ABSTRACT
A Boiler is a closed vessel in which or other fluid is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. (The
term "furnace" is normally used if the purpose is not actually to boil the fluid.) The heated or vaporized
fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications,
including central heating, boiler-based power generation, cooking, and sanitation.
Boiler is an apparatus use to produce steam. It is a device in which thermal energy
released by combustion of fuel is used to make steam at the desired temperature and pressure.
A boiler or steam generator is used wherever a source of steam is required. The form and size
depends on the application: mobile steam engines such as steam locomotives, portable engines and
steam-powered road vehicles typically use a smaller boiler that forms an integral part
of the vehicle; stationary steam engines, industrial installations and power stations will
usually have a larger separate steam generating facility connected to the point-of-use
by piping. A notable exception is the steam-powered fireless locomotive, where separately-
generated steam is transferred to a receiver (tank) on the locomotive.
Page | 1
INTRODUCTION
The steam generator or boiler is an integral component of a steam engine when considered
as a prime mover. However it needs be treated separately, as to some extent a variety of
generator types can be combined with a variety of engine units. A boiler incorporates a firebox
or furnace in order to burn the fuel and generate heat. The generated heat is transferred to water
to make steam, the process of boiling. This produces saturated steam a t a rate which
can vary according to the pressure above the boiling water. The higher the furnace temperature,
the faster the steam production.
The saturated steam thus produced can the neither be used immediately to produce power via a turbine and
alternator, or else may be further superheated to a higher temperature; this notably reduces
suspended water content making a given volume of steam produce more work and creates a greater
temperature gradient, which helps reduce the potential to form condensation. Any remaining heat in
the combustion gases can then either be evacuated or made to pass through an economiser, the role
of which is to warm the feed water before it reaches the boiler. Boilers have several strengths that
have made them a common feature of buildings.
They have a long life, can achieve efficiencies up to 95% or greater, provide an effective
method of heating a building, and in the case of steam systems, require little or no pumping
energy. However, fuel costs can be considerable, regular maintenance is required, and if
maintenance is delayed, repair can be costly. Guidance for the construction, operation,
and maintenance of boilers is provided primarily by the ASME (American Society of
Mechanical Engineers), which produces the following resources:
Rules for construction of heating boilers, Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, SectionIV-2007
Recommended rules for the care and operation of heating boilers, Boiler and Pressure
Vessel Code, Section VII-2007.
Boilers are often one of the largest energy users in a building. For every year a boiler system goes unattended,
boiler costs can increase approximately 10%.
Page | 2
1. BOILER
1) WORKING PRINCIPLE:-
Both gas and oil fired boilers use controlled combustion of the fuel to heat water. The key boiler components
involved in this process are the burner, combustion chamber, heat exchanger, and controls.
The burner mixes the fuel and oxygen together and, with the assistance of an ignition
device, provides a platform for combustion. This combustion takes place in the combustion
chamber and the heat that it generates is transferred to the water through the heat exchanger. Controls regulate
the ignition, burner firing rate, fuel supply, air supply, exhaust draft, water temperature, steam pressure, and
boiler pressure. Hot water produced by a boiler is pumped through pipes and delivered to
equipment throughout the building, which can include hot water coils in air handling units,
service hot water heating equipment, and terminal units. Steam boilers produce steam that flows
through pipes fromareas of highpressure to areas of low pressure, unaided by an external energ
ysource such as a pump. Steam utilized for heating can be directly utilized by steam using
equipment or can provide heat through a heat exchanger that supplies hot water to the equipment. The
discussion of different types of boilers, below, provides more detail on the designs of specific
boiler systems.
Page | 3
2) CLASSIFICATION OF BOILERS:-
Boilers are classified according certain condition. Following figure shows classification
of boiler.
Two primary types of boilers include Fire tube and Water tube boilers. In a Fire tube boiler, hot
gases of combustion flow through a series of tubes surrounded by water. Alternatively, in Water
tube boiler, Water flows in the inside of the tubes and the hot gases from combustion flow around the outside
of the tubes.
