What is a Steam Boiler?
Steam boilers are a kind of closed, pressure vessels used to produce steam by transferring the energy from the heat to the liquid.
Steam Boiler Working Principle
In steam boilers, the liquid is transferred into the boiler with the help of a pump. The fuel is burned in the closed section of the boiler called the combustion chamber. The hot gases formed as a result of heating circulate in the boiler and heat the liquid inside. Above a certain temperature, the liquid boils and starts to evaporate, and steam is produced.This steam produced is transferred to the enterprises with the help of certain installations. The gases formed as a result of combustion are purified from the chemicals that are harmful to the nature and thrown out with the help of the chimney.
Steam Boiler Types
Generally, steam boilers are classified under two groups.
- Flame Smoke Tube Boilers
- Water Tube Boilers
Flame Smoke Tube Boilers
Flame smoke tube boilers are widely used all over the world. It is based on the process of steam production by passing the hot flame gases burning in the combustion chamber through the pipes placed in the water cavity of the boiler and by making the heat transfer from the pipes to the water.
Advantages
- Their construction is simple.
- Its cost is low.
- It is easy to manufacture and operate.
- The degree of dryness of the steam formed is high.
Disadvantages
- Since the boiler body is large, it is difficult to manufacture for high pressures.
- Not suitable for high capacity.
Water Tube Boilers
They are systems that have the capacity to produce high pressure steam by heating the hot smoke gases obtained by burning the fuel in the boiler and heating the water passing through the pipes placed inside the boiler.
Advantages
- In any pipe splitting, some of the water in the boiler quickly turns into steam, so it does not pose a great danger.
- Since the heating surface area is large and the volume of water is small, more steam is obtained from the unit heating surface area.
- It can be manufactured at high pressure and high capacity.
Disadvantages
- Its cost is high.
- It requires more careful operating conditions.
Steam Boiler Efficiency
Factors Affecting Steam Boiler Efficiency
- flue gas temperature
- Fuel type
- incomplete combustion
- Burner quality
- Excessive burning
- Corrosion on the heating surface
- Heat losses due to blowdown
- Feed water temperature
- Combustion air temperature