Boiler design

 Contents
 1. INTRODUCTION
 1.1 background of the project
 1.2 problem statement
 1.3 Objectives of the project
 1.4 Project Scope 
 2. LITERATURE REVIEW
 2.1 Boiler Terminologies
 2.2 Types of Boilers
 2.3 Working principle
 2.4 Merits and Demerits
 3. METHODOLOGY 
 4. EXPECTATION
 1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 background of the project

• A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated.
The heated or vaporized fluid of the boiler for use in various
processes of heating applications. Water tube boilers are designed
to circulate hot combustion gases around the outside of a large
number of tubes filled with water.
• The tubes extend between an upper header, called a steam drum,
and one or more lower headers or drums. In the older designs, the
tubes were either straight or bent into simple shapes. Newer
water tube boilers have tubes with complex and diverse bends.
This is due to the pressure is confined and can be fabricated in
larger sizes and used for higher-pressure applications.
 1.2 problem statement
• Water tube type boiler is commonly used for heating and power
generation in the industry.
 There is poor knowledge and poor understanding about water
tube boiler, thus, simple craft water tube boiler is needed to get an
understanding about working principle and efficiency of water
tube boiler. This boiler subjects the suitability of boiler to be
alternative source of energy.
 1.3 Objectives of the project
 The goal of this study is to design, construct and test a locally made
water tube boiler. Therefore, the specific objectives of this research
are:
 To design and construct a miniature water tube boiler system.
 To test the developed water tube boiler system to determine its
efficiency with respect to diesel selection.
 To analyze the performance of water tube boiler system.
1.4 Project Scope 
 The scope of this work covers the utilization of locally sourced
materials to design, develop and test the water tube boiler for steam
generation by carrying out technical feasibility of efficiency of water
tube boiler using manual crafts and, will cover the practical
knowledge of all components of water tube boiler with the increase in
number of tubes of smaller diameter, the heating surface area
increases improving the efficiency.
 2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Boiler Terminologies
In designing a boiler for any applications, the terms used are as
follows:
Shell: The shell of a boiler consists of one or more steel plates
bent into a cylindrical form and riveted or welded together. The
shell end is closed with end plate.
Grate: It is the platform in the furnace upon which fuel is burnt
and it is made upon cast iron bars. The bars are arranged that air
may pass onto the fuel for combustion.
Furnace: It is a chamber formed by the space above the grate and
below the boiler shell, in which combustion takes place.
Water space and steam space: The volume of the shell that is
occupied by the water is termed water space while the entire shell
volume less the water and tubes space is called steam space.
 Water level: The level at which water stands in the boiler is called
water level. The space above the water level called steam space.
 Foaming: Formation of steam bubbles on the surface of the boiler
water due to high surface tension of water.
 Blowing off: The removal of mud and other impurities of water
from the lowest part of the boiler (where they usually settle) is
termed as blowing off. This is accomplished with the help of a
blow cock or valve.
 Lagging: Blocks of asbestos or magnesia insulation wrapped on
the outside of the boiler shell or steam piping.
 2.2 Types of Boilers
 Boiler systems are classified in a variety of ways. They can be
classified according to the end use, such as for heating, power
generation or process requirements. Alternatively, they can be
classified according to pressure, materials of construction, size tube
contents firing, heat source or circulation.
 Boilers are also distinguished by their method of fabrication.
Accordingly, a boiler can be packaged or field erected. Sometimes
boilers are classified by their heat source. For example, they are often
referred to as oil-fired, gas-fired, coal-fired, or solid-fired boilers
finally, boilers are distinctly classified according to their applications
2.2 The two basic types of boilers are:
 Fire tube boiler
 Water tube boiler
 2.2.1 Fire tube boilers
 Fire tube boilers consist of a series of straight tubes that are housed inside a
water-filled outer shell. The tubes are arranged so that hot combustion gases
flow through the tubes. As the hot gases flow through the tubes, they heat
the water surrounding the tubes. The water is confined by the outer shell of
boiler. To avoid the need for a thick outer shell, fire tube boilers are used for
lower pressure applications.
 Fire tube boilers are subdivided into three groups; Horizontal return tubular
(HRT) boilers typically have horizontal, self-contained fire tubes with a
separate combustion chamber. Scotch, Scotch marine, or shell boilers have
the fire tubes and combustion chamber housed within the same shell.
Firebox boilers have a water-jacketed firebox and employ at most three
passes of combustion gases. Figure shows fire tube boiler and their
components.
 2.2.2 Water tube boiler