Fire tube boilers are more commonly available for low pressure steam or hot water applications,
and are available in sizes ranging from 500,000 to 75,000,000 BTU input. Water tube boilers are primarily
used in higher pressure steam applications and are used extensively for comfort heating
applications. These types of boilers don’t use tubes. Instead, they’re built up from cast iron
sections that have water and combustion gas passages. The iron castings are bolted together,
similar to an old steam radiator.
The sections are sealed together by gaskets. They’re available for producing steam or hot water,
and are available in sizes ranging from 35,000 to 14,000,000 BTU input. Cast iron sectional boilers
are advantageous because they can be assembled on site, allowing them to be transported
through doors and smaller openings. Their main disadvantage is that because the sections are
sealed together with gaskets, they are prone to leakage as the gasket sage and are attacked by
boiler treatment chemicals.
Page | 4
Working Pressure and Temperature
Boilers are classified as either low pressure or high pressure and are constructed to meet ASME
Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code requirements. Low-pressure boilers are limited to a maximum
working pressure of 15 psig (pound-force per square inch gauge) for steam and160 psig for hot
water (2). Most boilers used in HVAC applications are low-pressure boilers. High-pressure boilers are
constructed to operate above the limits set for low-pressure boilers, and are typically used for
power generation. Operating water temperatures for hot water boilers are limited to 250o F (2).
Fuel Type
In commercial buildings, natural gas is the most common boiler fuel, because it is usually readily available,
burns cleanly, and is typically less expensive than oil or electricity. Some boilers are designed
to burn more than one fuel (typically natural gas and fuel oil). Dual fuel boilers provide the
operator with fuel redundancy in the event of a fuel supply interruption. They also allow the
customer to utilize the fuel oil during “peak time” rates for natural gas. In times when the rates for natural gas
are greater than the alternate fuel, this can reduce fuel costs by using the cheaper alternate fuel and limiting natural
gas use to occur only during “off peak” times.
Sizes range from 30,000 to 11,000,000 BTU input with overall efficiency generally in the range
of 92% to96%.
Page | 5
Draft Methods
The pressure difference between the boiler combustion chamber and the flue (also called the
exhaust stack) produces a draft which carries the combustion products through the boiler and up the flue. Natural
draft boilers rely on the natural buoyancy of hot gasses to exhaust combustion products up the boiler flue
and draw fresh air into the combustion chamber. Mechanical draft boilers include: Forced Draft, where
air is forced into the combustion chamber by a fan or blower to maintain a positive pressure; and
Induced Draft, where air is drawn through the combustion chamber by a fan or blower to
maintain a negative pressure.
Size and Capacity
Modular Boilers are small in size and capacity and are often intended to replace a large
single boiler with several small boilers. These modular boilers can easily fit through a standar
ddoorway, and be transported in elevators and stairways. The units can be arranged in a variety
of configurations to utilize limited space or to accommodate new equipment. Modular boilers
can be staged to efficiently meet the demand of the heating load.
Condensing Method
Traditional hot water boilers operate without condensing out water vapour from the flue gas.
This is critical to prevent corrosion of the boiler components. Condensing Boilers operate at a
lower return water temperature than traditional boilers, which causes water vapour to condense
out of the exhaust gasses. This allows the condensing boiler to extract additional heat from the phase change
from water vapour to liquid and increases boiler efficiency. Some carbon dioxide dissolves in the
condensate and forms carbonic acid. While some condensing boilers are made to handle the corrosive
condensation, others require some means of neutralizing the condensate. Traditional non-
condensing boilers typically operate in the range of 75%- 86%combustion efficiency, while
condensing boilers generally operate in the range of 88% to 95% combustion efficiency.
Page | 6
3) IMPORTANT BOILERS:-
(1) COCHRAN BOILER
a. It is very compact and requires minimum floor area
b. Any type of fuel can be used with this boiler
c. Well suited for small capacity requirements
d. It gives about 70% thermal efficiency with coal firing and about 75% with oil firing.
