CHAPTER-2 STEAM GENERATOR (25 Marks) 5 TH SEM MECHANICAL ENGG

STEAM GENERATORS OR BOILERS

R.R. UDAY KUMAR, ACHARYA POLYTECHNIC, BANGALORE. Page 1

CHAPTER-2 STEAM GENERATOR (25 Marks) 5TH SEM MECHANICAL ENGG

STEAM GENERATOR
Introduction
Steam boiler or simply a boiler is basically a closed vessel into which water is heated until the water is
converted into steam at required pressure by the application of heat. Boiler or more specifically steam
boiler is an essential part of thermal power plant.
Application of boilers
1. Steam is used in steam engine, steam turbines to produce the electrical energy
2. Steam is used in industries like cotton mills, sugar factory, restaurants for cooking and brewages etc.
3. Steam is used to heat residential buildings in winter.
4. Steam is used to produce hot water
Selection of a steam boiler
1. The power required and the working pressure
2. The rate at which the steam is to be produced
3. Type of fuel used
4. Type of water i.e.pure or impure
5. The initial cost
6. The geographical position of the power house
7. Quality of steam required
8. Floor area available
9. Operating cost and maintenance cost
INDIAN BOILER REGULATION [As per section 7 of Indian Boiler Act, 1923 ]
1) The owner of any boiler which is not registered under the act should apply to the inspector for boiler
registration by paying prescribed fee.
2) On receipt of an application, the inspector will fix a date for boiler examination and shall give the
owner ten days notice for the date fixed.
3) On the said date, the inspector inspects the boiler and forwards a report of the inspection along with
the documents in prescribed form to chief inspector.
4) The chief inspector may
a)Register the boiler and assign a register number to the boiler after satisfying himself that any
structural alteration, additional or renewal required for the boiler has been made (or)
b) Refuse to register the boiler by providing reasons for refusal.
5) The chief inspector after registering the boiler, will issue a certificate in prescribed form, authorizing
to use for a period of 12 months and not to exceeding maximum pressure according to the act.
6) The inspector will convey the boiler registration to the owner, and the owner has to mark registration
number permanently on the boiler.
CLASSIFICATION OF BOILER
1. According to the method of circulation in pipes
a) Fire tube boiler:-In fire tube boiler the hot gases produced by the combustion of fuel passes through
the tubes surrounded by the water
Ex:-simple vertical boiler, Cochran boiler, and locomotive boiler
b) Water tube boiler:-In this boiler the water flows inside the tubes that are surrounded by the flames
and hot gases from outside
Ex:-Babcock and Wilcox boiler, La-mount boiler and Benson boiler etc
2. According to firing method
a) Internally fired boiler:-The furnace is located inside the boilers shell. All fire tube boilers are
internally fired boiler

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CHAPTER-2 STEAM GENERATOR (25 Marks) 5 TH SEM MECHANICAL ENGG
b) Externally fired boiler:-.The furnace is arranged separately outside the metallic shell by fire bricks.
Water tube boilers are externally fired boilers.
3. According to the axis of the shell
a) Vertical boiler:-The axis of the boiler shell is vertical. Simple vertical and Cochran boiler are
vertical boiler
b) Horizontal boiler:-The axis of the boiler shell is horizontal. Locomotive and Babcock and Wilcox
boiler are horizontal boilers.
4. According to the Circulation of Water
a) Natural circulation boiler:-The circulation of water is by natural convection currents.Ex:- Low
pressure boilers
b) Forced circulation boiler:-The circulation of water is by a centrifugal pump Ex:- All high pressure
boilers.
5. According to the use
a) Stationary boilers:-these boilers are not move from one place to another place.Ex:-all power plant
boilers.
b) Mobile boilers:-these boilers are move from one place to another place. Ex:-locomotive and marine
boilers.
6. According to the number of tubes
a) Single tube boiler:-There is one fire tube of large diameter.Ex:-Cornish boiler
b) Multitude boiler:- There will be more than one fire tubes.Ex:-Cochran and Locomotive boiler
7. According to the pressure
a) High Pressure boiler: -The boilers which produce steam at pressures of 80 bar and above are called
high pressure boilers. Examples: babcock and' wilcox boilers.
b) Low pressure boiler:-The boilers which produce steam at pressure below 80 bar are called low
pressure boilers. Examples: cochran, lancashire and locomotive boilers.

