Boiler may be defined as a closed vessel in which steam is produced from water by combustion of fuel.

According to American Society of Mechanical Engineers (A.S.M.E.) a ‘steam generating unit’ is defined as “A
combination of apparatus for producing, furnishing or recovering heat together with the apparatus for transferring
the heat so made available to the fluid being heated and vapourised”.

The steam generated is employed for the following purposes :

1 For generating power in steam engines or steam turbines.

2 In the textile industries for sizing and bleaching etc., and many other industries like sugar mills chemical
industries.
3 For heating the buildings in cold weather and for producing hot water for hot water supply.

The primary requirements of steam generators or boilers are :

 The water must be contained safely.

 The steam must be safely delivered in desired condition (as regards its pressure, temperature,

CLASSIFICATION OF BOILERS

The boilers may be classified as follows :

1. Horizontal, Vertical or Inclined : If the axis of the boiler is horizontal, the boiler is called as horizontal, if the
axis is vertical, it is called vertical boiler and if the axis is inclined it is known as inclined boiler. The parts of a
horizontal boiler can be inspected and repaired easily but it occupies more space. The vertical boiler occupies
less floor area.
2. Fire Tube and Water Tube:
In the fire tube boilers, the hot gases are inside the tubes and the water surrounds the tubes. Examples:
Cochran, Lancashire and Locomotive boilers.
In the water tube boilers, the water is inside the tubes and hot gases surround them. Examples: Babcock and
Wilcox, Stirling, Yarrow boiler etc.
3. Externally Fired and Internally Fired: The boiler is known as externally fired if the fire is outside the shell.
Examples: Babcock and Wilcox boiler, Stirling boiler etc.
In case of internally fired boilers, the furnace is located inside the boiler shell. Examples: Cochran, Lancashire
boiler etc.
4. Forced Circulation and Natural Circulation: In forced circulation type of boilers, the circulation of water is
done by a forced pump. Examples: Velox, Lamont, Benson boiler etc.
In natural circulation type of boilers, circulation of water in the boiler takes place due to natural convention
currents produced by the application of heat. Examples: Lancashire, Babcock and Wilcox boiler etc.
5. High Pressure and Low Pressure Boilers: The boilers which produce steam at pressures of 80 bar and above
are called high pressure boilers. Examples: Babcock and Wilcox, Velox, Lamont, Benson boilers.
The boilers which produce steam at pressure below 80 bar are called low pressure boilers. Examples: Cochran,
Cornish, Lancashire and Locomotive boiler.
6 Stationary and Portable: The boilers are classified as either stationary (land) or mobile (marine and
locomotive).
Stationary boilers are used for power plantsteam, for central station utility power plants, for plant process
steam etc. Mobile boilers or portable boilers include locomotive type, and other small units for temporary use
at sites (just as in small coal-fieldpits).
7 Single Tube and Multi-tube Boilers: The fire tube boilers are classified as single tube and multi-tube boilers,
depending upon whether the fire tube is one or more than one. The examples of the former type are cornish,
simple vertical boiler and rest of the boilers are multi-tube boilers.

COMPARISON BETWEEN FIRE TUBE AND WATER TUBE BOILER

SELECTION OF A BOILER

While selecting a boiler the following factors should be considered :

1 The working pressure and quality of steam required (i.e., whether wet or dry or superheated).
2 Steam generation rate.
3 Floor area available.
4 Accessibility for repair and inspection.
5 Comparative initial cost.
6 Erection facilities.
7 The portable load factor.
8 The fuel and water available.
9 Operating and maintenance costs.

ESSENTIALS OF A GOOD STEAM BOILER

A good boiler should possess the following features :

1 The boiler should produce the maximum weight of steam of the required quality at minimum expenses.
2 Steam production rate should be as per requirements.
3 It should be absolutely reliable.
4 It should occupy minimum space.
5 It should be light in weight.
6 It should be capable of quick starting.
7 There should be an easy access to the various parts of the boiler for repairs and inspection.
8 The boiler components should be transportable without difficulty.
9 The installation of the boiler should be simple.
10 The tubes of the boiler should not accumulate soot or water deposits and should be sufficiently strong to
allow for wear and corrosion.
11 The water and gas circuits should be such as to allow minimum fluid velocity (for low frictional losses).

BOILER TERMS

Shell: The shell of a boiler consists of one or more steel plates bent into a cylindrical form and riveted or welded
together. The shell ends are closed with the end plates.

Setting: The primary function of setting is to confine heat to the boiler and form a passage for gases. It is made of
brickwork and may form the wall of the furnace and the combustion chamber. It also provides support in some
types of boilers (e.g., Lancashire boilers).

Grate: It is the platform in the furnace upon which fuel is burnt and it is made of cast iron bars. The bars are so
arranged that air may pass on to the fuel for combustion. The area of the grate on which the fire rests in a coal or
wood fired boiler is called grate surface.

Furnace: It is a chamber formed by the space above the grate and below the boiler shell, in which combustion
takes place. It is also called a fire-box.

Water space and steam space: The volume of the shell that is occupied by the water is termed water space while
the entire shell volume less the water and tubes (if any) space is called steam space.

Mounting: The items such as stop valve, safety valves, water level gauges, fusible plug, blow-off cock, pressure
gauges, water level indicator etc., are termed as mountings and a boiler cannot work safely without them.

Accessories: The items such as superheaters, economisers, feed pumps etc., are termed as accessories and they
form integral part of the boiler. They increase the efficiency of the boiler.

Water level: The level at which water stands in the boiler is called water level. The space above the water level is
called steam space.

Foaming: Formation of steam bubbles on the surface of boiler water due to high surface tension of the water.

Scale: A deposit of medium to extreme hardness occurring on water heating surfaces of a boiler because of an
undesirable condition in the boiler water.

Blowing off: The removal of the mud and other impurities of water from the lowest part of the boiler (where they
usually settle) is termed as ‘blowing off’. This is accomplished with the help of a blow off valve.

Lagging: Blocks of asbestos or magnesia insulation wrapped on the outside of a boiler shell or steam piping.
Refractory: A heat insulation material, such as fire brick or plastic fire clay, used for such purposes as lining
combustion chambers

FIRE TUBE BOILERS

The various fire tube boilers are described as follows :

Simple Vertical Boiler

It consists of a cylindrical shell, the greater portion of which is full of water (which surrounds the fire box also) and
remaining is the steam space. At the bottom of the fire box is grate on which fuel is burnt and the ash from it falls
in the ash pit. The fire box is provided with two cross tubes. This increases the heating surface and the circulation
of water. The cross tubes are fitted inclined. This ensures efficient circulation of water. At the ends of each cross
tube are provided hand holes to give access for cleaning these tubes. The combustion gases after heating the
water and thus converting it into steam escape to the atmosphere through the chimney. Man hole, is provided to
clean the interior of the boiler and exterior of the combustion chamber and chimney. The various mountings
shown in Fig. are

(i) Pressure gauge, (ii) Water level gauge or indicator, (iii) Safety valve, (iv) Steam stop valve, (v) Feed check valve,
and (vi) Man hole.

Flow of combustion gases and circulation of water in water jackets are indicated by arrows in Fig

The rate of production in such a boiler normally does not exceed 2500 kg/hr and pressure is normally limited to 7.5
to 10 bar. A simple vertical boiler is self-contained and can be transported easily.