Submitted by : Gaurav kumar netam

Roll no : 2k19/ME/092

AIM : TO STUDY WATER TUBE BOILER

DEFINATION: A water tube boiler can be defined as a Steam boiler

in which the flow of water in the tubes, as well as hot gases, enclose
the tubes. Not like fire tube boilers, this boiler attains high-
pressures, as well as high-steam capabilities, can be achieved. This is
because of condensed tangential pressure on tubes which is known
as hoop stress.

Components of Water Tube Boiler

The water tube boiler can be built with boiler shell, burner, mud drum or mud
ring, furnace, safety valve, strainer, sight glass, feed check valve, steam stop
valve, etc.

Boiler Shell: This shell is the external cylindrical part of a pressure

container.

Mud Drum: This is a cylindrical formed space at the base of the water

space. The impurities like mud, sediment, and others will be gathered.

Strainer:  This is a type of device a filter to hold solid elements letting a

fluid to supply.

Sight Glass: A glass tube is utilized on steam type boilers for giving
observable signs of the water level in boilers.
Security Valve: A spring-loaded tap that unlocks when force gets the
location of the valve. This can be used for stopping the unnecessary
force from the construction of a boiler

Boiler: This is a surrounded space offered for the fuel combustion.

Feed-Test Tap: The high-force water flows via this tap, which releases
to the boiler simply and supplies the water to the water type boiler

Steam-Stop Tap: It controls the steam flow supply at outside.

Burner: This is one type of device for the beginning of air and fuel into
a boiler at the preferred velocity. This is the most essential apparatus
for the firing of gas or oil.

Working Principle of Water Tube Boiler

The working principle of water tube boiler is thermal siphoning
(circulation of natural water). Basically, this type of boiler includes two
drums namely steam, lower or mud drum.

The water tube boiler diagram is shown below, and these two drums
are associated via two tubes such as downcomer and riser. At first, the
water is supplied into the steam type drum with the help of a water
pump. Whenever the fuel is burned, then hot gases will be generated
that are permitted to supply in the shell part of the boiler. The hot
gases which are produced by the fuel will replace heat by the water;
the water gets changed into steam. Because, the water temperature
increases, the concentration will increase automatically.

Clearly, the concentration of steam will be lesser than the water. Thus
in the steam drum, the water, as well as steam, gets divided obviously
due to variation in concentration.
Here the traveling of steam will be upward becausee of low
concentration as well as water will travel downward because of high
concentration.

Types of Water Tube Boilers

1) Simple Vertical Boiler

This is one type of water tube boiler. In this type of boiler, the axis of direction
is perpendicular with respect to the position. The major components of this
boiler include ash pit, grate, feed check tap, fire hole, firebox, cross box, hand
hole, fusible plug, water gauge, cylindrical shell, steam space, manhole,
pressure gauge, steam stop tap, safety tap, chimney.
In this type of boiler, using the fire hoke fuel is added into the grate which
destroys by fire to generate the warm gases. Ash pit is for collecting the ash
which is converted from the fuel. Hot gases increase high and supply their
heat toward the water within the cross box, then moves out using the chimney

1. Ash Pit

The purpose of the ash pit is to collect fuel ash after burning
the fuel.

2. Grate

The grate usually consists of cast iron bars which are spaced
aside so that the air (required for combustion) can pass
through them. It is a platform, in the combustion chamber,
upon which the fuel is burnt.
3. Feed Check Valve

The purpose of a feed check valve is to regulate the flow of

water from the feed pump to the boiler and to prevent the
backflow of the water.

4. Fire Hole

The Firehole is hole provided at the air rear end of the boiler.
The solid fuel is inserted and burned into the furnace through
this hole.

5. Fire Box

The firebox is a type of a box in this the burning of the solid

fuel takes place.

6. Handhole

The handhole is provided in the shell opposite the ends of

each cross tube for cleaning the cross tube.

7. Cross Tubes

One or more cross tubes are either fastened or flanged into

the furnace to enhance the heating surface and improve
water circulation.

8. Fusible Plug

The function of the fusible plug is to put-off the fire in the

furnace of the boiler when the water level falls below an
unsafe level and thus avoids the explosion, which may take
place due to overheating of the tubes and the shell.

9. Water Level Indicator

It is an important device, which indicates the water level

inside the boiler. It is a safety device upon which the safe
working of the boiler depends.

10. Cylindrical Shell

The shell is in a vertical position and is attached to the bed of

the furnace. The greater part of the shell is filled with water
which also surrounds the furnace. The remaining part is the
steam space. The shell can be about 1.25 m in diameter and
2.0 m in height.

11. Man Hole

The manhole is provided at the top of the shell to allow a man

to enter into it to repair and to inspect the boiler from inside.
It is also for cleaning the inner part of the boiler shell and the
outer part of the combustion chamber and the chimney.

12. Pressure Gauge

The pressure gauge is used to measure the pressure of the

steam inside the boiler. It is arranged in front of the boiler.

13. Steam Stop Valve

The function of a steam stop valve is to regulate the flow of
the steam from within the boiler and to stop it completely
when required.