COCHRAN BOILER

It is a vertical, multi tube, internally fired, natural

circulation, fire tube boiler as shown in the figure. The
maximum steam pressure is 10 bar and steam
production rate is 4000 kg/hr.

The fuel is fed into the grate through the fuel door and
lighted. The fuel is burnt on the grate and hot gases go
to the combustion chamber through a short flue tube.
The hot gases pass through a number of fire tubes and
heat the surrounding water and convert it into steam.
Since the steam is lighter, it goes up the steam space.
The crown of the boiler and the grate are both
hemispherical in shape. The waste gases enter the
smoke box and are released through the chimney. The
amount of waste gases leaving the chimney is
controlled by means of a damper manually. During
shut down, the boiler attendant can enter the boiler
through the man hole by opening the door in the
smoke box.The boiler is mounted with various boiler mountings.

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CHAPTER-2 STEAM GENERATOR (25 Marks) 5 TH SEM MECHANICAL ENGG
BABCOCK AND WILCOX BOILER

This is a horizontal, externally fired, natural circulation, stationary water tube boiler. The maximum steam
pressure is 165 bar and steam production rate is 450 Tonns/hr.

It consists of a steam water drum mounted on fire brick work. Hot gases from the furnace pass through a zig
zag path through the fire brick baffles before
going to the chimney through the damper. The
damper controls the rate of burning and thereby
the steam generation.

Water from the steam drum comes continuously

to the down take header and get heated. Because
of decreasing the density of water (i.e. convection
current known as natural circulation) the water
flows to the uptake header through a large no of
water tubes, inclined at about 140 for better
circulation. Then it passes through a large no of
super heater tubes to convert wet steam to super-
heated steam. From the super heater, it goes to
the steam turbine through the main steam valve.
At the end of the down take header, a mud drum
(Blow-off cock) is connected from where
impurities can be removed. Compared to a fire
tube boiler, evaporative capacity, pressure and
thermal efficiency of this boiler will be higher.

The boiler is fitted with necessary mountings. Pressure gauge and water level indicator are mounted on the
boiler at its left end. Steam safety valve and stop valve are mounted on the top of the drum.

LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
It is a horizontal drum axis, multi-
tubular, natural circulation, artificial
draft, forced circulation, mobile,
medium pressure, solid fuel fired fire
tube boiler with internally fired furnace.
It is used in railway locomotive engines
and in marine. It is a mobile boiler and
has high steam generation rate. The
maximum steam pressure is 25 bar.

Working
In locomotive boiler, first the solid fuel (coal) is inserted on the grate and is ignited from the fire hole. The
burning of the fuel starts and it creates hot flue gases. A fire brick arch is provided that makes the flow of
hot flue gasses to a definite path before entering into the long tubes (fire tubes). It also prevents the entry of
burnt solid fuel particles into the fire tubes.
The hot flue gases passes through the long fire tubes and heats the water surrounding them. Due to the
heating the water gets converted into saturated steam and gets collected at the top. The saturated steam from

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CHAPTER-2 STEAM GENERATOR (25 Marks) 5TH SEM MECHANICAL ENGG
the dome enters into the main steam pipe through the regulator valve. The steam travels in the main steam
pipe and reaches to the super heater header. Form header, the steam enters into super heater element pipes.
Here it is superheated and then the superheated steam enters into the steam pipe of the smoke box.
The steam from the super heater goes to the cylinder containing piston. The superheated steam made the
piston moves within the cylinder. The piston is connected to the wheels of the steam engine and the wheels
start rotating.
The exhaust steam from the cylinder enters into the blast pipe. The burnt gases and smoke after passing
through the fire tubes enters into the smoke box. The exhaust steam coming out from the blast pipe pushes
the smoke out of the boiler through the chimney. Here the smoke cannot escape out form the boiler by its
own, so artificial draft is created by exhaust steam coming out from the steam engine. This artificial draft
created pushes the smoke out of the smoke box and creates suction for the hot flue gases.
Advantages
 It is portable.
 It is capable of meeting sudden and fluctuating demands of steam.
 It is cost effective boiler.
 It has high steam generation rate.
 It is compact in size and its operation is easy.
Disadvantages
 It faces the problems of corrosion and scale formation.
 Unable to work under heavy load conditions because of overheating problems.
 Some of its water space are difficult to clean.

