turbine
power generation. The performance characteristics of watertube boilers make them highly favorable in process
industries, including chemical manufacturing, pulp and paper manufacturing, and refining. Although firetube
boilers account for the majority of boiler sales in terms of units, watertube boilers account for the majority of
boiler capacity.