Advantages
a. The feed pipe projecting into the boiler is perforated to ensure uniform water
distribution.
b. Its heating surface area per unit volume at the boiler is considerably large.
c. Its maintenance is easy.
d. It is suitable where a large reserve of hot water is needed. This boiler due to the large reserve capacity
can easily meet load fluctuations.
e. Super-heater and economizer can be easily incorporated into the system, therefore;
overall efficiency of the boiler can be considerably increased (80-85%).
Page | 7
(2) LOCOMOTIVE BOILERS
Locomotive boiler is a horizontal fire tube type mobile boiler. The main requirement of this boiler is that it
should produce steam at a very high rate. Therefore, this boiler requires a large amount of
heating surface and large grate area to burn coal at a rapid rate. In order to provide the large
heating surface area, a large number of fire tubes are setup and heat transfer rate is increased
by creating strong draught by means of steam jet.
Advantages
a. Large rate of steam generation per square metre of heating surface. To some extent this
is due to the vibration caused by the motion.
b. It is free from brickwork, special foundation and chimney. This reduces the cost of
installation.
c. It is very compact.
Page | 8
(3) LANCSHIRE BOILER
It is stationary fire tube, internally fired, horizontal, natural circulation boiler. This is a widely
used boiler because of its good steaming quality and its ability to burn coal of inferior quality.
These boilers have a cylindrical shell 2 m in diameters and its length varies from 8 m to 10 m.
It has two large internal flue tubes having diameter between 80cm to 100 cm in which the grate is
situated. This boiler is set in brickwork forming external flue so that the external part of the shell forms
part of the heating surface.
Advantages
a. The feed pipe projecting into the boiler is perforated to ensure uniform water
distribution.
b. Its heating surface area per unit volume at the boiler is considerably large.
c. Its maintenance is easy.
d. It is suitable where a large reserve of hot water is needed. This boiler due to the large reserve capacity
can easily meet load fluctuations.
e. Super-heater and economizer can be easily incorporated into the system, therefore;
overall efficiency of the boiler can be considerably increased (80-85%).
Page | 9
(4) BABCOCK WILCOX BOILER
a. The evaporative capacity of this boiler is high compared with other boilers (20,000 to
40,000 kg/hr). The operating pressure lies between 11.5 to 17.5 bar.
b. The draught loss is minimum compared with other boilers.
c. The defective tubes can be replaced easily.
d. The entire boiler rests over an iron structure, independent of brick work, so that the boiler may
expand or contract freely. The brick walls which form the surroundings of the boiler are
only to enclose the furnace and the hot gases.
Page | 10
(5) HYDRONIC BOILERS
Hydronic boilers are used in generating heat for residential and industrial purposes. They are
the typical power plant for central heating systems fitted to houses in northern Europe(where they
are commonly combined with domestic water heating), as opposed to the forced-air furnaces or
wood burning stoves more common in N o r t h America.
The hydronic boiler operates by way of heating water/fluid to a preset temperature (or
sometimes in the case of single pipe systems, until it boils and turns to steam) and circulating that
fluid throughout the home typically by way of radiators, baseboard heaters or through the floors.
The fluid can be heated by any means...gas wood, fuel oil, etc., but in built-up areas where piped gas is
available, natural gas is currently the most economical and therefore the usual choice. The fluid is
in an enclosed system and circulated throughout by means of a pump. The name "boiler" can
be a misnomer in that, except for systems using steam radiators, the water in a properly
functioning hydronic boiler never actually boils. Some new systems are fitted with condensing boilers for
greater efficiency.
These boilers are referred to as condensing boilers because they are designed to extract the heat
of vaporization of the flue gas water vapour. As a result of the lower flue gas temperatures, flue
gas water vapour condenses to liquid and with dissolved carbon dioxide forms carbonic acid.
The carbonic acid would damage a typical boiler by corroding the flue and fireside boiler
heating surfaces.