LANCASHIRE BOILER:
Principle of Lancashire Boiler:
This boiler works on the basic principle of heat ex-changer. It is basically a shell and tube type heat ex-
changer in which the flue gases flow through the tubes and the water flows through shell. The heat is
transfer from flue gases to the water through convection. It is a natural circulation boiler which uses natural
current to flow the water inside the boiler. The maximum steam pressure is 15 bar and steam production rate
is 8500 kg/hr.

Working:
The Lancashire boiler is a shell and tube type heat ex-changer. The fuel is burn at the grate. The water is
pumped into the shell through the economizer which increases the temperature of water. Now the shell is
half filled with water. The fire tube is fully immersed into the water. The fuel is charged at the grate which
produces flue gases. These flue gases first passes through the fire tube from one end to another. This fire
tubes transfer 80-90% of total heat to the water. The backward flue gases passes from the bottom passage
where it transfer 8-10% heat to water.

The remaining flue gases passes from the side passage where it transfers 6-8% of heat to water. The brick is
the lower conductor of heat, so work as heat insulator. The steam produces in drum shell it taken out from
the upper side where it flows through super heater if required. So the steam produce is taken by out for
process work.
Advantage:
1. This boiler is easy to clean and inspect.
2. It is more reliable and can generate large amount of steam.
3. It required less maintenance.
4. This boiler is a natural circulation boiler so lower electricity consumption than other boilers.
5. It can easily operate.
6. It can easily meet with load requirement.
7. Lancashire boiler has high thermal efficiency about 80-90%.

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CHAPTER-2 STEAM GENERATOR (25 Marks) 5 TH SEM MECHANICAL ENGG
Disadvantages:
1. This boiler required more floor space.
2. This boiler has leakage problem.
3. It requires more time to generate steam.
4. It cannot generate high pressure steam if required.
5. Grates are situated at the inlet of fire tube, which has small diameter. So the grate area is limited in this
boiler.

HIGH PRESSURE BOILER

A boiler which generates steam at a pressure of 85 bar and above is termed as high-pressure boiler and these
high-pressure boilers are used in power generation.
These boilers have the capacities of 400-1600 tones/hr
of superheated steam at a pressure up to 165 bar and
temperature of 5400C. Water tube boilers are generally
preferred for high pressure and high output and fire tube
boilers are low pressure and low output.

LA MOUNT BOILER

This is one of the high-pressure water tube boilers

working on forced circulation. The circulation is
maintained by a centrifugal pump. Due to forced
circulation, the rate of heat transfer and evaporative
capacity of the boiler are increased. The boiler is highly
suitable for a power plant.

Feed Water is circulated through the economiser to the

boiler shell or separating drum to pre-heating the feed
water by means of waste heat before going to the
chimney. From the boiler drum the water is passed through the evaporator. In the evaporator, the water will

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CHAPTER-2 STEAM GENERATOR (25 Marks) 5 TH SEM MECHANICAL ENGG
get heated and it’s converted in to steam. In boiler drum the steam is separated and it is passed through the
super heater. In the super heater the wet steam is converted to super heated steam by means of waste heat.

The air from the atmosphere is sucked through the blower and passed through the air preheater to get heated
from the hot waste gases before going through the chimney. Due to the use of heat in the waste gases, the
thermal efficiency is further increased. The boiler has the usual mountings such as water gauge, pr gauge,
safety valves, and blow off valve.

