BOILER TYPES

FOR STEAM
APPLICATIONS
Understanding the Basics & Differences
January 2019

American Boiler Manufacturers Association (ABMA)

8221 Old Courthouse Road, Suite 380
Vienna, VA 22015
703-356-7172
www.abma.com
 BOILER TYPES FOR STEAM APPLICATIONS

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
ABMA would like to thank Gene Tompkins on ABMA’s Technical Team for leading the creation
of this publication and Jim Kolbus, Product Manager at Clark-Reliance for partnering with
Gene as a contributor, editor and sounding board on this publication project.

This publication shares some typical advantages and disadvantages of different boiler types.
While this document is not meant to address the specifics of all boilers, it should offer some
general opportunities for customers to select products that best suit their needs.

We welcome your feedback on this publication along with ideas for future contributions from
ABMA. Feel free to send any comments to [email protected].

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DISCLAIMER
While this document is technically sound, it is advisory only and to be used as a guide for
qualified personnel. This publication is not intended to be definitive, nor are the comments
made regarding specific boiler types applicable to every boiler.

This information is provided to help understand the common differences between boiler types
and what users should be looking for when evaluating the best boiler for their application.
Any use made of the information in this publication is entirely within the control and
discretion of the manufacturer and is wholly voluntary.

ABMA expressly disclaims any responsibility for damages arising from the use, application, or
reliance on the recommendations and information contained herein.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Basic Boiler Types.................................................................... 5

II. Tradeoffs in Boiler Design...................................................... 6

III. Firetube Boilers.................................................................... 8

IV. Watertube Boilers................................................................11

V. Economizer – The Great Equalizer..........................................15

VI. Impact of Efficiency.............................................................16

VII. Historical Sales...................................................................17

VIII. APPENDIX.........................................................................19

I. Performance Criteria.....................................................19

II. An Efficiency Example..................................................24

III. Summary Comparison.................................................26

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This article covers the basic difference between common boiler types for high pressure steam
applications in the capacity range of 5,000,000 to 100,000,000 Btu/hr (5-100 MMBTU/hr or
120 - 2400 HP). This size range would be the larger commercial, institutional and industrial
applications. This range has been selected because there are many different types of boilers
available that are offered by several manufacturers. The goal of this paper is to provide
insights into how different boiler designs can impact the efficiency and overall operating
advantages of a steam facility.

Low-pressure steam and hot water markets are much different in both performance
opportunities and in equipment that can be used in these applications. While the general
concepts of efficiency are the same, the actual details provide a much different environment
compared to high-pressure

I. Basic Boiler Types

There are two basic boiler styles for steam boilers in this range, Firetube and Watertube
boilers. As their names imply, the Firetube boiler has the fire (combustion gases) inside the
tube and the Watertube boiler has the water inside the tube. This allows for large variations
in product design and manufacturers have taken advantage of this to offer ever expanding
options to customers. Over the last few years, these basic styles have expanded to include a
wide variety of different boilers, and with each new design comes an opportunity for a better
match between the different applications and boiler.

FIGURE 1 – Firetube Boiler with Economizer FIGURE 2 – Industrial Watertube Boiler

(Courtesy of Burnham Commercial Boiler) (Courtesy of Victory Energy.)

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For this analysis, the key issues will be efficiency, response to load, ease of maintenance and
space requirements. The value of each of these considerations will vary with the application,
so while some people will want to maximize the efficiency because of high fuel costs, others
may be driven by limited space, with all other factors becoming secondary.

Each product has its own list of pros and cons, and often a design is done to maximize certain
attributes. There are fundamental tradeoffs in the design of a boiler, and you can cut back
on one item and expand on another to offer different advantages and performance. This is
exactly what has been occurring in recent decades, greatly expanding the products available.

II. Tradeoffs in Boiler Design

There are fundamental tradeoffs in the design of a boiler, and you can easily cut back on one
item and expand on another to offer different features, cost and performance. It is important
to understand these trade-offs because you want to select the unit that will best serve your
application. This is not to say that some boilers will not work for your application, only that
some boilers may work better than others. This is especially true today where there are many
more types of boilers with different advantages and performance.

Here are some of the key trade-offs in boiler design;

1. Adding or Reducing Heat Transfer Surface Area: All things being equal, a boiler with
more heating surface will have a higher steady state efficiency. The other advantage
of larger heating surface is that if you use oil or a dirty fuel, a boiler will have a longer
time between cleanings. The disadvantage of larger surface areas is that it results in a
larger more expensive boiler and has a higher heat loss when the boiler cycles on and off
(dynamic efficiency).
2. Furnace Size: Larger furnaces are easier to fire and depending on the boiler design,
it can reduce the thermal stress by lowering some temperatures (like the entrance
to second pass tubes in a Firetube boiler). Furnaces size can also have an impact on
the emissions capability, with larger furnace sizes making it easier to get lower NOx
emissions. A larger furnace also makes the vessel larger and more expensive. These
conditions are not absolute, and for example, a pre-mix burner essentially needs no
furnace, which is a common design in smaller sizes and for some manufacturers. Also,
the Watertube boiler typically has a larger furnace because it is relatively easy and
inexpensive to do, where the Firetube furnace is usually smaller.
3. Using a Pre-Mix Burner: The flame size of a pre-mix burner is a small fraction of
the size required by a conventional burner. Because of this, a separate furnace may
not be required, and this can greatly reduce the vessel size. This technology is used in
Firetube and Watertube boilers, but is more common in Watertube boilers. It also has the
advantage of offering lower emissions by simply increasing the excess air rate although
this tends to reduce the efficiency. Pre-mix burners are limited in gaseous fuel, such as
natural gas or propane.

