Water Tube vs Fire Tube Boiler

Water Tube vs Fire Tube Boiler is comparison between two types boiler which is viewed from several aspects. Water tube and fire tube boiler is steam boiler classification which is categorized based on tube type. Commonly water tube boiler is appropriate for significant gas streams going above enormous amounts of generated steam (lb/hr) and also can certainly manage high temperature and pressure of steam. Fire tube boiler is appropriate for low pressure of steam, commonly under 500psig.

Water Tube vs Fire Tube Boiler can be seen in several aspects below:

Water Tube Boiler’s aspects:

-          Gas flow                                 : higher than 50.000 pounds/hour

-          Temperature of gas inlet         : small to adiabatic firing

-          Pressure of gas                        : commonly under 2 psig

-          Water inventory                      : low

-          Location of sootblower           : everywhere within boiler

-          Multiple pressure of steam      : yes

-          Multiple modules                    : yes

-          Heat flux- vapor area              : could be high when use fin tubes

-          Heating surface form              : fin tube and also bare tube

-          Combustion firing                   : doable

-          Superheater location               : everywhere in the gas way utilizing screen area

Fire Tube Boiler’s aspects:

-          Gas flow                                 : generally less than 50.000 pounds/hour

-          Temperature of gas inlet         : small to adiabatic firing

-          Pressure of gas                        : commonly high up to 2100 psig

-          Water inventory                      : high

-          Location of sootblower           : at exit boiler or inlet boiler

-          Multiple pressure of steam      : no

-          Multiple modules                    : no

-          Heat flux- vapor area              : commonly low

-          Heating surface form              : bare tube

-          Combustion firing                   : doable

-          Superheater location               : at exit boiler or inlet boiler

Within water tube boiler, expanded areas could be employed to create it stream-lined if the gas flow is thoroughly clean. The pressure drop of flue gas may also be decrease when compared with an equal fire tube boiler due to design intensiveness. Water tube boiler could be scaled-down and also consider less, especially when the gas stream is significant, excess one hundred thousand pounds per hour.

Superheater could be applied in the two boiler types. Within water tube boiler superheater might be positioned in an most effective area of gas temperature. A protect screen area or a huge convection area prefaces the superheater. Within fire tube boiler, it should be positioned at possibly the exit gas or inlet gas, generating the design fewer adaptable and weak to deterioration or slagging.

When the discharged gas is concentrated naturally, the areas could be cleaned simply by employing retractable soot blowers. Generally, the kind of boiler to be utilized for a specific condition is established by the practical knowledge of the boiler maker. Occasionally a collaboration of water and fire tube boilers is applied to match exceptional demands. From explanation above comparison between Water Tube vs Fire Tube Boiler can be known