BENSON BOILER

It is a high pressure; drum less, water tube steam boiler using

forced circulation. In this boiler, the feed water enters at one
end and discharge at another end. The feed pump is used to
increase the pressure of water above the critical pressure of 225
bar by that the water is directly converted in to steam. The
average operating pressure and capacity is 250 bar and 135
tones/hr. It can be started with in 15 minutes.

The feed water passes through the economiser and it get heated
to critical temperature by absorbing heat from the hot flue
gases. It then passed through the evaporator and may get
superheated to some degree. Finally, it is passed through the
super heater to obtain desired superheated steam. The
economiser, Super heater and air pre-heater will absorb waste
heat from the flue gases by that the thermal efficiency of the
boiler is increased.

Advantages and disadvantages of water tube boiler over fire tube boiler
Advantages
1. Steam can be raised quickly
2. High pressure steam can be produced
3. High rate of evaporation
4. Sedimentation deposits are less
5. Any type of fuel can be used and method of firing
6. More effective heat transfer
7. Failure of one or two water tubes will not effect the working of boiler
8. Occupies less space
9. Easy maintenance and transportation.
Disadvantages
1. Not suitable for ordinary water
2. Not suitable for mobile application
3. High initial cost.
Difference between water tube boiler and fire tube boiler

S.N Water tube boiler Fire tube boiler

1 The water circulates inside the tube which are The hot gases from the furnace pass through the
surrounding by the hot gases from the furnace tubes which are surrounded by water
2 It generates steam at a higher pressure 165 bar It can generate steam pressure up to 24.5 bar
3 The rate of generation of steam is high up to 450 The rate of generation of steam is low up to 9
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CHAPTER-2 STEAM GENERATOR (25 Marks) 5 TH SEM MECHANICAL ENGG
tonnes/hr tonnes/hr
4 The floor area required is less The floor area required is more
5 Overall efficiency is 90% Overall efficiency is 75%
6 It is preferred for fluctuation loads It is preferred for fixed loads
7 Operating cost is high Operating cost is low
8 Bursting chances are more Bursting chances are less
9 It is suitable for large power plants It is not suitable for large power plants
10 Transportations and errection is easy Transportations and errection is difficult
BOILER MOUNTINGS
The fittings which are installed for the safety of the boiler and for complete control the process of steam
generation is called boiler mountings. The mountings are mounted on the body of the boiler itself. They are
1. water level indicator 4. Steam stop valve
2. Pressure gauge 5. Feed check valve
3. Fusible plug 6. Blow-of cock
Pressure Gauge: Figure shows a commonly used pressure gauge known as bourdon type. It consists of an
elastic metallic bourdon spring tube of elliptical cross section and bent in the form of circular arc. One end
of the tube is fixed to the steam space of the boiler. The other end is connected to a toothed sector through a
link hinged at the point. The sector is in mesh with a pinion fixed on a spindle. An indicating pointer N is
attached to the spindle to read the pressure on a dial gauge.

Water level indicator: The accurate level of the feed water must be maintained in order to ensure the proper
functionality of the boiler. This device is installed at the junction point of steam and water. Two water level
indicators are installed with boiler and the front section of those indicators are situated in front of boiler. A boiler
operator checks the water level and takes necessary actions if required.
Fusible plug: To extinguish fire in the event of water level in the boiler shell falling below certain specified
limit. It protects fire tubes from burning when the level of the water in the water shell falls abnormally low.
It is installed below boiler's water level. When the water level in the shell falls below the top of the plug, the
fusible metal melts due to overheating. Thus the copper plug drops down and is held within the gunmetal
body by the ribs. Thus the steam space gets communicated to the firebox and extinguishes the fire. Thus
damage to fire box which could burn up is avoided.
Blow off cock: The feed water of boiler sometime consists of several types of impurities. After the
evaporation of water, some parts of them are stored as sedimentation in the bottom portion of boiler. This
mud’s are accommodating the useful parts of water space and therefore must be drained immediately to
maintain the proper operation of boiler. The lever is locked in normal operating condition of boiler, and it is
opened when needed. When the valves of this device are kept open, then the high pressure of water flows
out the sedimentation instantly.