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4. Improving the Heat Transfer Rate: The heat transfer rate can be improved which can
increase the efficiency, reduce the heat transfer surface or a combination of both. There
are some common methods to do this;
a. I ncreasing the flue gas velocity will directly increase the efficiency (up to a point)
because more heat will be transferred to the boiler. The downside of higher velocity is
that it takes a larger fan and motor to provide this velocity.

b. A
 dding turbulators inside the convection tubes of a Firetube boiler will improve the heat
transfer, but with a higher pressure drop requiring larger fans and motors to make
capacity.

c. U
 se tubes that have extended surface on the flue gas side. Heat transfer from the tube
to water is easy, but hard for flue gas to the tube. For a Firetube boiler, this means
notches in the inside of the tube. In a Watertube, this could mean adding fins to the
outside of tubes. Again, all these methods will improve the heat transfer but at the cost
of larger fans and motors.

In all of these, there is also the potential issue of plugging due to the tighter spacing and
it is more difficult to clean the heat transfer surface. The extent of the difficulty depends
on the type of fuel, with cleaner fuels like natural gas being less problematic.

5. Adding Economizers: An economizer is a heat transfer product that will remove heat
from the flue gas and add it to the incoming feedwater. It can save a fair amount of
energy, and has the added benefit of working with the cooler feedwater, compared to
the hotter boiler water, so a boiler with an economizer typically has a higher steady state
efficiency. The downside to economizers is that they add cost, complexity and are subject
to cold end corrosion.

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III. Firetube Boilers

Firetube boilers have been one of the predominate boiler designs for well over a century, and
even today they represent a majority of the high pressure steam generating capacity for
units in the normal size range. Not all Firetube boilers are created the same.

Historically, most manufacturers offered

Scotch Marine Firetube boilers (horizontal
multi-pass with a large furnace) with
the same basic design but varied in
number of passes (2, 3 or 4-pass) or
the furnace turnaround construction
(wetback or dryback). These designs had
good track records, long life with good
efficiency and were easy to operate with a
forgiving nature.

The Scotch Marine Firetube boiler is made

up of a cylindrical shell that has a furnace
to contain the combustion and numerous FIGURE 3 – 3 Pass Wetback Boiler (Courtesy
tubes used to extract the combustion heat. of Victory Energy)
Turnaround chambers are used to reverse
the combustion gases from the furnace to
the tubes, and multiple turnarounds can be used to generate multiple passes. Typical Firetube
boilers can have anything from a single pass (no furnace) to 4 passes.

FIGURE 4 – 4 Pass Wetback Flue Passes FIGURE 5 – 4 Pass Dryback Flue Passes
(Courtesy of Cleaver-Brooks, Inc.) (Courtesy of Cleaver-Brooks, Inc.)

The flue gas turnaround from the furnace to the second pass tubes can be done in two
common methods, a wetback and dryback turnaround. Wetback boilers have a water cooled
chamber located in the vessel for the furnace turnaround and although it doesn’t require
regular maintenance, it is difficult to access for inspection, maintenance and repairs. The
dryback boiler has the furnace turnaround in a separate refractory chamber attached to
the back of the vessel, making vessel access very easy, but it can require more regular
maintenance of the gaskets and refractory.

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One weakness of a multi-pass Firetube boiler is a problem called “Thermal Shock”. This is
actually not a shock, but a difference in thermal expansion and contraction caused by the
furnace, tubes and shell heating and expanding at different rates, causing high stresses
and fatigue failure. This is prevented by performing a slower warmup cycle to minimize the
temperature differences. A similar problem occurs with hot water applications, where sudden
changes in the water (return) temperature cause different expansions and contractions. In
fact, multi-pass Firetube boilers are not usually used for hot water applications today because
of this issue.

A major difference between Firetube and Watertube boilers is that the Firetube boiler has a
much larger water and steam content for any given capacity. This is inherent in the design
of the boiler, and the reason for most of the differences between boiler types. This large
reservoir of water and steam makes the Firetube steam pressure and water level more
stable in fluxuating loads. It also requires more energy to heat up to operating temperature
and pressure.

THE CLASSIC SCOTCH MARINE FIRETUBE BOILER

The Scotch Marine Firetube boiler is a multi-pass horizontal boiler that typically has
the furnace located lower in the shell. It can be 2, 3 or 4-pass with wetback or dryback
construction. These boilers are often made with large heating surface, typically 5 square feet
per boiler HP.

Primary Advantages of the Scotch Marine Firetube Boiler

1. Most of these boilers are built with a lot of heating surface, usually 5 square feet of heat
transfer surface per boiler HP. This provides higher steady state efficiency and a good
resistance to fouling. A Watertube boiler will usually have less heat transfer surface, but
often add economizers to overcome this difference. This is why Firetube boilers typically
have the best steady state efficiency.
2. Because a large diameter shell contains the water and steam, these boilers have a large
steam chest and disengaging area that provides good steam quality without the addition
of mechanical separation.
3. The furnace can be made large enough to support a variety of different fuels and
emission requirements.
4. The large shell space allows for a fair amount of sediment accumulation without hurting
the vessel, providing more flexibility in water treatment and blow down maintenance. This
is why the Firetube boiler is considered to be more forgiving.
5. The large water content makes the management of water level easier to control, often
with just an on-off control or a simple modulating level control, adding to the “more
forgiving” concept.
6. The boiler has large energy content (a combination of the steam and water at saturated
temperature) that allows it to generate a higher steam flow rate for short periods with
minimal steam pressure variations. Applications with large instantaneous flow rates can
use this advantage, but there are limits to how much can be done without hurting the
boiler or creating steam quality issues, which are detrmined by the manufacturer..

