What is the difference between a fire tube and a water tube boiler?
Based on the position of water and hot gas:
In fire tube boiler:
Flue gases pass through the tubes and water outside the tube.
In water tube boiler:
Water passes through the tubes and hot gases outside the
tubes.
Based on high pressure and high-temperature steam:
water tube boiler:
A Water-tube boiler
is generally preferred for high pressure and high-temperature steam because it
can operate in high pressure.
Fire-tube boiler:
fire tube boiler is not used for producing high-temperature
and high-pressure steam because of the low-pressure operating system.
Based on operating pressure:
In fire tube boiler:
Limited to 25 bar
In water tube boiler:
Can work under as high pressure as more than 125 bar
Based on scale deposition and overheating:
In fire tube boiler:
There is no water tube, no problem of scale deposition, and
less problem of overheating and bursting.
In water tube boiler:
Small deposition of scale will cause overheating and bursting
of the tubes.
Based on compactness:
Fire-tube boiler:
Compacted
Water-tube boiler:
Less -compacted
Accessibility:
In fire tube boiler:
Fuel tube boiler is easy to access that’s why tube
replacement of tubes easier on the fire-tube boiler.
In water tube boiler:
Water-tube boiler is not easy to access, that’s why
replacement of tubes is not easier on the water-tube boiler.
Fuel capability:
Water-tube boiler:
Water-tube boilers are capable of burning any economically
available fuel with excellent efficiency.
Fire-tube boiler:
Fire-tube boilers are capable of using liquid or gaseous
fuel to avoid fouling the heating surfaces.
Rate of steam generation:
In fire tube boiler:
Lower
In water tube boiler:
Higher
Based on Suitability:
In fire tube boiler:
Not suitable for large power plant
In fire tube boiler:
Suitable for long power plant
Chance of explosion:
In fire tube boiler:
Less due to low pressure
In water tube boiler:
More due to high pressure
Based on operating pressure:
In fire tube boiler:
Limited to 25 bar
In water tube boiler:
Can work under as high pressure as more than 125 bar
Floor space requirement:
In fire tube boiler:
More
In water boiler:
Less
Cost:
In fire tube boiler:
Low intial cost
In water boiler:
Initial cost is generally high
Requirement of skill:
In fire tube boiler:
Required less skill for efficient and economic working.
In water tube boiler:
Required more skill and careful attention for efficient and
economic working.
Based on uses:
In fire tube boiler:
For producing process steam
In water tube boiler:
Producing steam for power generation as well as process
heating.
Efficiency:
Water-tube boiler:
The use of small diameter tubes in water tube boiler helps
in rapid heat transmission, rapid response to steam demands, and high
efficiency.
Fire-tube boiler:
Comparatively less efficient.
Fire-tube boiler:
Cochran, locomotive
Water-tube boiler:
Babcock and Wilcox
Conclusion:
Thus, in selecting a boiler, many factors other than the
first cost are to be considered. Important are availability, operating and
maintenance costs, fuel costs, space, and a host of other factors. The most
important perhaps is fuel costs. During the life of the equipment, we can
expect fuel costs to be many times the cost of the boiler and associated
equipment.
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