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CHAPTER-2 STEAM GENERATOR (25 Marks) 5 TH SEM MECHANICAL ENGG
Safety valves: Boilers are usually capable to withstand high steam pressure. But a precautionary
arrangement should be provided for safety reasons. Therefore safety valves are provided with steam boilers
and they are generally mounted on the upper portion of boiler shell where the steam space is located. The
contacts are closed when the boiler is operating under normal operating condition. But whenever the steam
pressure goes beyond a predetermined safe value, then the valves are opened and releases the excess amount
of steam into the atmosphere.
Steam stop valve: The generated steam is collected through a pipe from the steam space. Thereafter the
steam is used for several purposes. But there should be a controlling valve of steam, by which the flow of
steam can be controlled. So, to fulfill this requirement a steam stop valve is mounted on the uppermost
portion of the steam space. This is actually a steam regulating device which can be operated either manually
or automatically by a implementing an electronic controller.

Feed check valve: The function of a feed check valve is to control the supply of waterto the boiler and to
prevent the escaping of water from the boiler when the pump pressure is less or pump is stopped.
i) To allow the feed water to pass into the boiler.
ii) To prevent the back flow of water from the boiler in the event of the failure of the feed pump.
The feed check valve is fitted in the water space of the boiler slightly below the normal level of the water.

BOILER ACCESSORIES
The components which are installed to increase the efficiency of the steam boiler is called boiler accessories.
They are.
1. Air pre-heater 3. Super heater 5. steam separator
2. Economizer 4. Feed pump and
Economizer

Economizer is a device which is used to preheat the feed water before

sending to the boiler shell by absorbing the heat from the exhaust flue
gases. It is installed between the air preheater and super heater. In
this the feed water is passed through the vertical pipe. When its
flowing through the pipe its get heated by absorbing the heat from the
exhaust gases which is flowing around the vertical pipe. It is essential
that the vertical tubes may be kept free from deposits of soot, which
greatly reduce the efficiency of the economizer. Each tube is
provided with scraper for this purpose. The scraper is always moves
up and down by chain drives and removes the soot.

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CHAPTER-2 STEAM GENERATOR (25 Marks) 5 TH SEM MECHANICAL ENGG
Air pre-heater
An air pre-heater is used to recover heat from the exhaust flue gases. It is
installed between the economizer and the chimney. The air required for the
purpose of combustion is drawn through the tubes of the air pre heater
internally while the hot gases are passed over the outside of the tubes where
its temperature is raised. It is then passed through ducts to the furnace. The
advantages are the steam generation rate is increased; better combustion with
less soot, smoke and ash, and low grade fuels can be used.
Super heater
Super heater is a device which is used to convert wet steam in to dry steam
and then super heated steam by absorbing the heat from the exhaust flue gases. It
is installed between the economizer and evaporator. After the processing, the
volume and temperature of steam increases, but the pressure remains constant.

Pump: The feed pump is used to deliver feed water to the boiler. As the steam
boiler is a closed vessel, so huge pressure is created inside the boiler which
creates a problem for feeding water into the boiler tank. So, feed water pumps are
used to force the feed water into the boiler tank with high pressure. Two types of pumps which are
commonly used as feed pump are Reciprocating pump and Rotary pump.
Double acting reciprocating pump is commonly used.
Steam separator
The generated steam is collected from the top section of a boiler and used for
further applications. But the steam should be pure and free from water
particles. Steam separator is used to rectify the steam from any impurities and
the pure steam travels towards the steam engine or steam turbine.