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7. Most of the boiler has water or steam on the inner side of the shell, which is much cooler
than the flue gases that are on the interior of a Watertube boiler. In many cases, this can
reduce the shell heat loss, defined as the “Radiation and Convection” losses.
Primary Disadvantages of the Scotch Marine Firetube Boiler

1. Most Scotch Marine Firetube Boilers require a slow warmup cycle that can take several
hours. Multiple pass boilers are subject to “Thermal Shock”, and if the warmup cycle is
not done properly, failures will occur over time. The larger (longer) the boiler, the bigger
the problem, because the difference of growth between the furnace, tubes and shell will
be larger.
2. The longer warmup cycle often requires backup boilers to be kept hot for quicker
response. This adds cost and complicates the operation of a plant.
3. Because the steam pressure is contained by the large diameter shell, it has a limited
pressure capacity, usually around 300 PSI.
4. The large steam and water content means that more energy is required to bring the
unit on-line. If the boiler operates infrequently, that energy (or a portion of that startup
energy) will be lost in the off time, which is reflected in the lower dynamic efficiency.

OTHER FIRETUBE BOILERS

The Scotch Marine Firetube boiler is historically the most common boiler used for steam
generation in the size range of 5 to 75 MMBTU input. The size range of the Firetube boiler line
has been increasing over the years, and is now over 100 MMBTU/hr, or about 2500 HP. These
larger boilers typically do not have the larger heating surface of 5 square feet/BHP, but use
other means to maintain high efficiencies.

There are other types of Firetube boilers, and the most common types are as follows:

1. Ohio Special boilers are units made with a limited amount of heating surface. In the state
of Ohio, if the boiler has less than 358 square feet of heating surface, it does not need to
have a full-time operator, so designs are made to keep under this limit, while producing
250 HP (10 MMBTU/hr input) or more. They are typically 2-pass boilers with special tubes
to improve heat transfer rates.
2. Firebox boilers use similar furnace and tube attachment techniques, but often do not use
a round furnace or shells, and are usually limited to low pressure steam and hot water.
The boiler tends to be more compact and economical and often used for seasonal heating.
3. More recently, there are boilers that have less than 5 square feet of heating surface per
boiler HP in a variety of wetback, dryback and number of passes. These take advantage
of the improved heat transfer and the common use of natural gas to get good efficiency in
a smaller package.
4. There are vertical firetube boilers that offer the advantage of a much smaller footprint.
These units usually are limited to about 200 HP (8,400,000 BTU/hr) in size.
5. There are single-pass horizontal Firetube boilers that use a pre-mix burner and do not
need a furnace. Their primary advantage is that they don’t suffer from thermal shock,
and can be brought on-line and generate steam quickly. They also have less heat transfer
surface resulting in a smaller size and footprint.

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IV. Watertube Boilers

Watertube boilers have numerous
variations in design, mostly because the
small diameter tubing is easy to fabricate
into many different shapes. There are
designs for solid fuels, smaller footprint,
truck mounting, lower costs, thermal shock
resistance, quick startup and other goals.

The “Industrial Watertube” line is defined

as units that have high capacities, high
pressure capabilities and the ability to
provide superheat. Packaged Industrial
Watertube boilers typically go up to about FIGURE 6 – D Type Industrial Watertube Boiler
300,000 PPH, although larger boilers are (Courtesy of Babcock & Wilcox Company)
not able to ship as complete units.

Watertube boilers have the steam and

water inside the tubes, so they have much less water content than the Firetube boiler. They
also have a much smaller space for the collection of scale and generally require better
feedwater because a small amount of scale can block flow through a tube.

Watertube boilers are made up of multiple drums and numerous tubes. The upper drum is
called the steam drum and the lower drums called the mud drums. The interconnecting tubes
are bent to provide a furnace and convection section. The tubes may also provide some or
all of the enclosure of these areas. In Bent-tube boilers, multiple gas passes are made from
the bending of the tubes, with no attachment between the tubes, offering great resistance to
thermal shock.

One issue with Watertube boilers is sealing the flue gases in the vessel. This is normally done
with rigid casing (structural walls that enclose the tubes and provide a gas tight enclosure),
membrane walls (tubes welded together to provide a gas tight wall) or a combination of
these features. In addition, refractory and insulation are used to protect the drums and
tube connections from the hot flue gases. There are many ways to seal the flue gases and
often these are provided as sales advantages. Welded membranes, for example, provide an
excellent means of containing the hot flue gases, but can make the vessel more rigid and
subject to thermal stresses. Tangent tubes offer flexibility in the vessel (a common trait of
Bent Tube boilers) but have gas leakage and higher wall temperatures.

Bent Tube boilers have been around for a several decades, and availability continues to grow
into larger sizes. They are best identified as units that have shaped tubes used to create
multiple passes within the boiler. They typically have a much smaller capacity then the
Industrial Watertube, but offerings of up to 100 MMBTU are available. The primary attraction
is their small size and lower cost.