Condensing boilers solve this problem by routing the carbonic acid down a drain and by making
the flue exposed to the corrosive flue gas of stainless steel or PVC. Although condensing boilers are
becoming more popular, they are still less common than other types of hydronic boilers as they are
more expensive.
Page | 11
Hydronic systems are being used more and more in new construction in North America for several reasons.
Among those are:
They are more efficient and more economical than forced-air systems (although initial
installation can be more expensive, because of the cost of the copper and aluminium).
The baseboard copper pipes and aluminium fins take up less room and use less metal than the bulky
steel ductwork required for forced-air systems.
They provide more even, less fluctuating temperatures than forced-air systems. The
copper baseboard pipes hold and release heat over a longer period of time than air does,
so the furnace does not have to switch off and on as much.
They tend to not dry out the interior air as much as forced air systems, but this is not always true.
When forced air duct systems are air-sealed properly, and have return-air paths back to
the furnace (thus reducing pressure differentials and therefore air movement between
inside and outside the house), this is not an issue.
They do not introduce any dust, allergens, mold, or (in the case of a faulty heat exchanger)
combustion by products into the living space.
Page | 12
2. COMBI BOILER
1) How does Combination Boiler Work in Industries:-
Combi Boiler (Combination Boiler)
A combination boiler or commonly known as a Combi Boiler is the combination of both Water
Tube boiler and Smoke Tube Boiler.
Combi Boilers are very common in India and can be used to produce and utilize steam in
various industries such as Rice Mills, sugar mills, Rubber industries and many more.
How a Combi Boiler Works
Thermodyne Engineering Systems has a vast experience in manufacturing Combi Boilers.
Our Combitherm models and Ultra models are both classified under Combi Boilers.
Generally, the design of a Combi Boiler is an amalgamation of both Water wall (Membrane)
as well as Shell and tube design.
Page | 13
Water wall acts as a furnace enclosure where combustion of fuel takes place. Here the tubes
surround the furnace and water flows inside membrane tubes. The fuel is fed on the grates of
the furnace and air is supplied through the Forced Draft Fan below the grates and as the fuel
comes in contact with air and heat, combustion process takes place.
This is the zone where the maximum radiation heat transfer takes place between the flue gases
and the water. After the combustion process, flue gases enter the shell and tube zone where
flue gases travel through high velocity inside the tubes and water is on the shell side. This is
the zone where convection heat transfer takes place between the flue gases and the water.
The basic difference between our Combitherm Model and the Ultra Model is that the shell in
cases of Combitherm Model is placed in series with the membrane while in case of Ultra
model, the shell is placed above the membrane and therefore Ultra has a smaller footprint as
compared to the Combitherm Model.
Page | 14
Packaged Boilers
Our Combi boilers are the most efficient boilers in terms of cost savings and fuels savings.
Their unique water wall membrane and smoke tube shell have the benefits of both water tube
boiler as well as the smoke tube boiler and so it has a combined feature of both of these designs.
Our high furnace volume in Combi Boilers extracts maximum radiation heat from the flue
gases at high temperatures while at low temperatures high velocity of flue gases is responsible
for extracting maximum convection heat.
Also Read: Biomass Biofuel Boiler
During its course of motion, it transfers heat to the –
Water present in the tubes in the Water Wall Membrane
Water present in the Boiler shell through tubes
This type of steam boiler offers a high degree of reliability and trouble-free operation. They
effectively operate at moderately high pressures and steam flow capacities, unlike packaged
type smoke tube boilers.
Combi Boilers for Sale in India
Combi type of steam boiler offers a high degree of reliability and trouble-free operation. Combi
Boilers effectively operate at moderately high pressures and steam flow capacities,
unlike packaged type smoke tube boilers.
Combi Boiler’s Capacity Range
Thermodyne Boilers manufacture High Efficient Combi Boilers of various capacity ranges as
mentioned below:-
Capacity: 1TPH – 20 TPH
Pressure: 10.54 Kg/cm2 to 32 Kg/cm2
Page | 15
