I love learning about manufacturing, which is why I am always checking out those shows that describe how different things are made. However, a friend of mine mentioned that it could be really helpful to actually do a little more research to find out how products are made in different places as well. I started focusing on learning, and it was cool to see just how many different options there were out there. As I explored the world of manufacturing, a friend of mine also got interested in the process, and encouraged me to make this blog. Find out more about making better products each and every day.
If you need a new boiler for your company, you will find two main types to choose from: fire tube and water tube. If you are not familiar with boilers and have never purchased one before, it can be difficult to choose which type would work best for your company. To help you, below is a comparison of fire tube and water tube boilers to help you make your decision.
Firetube Boilers
The fire tube boiler has a number of tubes contained in the vessel. The tubes are surrounded by water. When the boiler is running, the combustion gas runs through these tubes and produces steam. They are generally compact in size, efficient, and can handle load surges at high pressures.
When purchasing a fire tube boiler, you will find that they have either three or four sets of tubes. Each tube is known as a pass. If a boiler has three passes, the tubes are located at the rear of the boiler and stacked on top of each other. If a boiler has four passes, the stack of tubes is placed in the front of the boiler. If the boiler has four passes, the boiler can extract more heat. A four-tube boiler is also more efficient when compared to a three-tube boiler.
Fire tube boilers are simple for your employees to operate. This type of boiler also has easy maintenance and access.
Watertube Boilers
The water tube boiler also has a series of tubes contained in the vessel. Instead of water, however, the tubes are surrounded by combustion gas. When the boiler is turned on, the burners turn on. The burner burns fuel to create gas. This gas then heats the water that is inside the tubes. Once the water is heated inside the tubes, the water rises to into the steam drum. The boiler water sits below the steam drum. This water is heated on a continual basis. This boiler water turns into steam and the boiler then releases the steam.
Water tube boilers are popular because they are more energy efficient than fire tube boilers. Water tube boilers are also safer to use, and there is less maintenance involved. More steam is created with water tube boilers than fire tube boilers, so less gas is needed to create heat at the right level.
Talk to fire tube and water tube boiler manufacturers and they can help you choose between the two.