14. Safety Valve

The safety valve is an instrument which prevents the boiler

pressure from rising above its normal working pressure by
automatically opening when the boiler pressure exceeds the
normal working pressure, thus allowing excess steam to
escape into the atmosphere until the pressure comes down to
its normal value.

15. Chimney

The chimney is located on the top portion of the boiler. It is

employed to throw out the exhaust smoke and gases to the
environment.

Working of Simple Vertical Boiler

It consists of a cylindrical shell surrounding a nearly cylindrical firebox.

The firebox is slightly tapered towards the top to allow the ready passage
of the steam to the surface. At the bottom of the firebox, is a grate. The
firebox is provided with two or more inclined cross tubes F, F.

The inclination of the cross tubes is provided to improve the heating

surface as well as to increase the circulation of water. An uptake tube
passes from the top of the firebox to the chimney. The handhole is fitted
opposite to the end of each water tubes for cleaning the depositions.
A manhole is located at the top portion of the boiler for a man to enter
and to clean the boiler. A mudhole is provided at the bottom of the shell
to remove the mud, that settles down. The space between the boiler shell
and firebox is filled with water to be heated.

drums and mud drums are connected through bent tube banks.

2) Babcock and Wilcox Boilers

This is a horizontal straight water tube boiler; it has a steam drum
which is made of steel. The two ends of the drum are associated with a
series of two end headers with short riser pipes. These are disposed at
15o0 angle to the horizontal axis of the steam drum. The disposed of
the arrangement of tubes assists in the supply of water, and the water
level in the drum is indicated with a water level indicator.

This is a horizontal axis drum which contains water and steam.

Water tubes:

Water tubes are placed between the drum and furnace in an inclined
position (at an angle of 10 to 15 degrees) to promote water circulation.

Uptake and Downtake Header:

This is present at the front end of the boiler and connected to the front
end of the drum. It transports the steam from the water tubes to the
drum. and

This is present at the rear end of the boiler and connects the water
tubes to the rear end of the drum.

It receives water from the drum.

Grate:

Coal is fed to the grate through the fire door.

Furnace:

The furnace is kept below the uptake-header.

Baffles:

The fire-brick baffles, two in number, are provided to deflect the hot
flue gases.

Superheater:

It increases the temperature of saturated steam to the required

temperature before discharging it from the steam stop valve.

Mud Box:

This is used to collect the mud present in the water.

Mud box is provided at the bottom end of the down-take header.

Inspection Door:

Inspection doors are provided for cleaning and inspection of the boiler.
Water Level Indicator:

The water level indicator shows the level of water within the drum.

Pressure Gauge:

The pressure gauge is used to check the pressure of steam within the
boiler drum.

Working Principle of Babcock and Wilcox

Boiler:
The working of Babcock and Wilcox boiler is first the water starts to
come in the water tubes from the drum through down take header with
the help of a boiler feed pump which continues to feed the water against
the drum pressure.

The water present in the inclined water tubes gets heated up by the hot
flue gases produced by the burning of coal on the fire grate. hese fuel
gases are uniformly heated the water tube with the help of a baffle plate
which works deflect the flues gas uniform throughout the tubes which
absorbed the heating maximum from the flue gases.

As the hot flue gases come in contact with water tubes, It exchanges the
heat with heater and converts into the steam.

Continuous circulation of water from the drum to the water tubes and
water tubes to the drum is thus maintained.

The circulation of water is maintained by convective current and it's

known as Natural Circulation.

The Steam generated is moved upward, due to density difference and

through the up-take header, it gets collected at the upper side in the
boiler drum.

Anti-priming pipe inside the drum which works separates the moisture
from the steam

3) Stirling Boiler
The Stirling boiler is one type of water tube boiler, used for generating steam
(50,000 kg steam/hour and 60 kgf /cm2 pressure) in the large area of the
stationary plant. This type of boiler consists of 3 steam drums as well as 2
mud drums. The steam drums are located on the top section of the boiler
whereas mud drums are located on the base of the arrangement. The steam
drums and mud drums are connected through bent tube banks.

Diagram:

Working :
The feed water initially enters itno the right most upper drum,Due to extra
denity this water comes down in lower water drum, THE WATER IN THAT DRUM
WITH THE CONNECTING PIPES to other two upper drums, are heated up and thus
steam bubbles are formed.

Application of water tube boilers:

Applications of water tube boiler,

Water tube boilers are widely used in industries such as sugar mill, che
mical industry, paper mill,textile factory, central heating enterprise, po
wer plant, and so on. The boiler types is different
according to the different usage.Double-drum water tube steam boiler.
Doubledrum water tube steam boiler is mainly burning hea"y oil, light oi
l, natural gas,, and other oil or gas fuel. The capacity of which  ton per ho
ur, so it is
widely used inschool, hospital, hotel, textile industry, chemical plant, 
paper '
pulp, pharmaceuticals, refinery,food processing, building materials and 
other
industrial area that need not too much steam in production process. 

it has the advantages of energy saving, environmental protection, 
operation, long serving life, etc.