The Coil tube boiler is also a special type of Watertube boiler. It is normally made of a single
tube coil (or a few coils) that can perform quick startup without the potential of thermal
shock. A separate chamber is used for steam separation. These boilers typically have a very
low water content, small size and can have a very short startup time for steam generation.

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FIGURE 7 – Bent Tube Boiler FIGURE 8 – Coil Tube Boiler

Courtesy of Cleaver-Brooks, Inc.) (Courtesy of Clayton Industries, Inc.)

The Coil tube boiler does require very good water treatment and maintenance to prevent
water side scale buildup.

There are many other Watertube designs that are specifically geared towards heat recovery
or solid fuel firing and other special applications. In fact, boiler manufacturers provide several
unique designs for individual customer applications.

INDUSTRIAL WATERTUBE BOILERS

In this group, the most common Watertube is called “Industrial Watertube” (IWT) boiler.
These units are usually in a “D” configuration, but also found in other configurations like an
“A” or “O” style. The “A” and “O” series tend to offer the ability to be packaged and shipped in
larger capacities as well as very high steam pressures and superheated steam. These boilers
have been offered for many years by a variety of different manufacturers and have a proven
track record.

Primary Advantages of the Industrial Watertube Boiler

1. The primary advantage is their ability for higher capacities, higher steam pressures and
superheated steam. If you need any of these attributes, you need a Watertube boiler.
2. The furnace is generally much larger in a Watertube boiler, making it easier to fire. This is
somewhat offset by a shape that is not ideal for combustion. A typical Watertube furnace
is twice the size of a Firetube furnace,
3. Because the steam and water are contained in relatively small diameter tubes and drums,
they can easily handle much higher pressures.
4. The relatively small water and steam capacity means that it takes less energy to warm up
the boiler, improving the dynamic efficiency.

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5. The small amount of water and steam in the vessel means that changes in load will show
up in steam pressure variations more quickly, allowing the boiler to respond to the load
change more quickly.
6. The smaller amount of water and steam in a Watertube boiler means that there will
be less energy to release if there is a vessel failure, although other issues such as
maintenance and steam pressure can be more important.

FIGURE 9 – D Type FIGURE 10 – O Type FIGURE 11 – A Type

Watertube (Courtesy Watertube (Courtesy Watertube (Courtesy
Cleaver-Brooks, Inc.) Cleaver-Brooks, Inc.) Cleaver-Brooks, Inc.)

Primary Disadvantages of the Industrial Watertube Boiler

1. The tubes are relatively small in diameter and subject to scaling. These boilers do
not have a high tolerance to scale buildup and require good feedwater and blow down
practice. Scale buildup is always an issue of water quality and maintenance, but some
boiler types can handle more scale buildup than others.
2. The heating surface of a Watertube boiler tends to be smaller, such that the outlet flue
temperature is typically higher than a Firetube, with lower steady state efficiency. It is
common for a Watertube boiler to have an economizer to improve the efficiency.
3. Most Industrial Watertube boilers require a long warmup cycle to prevent uneven heating.
This process could take many hours. This is determined by the manufacturer.
4. The water and steam capacity are relatively small and because of this feature, it can be
difficult to maintain the water level, especially with big changes in firing rate and steam
flow rates. This problem is worse at lower pressures. Often, the level control is done with
two or three element controllers to properly manage the water level, which adds to the
cost and complexity.

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5. The small amount of water and steam in the vessel means that load swings will generate
larger changes in steam pressure, as there is less internal energy to absorb the changes.
6. The steam drum is relatively small, and often requires mechanical equipment to obtain
good steam quality. This is more of an issue with lower pressures simply because the
steam requires a larger space with lower pressures.

BENT TUBE BOILERS

These boilers are usually much smaller in capacity and usually do not offer high pressures
or superheat, but there are some manufacturers that offer both high pressure steam and
superheat with units up to 100 MMBTU/hr inputs. They are typically made up of tangent tubes
that are formed to provide a furnace space and additional gas passes by the bent shape of
the tubes. The tubes can be connected to the drums with tapered ferules to simplify tube
replacement or the more traditional rolled/welded attachment. The tangent tubes allow
for movement without generating stress during warmup, which has allowed this product to
become very popular with hot water heating applications. The flexible tube design usually
allows the boiler to be operated at full input immediately, providing a short warmup time,
usually minutes instead of hours.

Primary Advantages of the Bent Tube Boiler

1. They can be very compact, and often can fit through a doorway in smaller sizes.
2. The tubes are flexible, and not subject to thermal shock. Most units can be started and
driven to full rate immediately, to provide steam very quickly.
3. There is a very small amount of water and steam in the vessel, and load changes that can
lead to large swings in steam pressure and result in quicker input response to that load
change.
4. The small amount of water in the vessel results in better dynamic efficiency, requiring less
energy to bring the boiler on line.
5. Units with Ferrule connections can be assembled on the job site, where boiler room
access is difficult, without the need for an ASME Code certified welder.

Primary Disadvantage of Bent Tube Boiler

1. The tubes are usually surrounded by insulation, which absorbs the condensation form cold
startups. Frequent cold startups can keep the tubes wet for extended periods causing
corrosion.
2. These units usually do not have a large amount of heating surface, and tend to have a
lower steady state efficiency.
3. The small drum size tends to make steam quality more of an issue, especially when
operating at lower pressures.
4. Water level is more difficult to control due to the small water content.
5. Load swings can cause larger variations in steam pressure because there is less internal
energy to help absorb the change.