 Water tube boilers are designed to circulate hot combustion gases

around the outside of a large number of water filled tubes. The tubes
extend between an upper header, called a steam drum, and one or
lower headers or drums. In the older designs, the tubes were either
straight or bent into simple shapes. Newer boilers have tubes with
complex and diverse bends because the pressure is confined inside
the tubes, water tube boilers can be fabricated in larger sizes and
used for higher-pressure applications.
 The common fuels are coal, oil, natural gas, biomass and solid fuels
such as municipal solid waste (MSW), tire-derived fuel (TDF) and
refuse derived fuel (RDF). Designs of water tube boilers that burn
these fuels can be significantly different.
 2.3 Working principle

 The working principle of water tube boiler is

very interesting and simple.
The water tube boiler. It consists of mainly two
drums; one is upper drum called steam drum
other is lower drum called mud drum. These
upper drum and lower drum are connected with
two tubes namely down-comer and riser tubes as
shown in the figure 2.3.
 Water in the lower drum and in the riser
connected to it, is heated and steam is produced
in them which comes to the upper drums
naturally. In the upper drum the steam is
separated from water naturally and stored above
the water surface. The colder water is fed from
feed water inlet at upper drum and as this water
is heavier than the hotter water of lower drum
and that in the riser, the colder water pushes the
hotter water upwards through the riser.
 So there is one convectional flow of water in the boiler system. More
and more steam is produced the pressure of the closed system increases
which obstructs this convectional flow of water and hence rate
production of steam becomes slower proportionately.
 Again if the steam is taken trough steam outlet, the pressure inside the
system falls and consequently the convectional flow of water becomes
faster which result in faster steam production rate. In this way the water
tube boiler can control its own pressure. Hence this type of boiler is
referred as self-controlled machine.
2.4 Merits and Demerits
 Merits of water tube boiler
 There are many advantages of water tube boiler due to which these
types of boiler are essentially used in large thermal power station.
 Larger heating surface can be achieved by using more numbers of water
tubes.
 Due to convectional flow, movement of water is much faster than that of fire
tube boiler, hence rate of heat transfer is high which results into higher
efficiency.
 Very high pressure in order of 140 kg/cm2 can be obtained smoothly.
 Demerits of water tube boiler
 There are some disadvantages of Water boiler:
 The Design is complex in the water boiler.
 For operation, a skilled operator is required.
 The maintenance cost is high.
 The cost of a water boiler is high for the same power output.
 Feed water treatment is very essential because small-scale deposits inside the
tube cause overheating and bursting.
 3. METHODOLOGY 
 Design methodology of water tube boiler is discussed in this chapter to
identify overall stages at which the process can be assessed. The main
objective to design and construct a miniature water tube boiler system
and to developed water tube boiler system and also determine its
efficiency with respect to diesel selection
 Create simple element crafts
 Define the components
 Define the composer model
 Define the other components
 Define the material and type of shells boundaries condition
 Initialize the calculations 
 Iterate until convergence is achieved
 Post processes the Result
 END 
Simple
 element craft  

The
 elements used to create a simple craft water tube boiler are:

Compressor

The
 compressor is used to pressurize air coming to the burner The
function of a compressor is to take a definite quantity of fluid
(usually a gas, often air) and deliver it at a required pressure.

Valves which include: directional control and pressure relive.

A valve is a device that receives an external signal (mechanical,
fluid pilot signal, electrical or electronics) to release, stop or
redirect the fluid that flows through it.
The function of a Directional Control Valve is to control the direction of
fluid flow in any hydraulic system. pressure relief valves are a safety
device designed to open when system pressure (i.e. in a vessel or
pipework) becomes too great and may damage equipment or endanger
personnel if not relieved.
 Air sprayer gun
 Connecting tubes: high strength tubes are being used to conduct the
pressure and the hated steam inside the water tube boiler.
 Container and the shell: metal container being used for cover of the
water tube boiler
 4. Expectation
We designed water tube boiler with
considering the following points

1. We select the copper tube to be coil

like spring instead of straight tubes
because of avoiding heat transfer loses
its parameters are:
 melting point of copper tube 1085
degree Celsius
 Volume of water tube = 150 ml
 Size of tube=2m
2. Shell is used for metal sheet to hold
heat and prevent loses.
3. Two way valves : is used for
 Inlet of water
 Outlet of steam
 4. Shell Ports

 Intel fuel
 Outlet
exhaust
Total views of the boiler
Continue…
 As shown in figures we designed the boiler and burner, in the boiler
there is tubes, valves, shell and shell ports
 In burner we use compressor, valves and air sprayer gun
 The water is supplied into the tubes at the inlet port of water, where
the fuel is supplied into the shell port at the inlet port of fuel.
 This water tube boiler is as steam boiler in which the water flows in
the tubes as well as hot gases , enclose the tubes.
 The hot gases which are produced by the fuel will replace heat by
water, then the water gets changed into steam, because the water
temperature increases, the concentration will increase automatically.
 The boiler attains high pressure as well as high steam capabilities
can be achieved.
END