BOILER DRAUGHT
Draught: The small pressure difference between atmosphere and pressure
inside the boiler which cause a flow of gas to take place in the steam power
plant is called Draught.
The main objects of producing draught in a boiler are:
1. To provide an adequate supply of air for the fuel combustion
2. To exhaust the gases of combustion from the combustion chamber
3. To discharge these gases to the atmosphere through the chimney
Types of Boiler Draught:

Chimney Draught (Natural Draught): The draught produced by means of a chimney alone is known as
chimney draught. It is a natural draught and has self-induced effect. Since the atmospheric air (outside the
chimney) is heavier than the hot gases (inside the chimney), the outside air will flow through the furnace
into the chimney. It will push the hot gases to pass through the chimney. The chimney draught varies with
climatic conditions, temperature of furnace gases and height of chimney.

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CHAPTER-2 STEAM GENERATOR (25 Marks) 5 TH SEM MECHANICAL ENGG
Artificial Draught: This draught produced by means of some external device which creates a pressure
difference is known as artificial draught. It is not a self-induced effect.
Mechanical Type Artificial Draught: The draught, produced by means of a fan or blower, is known as
mechanical draught or fan draught. The fan used is, generally, of centrifugal type and is driven by an electric
motor.
Induced Fan Draught:
In this system, the fan or blower is located
near the base of the chimney instead of near the
grate. The air is sucked in the system by reducing
the pressure through the system below
atmosphere.
The induced draught fan sucks the burned
gases from the furnace and the pressure inside the
furnace is reduced below atmosphere and induces
the atmospheric air to flow through the furnace.
The draught produced is independent of the
temperature of the hot gases therefore the gases
may be discharged as cold as possible after
recovering as much heat as possible in air-preheater and economizer.

Forced Fan Draught or Positive Draught:

The fan or Blower is placed before the grate,
and air is forced into the grate through the closed ash
pit.
In a forced draught system, a blower is
installed near the base of the boiler and air is forced
to pass through the furnace, flues (Ducts),
economizer, air-preheater and to the stack.
The Stack or chimney function is to
discharge gases high in the atmosphere to prevent
the contamination. It is not much significant for
producing draught therefore height of the chimney
may not be very much.
Balanced Fan Draught: It is an improved type of
draught, and is a combination of induced and
forced draught. It is produced by running both
induced and forced draught fans simultaneously.
It is always preferable to use a combination of
forced draught and induced draught instead of
forced or induced draught alone.
If the forced draught is used alone, then the furnace
cannot be opened either for firing or inspection
because the high-pressure air inside the furnace will
try to blow out suddenly and there is chance of
blowing out the fire completely and furnace stops.
If the induced draught is used alone, then also furnace cannot be opened either for firing or inspection
because the cold air will try to rush into the furnace as the pressure inside the furnace is below atmospheric
pressure. This reduces the effective draught and dilutes the combustion.

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CHAPTER-2 STEAM GENERATOR (25 Marks) 5 TH SEM MECHANICAL ENGG
Steam Jet Draught

In a steam jet draught, the exhaust steam, from a non-condensing steam engine, is used for producing
draught. It is mostly used in locomotive boilers, where the exhaust steam from the engine cylinder is
discharged through a blast pipe placed at the smoke box
and below the chimney. These are two types

 Induced draught
 Forced Draught

Induced Draught

In this case the exhaust steam from a non-condensing

steam engine is used for producing the draught. The
exhaust steam is supplied to the smoke box and below the chimney to create the draught.

Forced Draught

In this case the exhaust steam from a steam engine is used for producing the draught. The exhaust steam is
supplied to the ash pit through nozzles. This high velocity steam drags the air along the fuel bed, furnace,
fuels and then to the chimney.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FORCED AND INDUCED DRAUGHT

S.N FORCED DRAUGHT INDUCED DRAUGHT

1 Fan is placed before the fire gate Fan is placed after the fire gate
2 Pressure inside the furnace is above the Pressure inside the furnace is below the
atmospheric pressure atmospheric pressure
3 It takes less power as the fan has to handle cold It takes more power as the fan has to handle hot
air air
4 Flow of flue gases through boiler is more uniform Flow of flue gases through boiler is less uniform
5 Danger of fire in case of leakage of flue gas No Danger of fire in case of leakage of flue gas

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