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V. Economizer – The Great Equalizer

Economizers are commonly used to increase the boiler efficiency. For steam boiler
applications, they have an added advantage.

In the boiler, the flue gas is transferring heat to the boiler water which is at the saturated
temperature. For example, a boiler operating at 125 PSI, the water temperature would
be about 350 °F. A boiler with reasonable heat transfer would bring down the flue gas
temperature to about 100 °F above this, or 450 °F.

The economizer transfers heat from the flue gas to the feedwater, typically about 220 °F, and
using the same 100 °F difference, it would have an end stack temperature of 315 °F, for a
reduction in stack temperature of 135 °F. This would translate into an efficiency improvement
of about 3.4%.

Economizers typically are cost effective because they use extended heat transfer surface.
Instead of just a bare tube like the boiler, it has a coil attached to the outside of the
tube, increasing the surface area and heat transfer surface with only minimal space and
tubing increase.

A boiler that does not have great steady state efficiency (or has a higher stack temperature)
can simply add an economizer and have better steady state efficiency than a unit with 4
passes and 5 square feet per BHP. It can also have good dynamic efficiency and a smaller
space requirement.

The downside of this approach is that economizers do not last as long as a traditional boiler.
They suffer from cold end corrosion and plugging. Because the economizer works with the
cooler feedwater, it is more at risk for condensation and related corrosion. Also, economizers
need a reasonable amount of makeup water, so that the hot condensate does not reduce the
ability to absorb heat. And finally, the economizer needs continuous flow to prevent steaming,
often requiring a more complicated feedwater system.

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VI. IMPACT OF EFFICIENCY

Most manufacturers offer efficiency and other performance data on their boilers which can
help make smart decisions in the selection of the best boiler for the application. The problem
is that this usually only covers the “Steady State” efficiency, which is based on the boiler
operating continuously at some pressure and firing rate. If the load and application have
variable loads and down time, other factors come into play which can be more important than
the steady state efficiency.

To show the impact of how the difference in steady state and dynamic efficiency, consider
a typical Firetube and Industrial Water tube boiler operating at 125 PSIG and each rated at
about 60 MMBTU/hr. They are firing at an average of 65% of capacity, normal for a process
load. The fuel cost is $8/MMBTU.

If the boiler operates 24 hours/day, 52 weeks per year, the Firetube (which has a higher
efficiency) will have a lower fuel cost of about $246,500. However, if the Watertube was
equipped with an economizer, it could have a fuel cost that is about $68,000 less than the
Firetube. The Firetube could also use an economizer to get a similar fuel cost.

If the boiler only operates 8 hours/day, 50 weeks/year with all other factors the same, then
the Watertube boiler will have a fuel cost that is about $5,000 less than the Firetube boiler.
This is simply because of the higher heat loss of the Firetube boiler during the off cycle.

The details of this example are given in the Appendix, and the results could easily change
depending on the specific details of the operation and the actual boilers.

The point is that if the production schedule is lower, then other factors can become
more important.

Some efficiency considerations include:

• Maintenance is a key to retain good efficiency. Lack of maintenance can easily reduce the
efficiency by more than 10%.
• Sometimes external considerations can be as important as the efficiency. For example,
maintenance costs and extra long startup times may not be worth small gains in
efficiency and fuel savings.
• Real efficiency differences in boilers or added equipment (like economizers) can make a
major difference in fuel costs when there is a high production use.
• There are other efficiency considerations that are not part of the boiler design, like proper
boiler sizing and frequent on-off cycling, which can have a major impact on efficiency.
There are many good references that address efficiency, including ABMA member companies,
the Department of Energy and other sources.

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VII. HISTORICAL SALES

The following is based on data collected by the American Boiler Manufactures Association
(ABMA) over a recent 12-month period. The member companies report their sales to ABMA to
gain insight into the market. There are other boiler manufacturers that are not members, but
most manufacturers are members.

This data is provided to show how customers typically buy boilers in the 5 – 100 MMBTU/hr
size range as well as the overall market. It should be noted that the results change over
time. In the past, there would have been a much stronger volume of Industrial Watertube
boilers and less of the other types. That is simply because the Firetube, Bent tube and Coil
tube boilers have increased their sizes and capacities and have taken more of the larger
capacity market.

The data is for Section I (over 15 PSI steam pressure design as defined by the ASME MAWP
(Maximum Allowable working pressure)) steam boilers. This data does not provide a complete
breakdown of the product types. They are sorted by Firetube and Watertube, but not by type
of Firetube or Watertube. Some assumptions were made to break out Bent tube and Coil tube
boiler sales from the Industrial Watertube sales.

CHART 1 - Total Unit Sales all sizes CHART 2 - Unit sales in 5 - 100 MMBTU/hr

Firetube Firetube
Industrial WT Industrial WT
Bent tube & Coil tube Bent tube & Coil tube

Chart 1 shows the total sales (number of units sold) of all Section I (high pressure) boilers
reported to ABMA (all capacities). It shows the much larger volume of Firetube boilers
compared to the Watertube types.

It should be noted that ABMA does not collect data on the small commercial and residential
boiler capacities, and they are not included here. This chart would be much different if it
included heating boilers (Section IV) were included, where Bent tube boilers are more common.

Chart 2 shows the sales volume for just the range of 5 to 100 MMBTU/hr input, the graph
changes slightly, but looks similar. The amount of Industrial Watertube boilers has been
reduced while the volume of Bent tube and Coil tube boilers has increased. That is simply
because most Bent tube and Coil tube boilers are offered within the size range defined, but
most Industrial Watertubes are offered in larger sizes.

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CHART 3 - Total Input - all Sizes CHART 4 - Total Input 5 - 100 MMBTU/hr

Firetube Firetube
Industrial WT Industrial WT
Bent tube & Coil tube Bent tube & Coil tube

Chart 3 shows the total input capacity of all boilers reported to ABMA. Here the Industrial
Watertube boilers have about half of the total energy capacity, which is the result of this
boiler typically being much larger in capacity compared to the other boilers.

Chart 4 shows the total input for units in the 5-100 MMBTU/hr size range. This greatly
changes the shape of the graph, as most Industrial Watertube boilers are larger than this
capacity range, and makes the Firetube boiler more prominent in both the number of units
sold and the total energy input of those units.

The combination of Charts 2 and 3 best show the boiler volume sales and capacity sales
in the 5 – 100 MMBTU/hr size range for high pressure steam boilers. Industrial Watertube
boilers would have almost 100% of the sales in larger sizes.

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 BOILER TYPES FOR STEAM APPLICATIONS

APPENDIX
The following provides details that support the comments made in the earlier sections.

I. PERFORMANCE CRITERIA
When we look at boiler performance, there are several factors that we would consider as
part of the overall performance of the unit. Not all performance factors are relevant in
all applications, so it is important to understand how the boiler will be used, and which
performance factors are key to the application.

1. Capacity

This is simply the amount of energy that can be handled by the boiler. Unfortunately,
there are several different units of measure used by the industry, often determined by
the type of product. Some common terms are;

BTU per hour input (BTU or BTU/hr); This is the fuel input to the burner. It is
usually used on Bent tube or commercial boilers in smaller sizes.
MBH or KBTU/hr; These are common input values expressed as 1000’s of BTU/
hr. They are normally used to define energy inputs, but can be used for any energy
value including output energy.
MMBTU/hr; Another version of the above, except expressed as millions of BTU/hr.
Boiler Horsepower (BHP); This is an expression of energy output, where
1 BHP = 33,474 BTU/hr. This is typically used in the Firetube boiler and
small Watertube boilers.
Pounds of Steam per hour (PPH); Larger Watertube boilers generally use
a measure of the steam produced, in pounds per hr. at operating conditions.
The conversion to PPH varies, as the energy per pound of steam increases with
pressure. 1 PPH = 1000 BTU/hr output.

2. Efficiency

Efficiency is a measure of how effectively the boiler converts fuel energy into useful
steam energy. It has a major impact on the cost of operating the unit, but it is not the
only factor in determining the cost of operating a boiler.

The overall efficiency of a boiler operation can be much more complicated than
just looking at some numbers in a chart. This is the same issue faced by everyone
attempting to determine the efficiency of any product, including a car, refrigerator or air
conditioner. Most boilers have a published steady state efficiency, but this only applies to
a boiler that is operating continuously. If you only run for 8 hours a day, cycle on and off
and off on weekends, the on-off and startup costs can be important, and have a major
impact on the overall efficiency. Your application has a major impact on which efficiency
is most important.

Steady State Efficiency (input-output efficiency)

When the boiler is operating at a constant input, and the unit has been warmed
up, the efficiency of that unit can be determined, although some assumptions are
needed to arrive at a number, and these assumptions may not be correct for your

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 BOILER TYPES FOR STEAM APPLICATIONS

application. The efficiency varies with the firing rate, operating steam pressure,
excess air, fuel used, and boiler room conditions.

One of the issues with looking at efficiency is that different assumptions can be
used to generate different efficiency results. In particular, the amount of hydrogen
in the fuel, the ambient temperature, the operating steam temperature and heat
loss through the shell. In comparing different units, these need to be consistent
to be of value. Make sure that any comparisons are done using the same assumed
values, as these assumptions can have a much larger impact on efficiency than the
actual boiler operation.

Dynamic Efficiency

When a boiler is cycled on and off, CHART 5 - Steady State Efficiency

it uses additional energy to bring
84
the water, refractory and steel up Firetube Watertube

Eficiency (%)
83
to temperature. When the boiler
is cycled off, this energy, or a 82

portion of that energy, is lost to 81

the environment. The physical 80
size of the boiler as well as the
79
amount of water it contains will 0 20 40 60 80 100
determine how much energy Input (MMBTU/hr)
is consumed in these on and
off cycles.

As an example, a traditional 600 HP Scotch Marine Firetube boiler operating at

125 PSIG steam pressure and operating 8 hours per day, 5 days per week can lose
about 30.5 MMBTU/week, which is more than the rating of the boiler.

3. Startup Time

The time it takes to bring a boiler on line, and up to the operating steam pressure will
vary with the boiler type. Some boilers are designed specifically for quick startup, and
can go from cold to operating steam pressure in minutes. Most traditional multi-pass
Firetube and Industrial Watertube boilers will require several hours to bring them up to
operating pressure. Some of this time is due to the larger water and material weight that
must be heated and some of the time is needed to provide a more uniform expansion of
the material as it heats up.

Boilers with short warmup times have tube arrangements that have uniform heat
absorption or flexible tube positions in addition to low water and material content. They
are offered in both the Firetube and Watertube design.

In an application such as a back-up boiler, this can mean that you do not have to
maintain a hot standby boiler, which can be very expensive. If a quicker response is
required, a boiler with a small size, and less heat loss can make a big difference in the
energy required to provide this back-up boiler.

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 BOILER TYPES FOR STEAM APPLICATIONS

4. Steam Quality

Steam quality is a measure of the moisture in the steam. Moisture can be disruptive to
the application, and users generally want a very low moisture content. This becomes
more difficult in lower operating pressures simply because a pound of steam requires
a much larger space. These are the factors usually used to determine what the steam
quality will be in a Firetube boiler. Watertube boiler may have additional mechanical
means to eliminate the moisture.

Disengaging area. This is the surface of the water, where the steam passes
through into the steam chest. The larger the size, the less opportunity there is to
pull water droplets along with the steam.
Steam Chest Size; This is the space that the steam has to move from the water
surface to the steam outlet. The larger the steam chest, the slower the steam
velocity and the more likely that water droplets will fall out.
Internal Steam Velocity; This is the actual steam velocity within the steam chest,
and it can vary by the location and size of the steam nozzle as well as the point(s)
of generation. In addition to allowing the water droplets to fall out, a higher velocity,
and a longer length of travel can generate “Swelling” of the water level, and even
generate slug feeding water into the steam outlet with very high velocities.
Mechanical Separation; A variety of mechanical equipment can be added to
boilers to improve the steam quality by providing other means of getting the
moisture out of the steam and/or to prevent higher steam velocities from impacting
the water level.

The impact of the operating pressure can be much larger than the value of the above
performance items. A boiler operating at a relatively low pressure, such as 25 PSI, can
have difficulty obtaining dry steam. On the other hand, a unit operating at 300 PSI may
find it very easy to obtain dry steam. The reason is that if the internal steam velocity at
300 PSI is 2 ft/s (feet per second), then at 25 PSI the velocity will be 14.4 ft/s. At 2 ft/s,
droplets tend to fall out of the steam but at 14.4 ft/s, they will probably be added to the
steam, and water swelling can be an issue without mechanical separation. Manufacturers
will normally provide larger steam outlets, control valves, safety valves and other
components when looking at different operating pressures.

5. Furnace Size

In most boilers, a relatively large CHART 6 - Furnace Volume

furnace is used to contain the fire. The
size of the furnace can be important, 2000
Firetube
Volume (FT3)

up to a point. If the furnace is too 1500 Watertube

small, it can be difficult to obtain
good combustion. Low NOx emissions 1000

and oil firing generally require larger 500

furnace sizes. Likewise, the round
furnace in a Firetube boiler can be 0
0 20 40 60 80 100
smaller because the round shape
Input (MMBTU/hr)
better fits the flame.

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 BOILER TYPES FOR STEAM APPLICATIONS

Firing heavy oil and solid fuels requires an even larger furnace. As Chart 6 shows, the
Watertube boiler usually offers a much larger furnace, and is better suited for solid fuels.
In some cases, manufacturers have used a hybrid design, with a Watertube section for
the furnace and a Firetube section for the convection pass.

If the boiler uses a pre-mix burner, there often is no furnace because the premix flame
size is considerably smaller and does not require a separate large space. This is common
in smaller sized boilers, and in some larger boilers.

6. Heating Surface

Traditional Scotch Marine Firetube boilers typically have a lot of heating surface, with
the industry standard of 5 square feet per boiler HP historically followed. The Watertube
boiler usually has far less heating surface, as shown by Chart 7. The Firetube Ohio
Special has considerably less heating surface than the Watertube boiler. In fact, these
small heating surface boilers have been around for many years, and support the concept
that large heating surfaces are not absolutely required

The opposite of this is that the larger surface area generally provides a higher
efficiency. The Ohio Special boilers are not very efficient on their own, but coupled
with an economizer, they can have a good efficiency. It should be noted that the large
Firetube boilers in the graph do not have 5 square feet per boiler HP, and are 3-pass
instead of 4-pass, all of which can lower the efficiency but typically is done to meet
shipping requirements.

The other common element in

the efficiency numbers is that
CHART 7 - Heating Surface
for each general design, the
smaller units tend to be less 15000
efficient than the larger units. Firetube
This is usually because the 10000
velocities tend to be higher in
the large sizes, but is sometimes 5000
due to other factors like the
manufacturers desire to make 0
them more efficient. 0 20 40 60 80 100
Input (MMBTU/hr)
This does show that while the
Watertube boiler has less heating
surface, it can offer the same or
even better heat transfer than the Firetube boiler under certain conditions. The key is
that variables like velocity and turbulence can have a larger impact than the amount of
heating surface.

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7. Total Contained Energy

One of the primary considerations in CHART 8 - Boiler Weights

the dynamic efficiency is the amount
300.0
of energy required to bring the

Boiler Weight (LB)

Firetube
boiler up to steam pressure. This is D style water tube
200.0
important because applications that
have a lot of “off” time can lose a
100.0
considerable amount of energy during
the off cycle. As a broad general
0.0
statement, boilers with a lot of heating 0 20 40 60 80 100
surface tend to have good steady Input (MMBTU/hr)
state efficiency, but due to their
larger size, they have more water,
steel and refractory to heat up, and a
higher heat loss in the off cycle. Boiler
designs that are more compact will
require less energy to heat up and
get to the operating pressure, and will
loose less energy in the off cycle.

From Charts 8 and 9, it is easy to

see that traditional Scotch Marine
CHART 9 - Water In Boiler
Firetube boilers have more weight and
considerably more water. Obviously, 15000
Firetube
the more water in the boiler, the more
Water (Gallons)

D style water tube

energy required to bring that water 10000

up to saturation temperature, and

start generating steam. Interestingly, 5000
water is the primary energy holder.
1000 pounds of water will require 0
286,700 BTU to bring it up to steam 0 20 40 60 80 100

temperature, where 1000 lb of steel Input (MMBTU/hr)

only requires 33,950 BTU to bring
up to that temperature. The large
water content of a traditional Scotch
Marine Firetube boiler is shown in
Chart 9, and it considerably more than
a Watertube boiler.

It should be remembered that these charts represent traditional Scotch Marine Firetube
and D style Watertube boilers. There are many other Firetube and Watertube boilers
that have a much lower water content and physical size, often using different heat
transfer methods to get good efficiency with smaller vessels.

Refer to the ABMA Lexicon for a complete listing of all terms used in the boiler industry.
Visit abma.com for complete details.

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 BOILER TYPES FOR STEAM APPLICATIONS

II. AN EFFICIENCY EXAMPLE

To better explain and show the impact of both steady state and dynamic efficiency, we will
look at two different applications and how two different types of boilers might meet these
needs. In general, the Firetube boiler has better efficiency, especially as shown in this
example.

Case 1. Operates 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, 50 weeks/yr.

Case 2. Operates 8 hours/day, 5 days/week, 50 weeks/yr.

In this example, two boilers are considered, a Scotch Marine Firetube boiler (4-pass Wetback
with 5 square feet of heating surface per boiler HP) and an Industrial Watertube “D” style
boiler, each with a capacity of 61 MMBTU/hr. The energy required to bring these boilers up to
the operating steam pressure can be approximated by the charted data. The exact amount of
steel that is at the operating temperature is not critical, because steel has a low heat density,
and most of the energy is in the water.

The first set of data shows the internal energy within each boiler, and the energy required to
bring the boiler up to operating pressure (125 psi in this example) as well as the energy that
will be lost to the environment during the “Off” time.

Firetube Watertube

Model Scotch Firetube “D” type

Max input (MMBTU/hr) 61 61

Normal water weight (lb) 63,130 16,949

Non-water weight (lb) 93,470 66,331

lb of steam in boiler 82.04 61.92

Energy to heat water Kbtu 18,099 4,859

Energy to heat steel Kbtu 1,904 1,351

Energy to heat steam Kbtu 95 72

Total startup energy Kbtu 20,089 6,282

Note: 1 Kbtu = 1,000 BTU

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 BOILER TYPES FOR STEAM APPLICATIONS

These boilers will be applied to two different applications, one with a heavy load (Case 1) and
one with a light load (Case 2). In the first application, the boiler only operates for 8 hours/day,
5 days/week and 50 weeks/yr. When the boiler cycles off, the hot surfaces will release heat to
the environment until it has cooled off. The rate of heat loss will decrease as the boiler cools
down and the temperature drops. In this example, the Watertube boiler will be more efficient
overall, saving $4,990 per year. Interestingly, the higher efficiency of the Firetube boiler will
save $12,315 while firing, but the off-time cooling will cost an extra $17,305 to recover.

Firetube Watertube

Total heat loss/yr MMBTU 3,534 1,742

Input req’d for this output 4,371 2,208

Fuel cost to cover heat loss $34,971 $17,666

Operating Efficiency 80.8 78.9

Total fuel costs/yr $530,971 $525,981

Fuel Savings $4,990

In Case #2, there is no Off time, so the fuel savings due to the higher Firetube efficiency
becomes a major factor. While the savings look impressive, the heavy operating cycle
generates a much larger fuel cost compared to Case #1.

Efficiency at 125 psi 81.7 77.1

Input MMBtu/hr 61.2 64.8

Fuel cost $/yr $4,110,232 $4,356,829

Fuel Savings $254,597  

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 BOILER TYPES FOR STEAM APPLICATIONS

III. SUMMARY COMPARISON

Scotch Marine

Industrial “D”
Single Pass

Bent Tube

Coil Tube
Firetube

Firetube

Firetube
Vertical

Electric
Firebox

Style
Typical
2500 300 250 1000 8400* 1500* 600* 1500*
max size–BHP

Typical
105,000 12,500 10,000 42,000 350,000* 63,000* 25,000* 63,000*
max size–MBH

Typical
350 PSI 150 PSI 150 PSI 350 PSI >1000 PSI  >1000 PSI 350 PSI* >1000 PSI*
max pressure

Solid,
Gas & Gas & Gas & Gas & Gas &
Fuels Gas gas & Electric
liquid liquid liquid liquid liquid
liquid

Very
Relative size Large Small Small Large Small Small Small
small

Relative cost Medium Low Low Medium High Low Medium Medium

Maintenance Low Low Low Low Medium Medium High Medium

Steady State
High Medium Low Low Medium Low Low High
Efficiency

Dynamic
Low Medium High High Medium High High Medium
Efficiency

Typical Heating & Heating & Heating & Heating & Heating & Heating &
Heating Process
Applications process process process process process process

Compact High Compact Compact No flue

High Compact Small floor
Comments & rapid capacity & & rapid & rapid gases or
Efficiency size space
start pressure start start combustion

* Higher pressures and larger sizes are offered by some manufacturers.

© 2019 American Boiler Manufacturers Association 26

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