Types of Fire-Tube Boiler

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
FIRE-TUBE BOILER
A fire-tube boiler is a type of boiler in which hot gases pass from a fire through one or (many) more
tubes running through a sealed container of water. The heat of the gases is transferred through the
walls of the tubes by thermal conduction, heating the water and ultimately creating steam.
The fire-tube boiler developed as the third of the four major historical types of boilers: low-pressure
tank or "haystack" boilers, flued boilers with one or two large flues, fire-tube boilers with many small
tubes, and high-pressure water-tube boilers. Their advantage over flued boilers with a single large
flue is that the many small tubes offer far greater heating surface area for the same overall boiler
volume. The general construction is as a tank of water penetrated by tubes that carry the hot flue
gases from the fire. The tank is usually cylindrical for the most part—being the strongest practical
shape for a pressurized container—and this cylindrical tank may be either horizontal or vertical.
Types of fire-tube boiler[edit]

For more details on the related ancestor type, see Flued boilers.
Cornish boiler[edit]
Further information: Cornish boiler
The earliest form of fire-tube boiler was Richard Trevithick's "high-pressure" Cornish boiler. This is a
long horizontal cylinder with a single large flue containing the fire. The fire itself was on an iron
grating placed across this flue, with a shallow ashpan beneath to collect the non-combustible
residue. Although considered as low-pressure (perhaps 25 pounds per square inch (170 kPa))
today, the use of a cylindrical boiler shell permitted a higher pressure than the earlier "haystack"
boilers of Newcomen's day. As the furnace relied on natural draught (air flow), a tall chimney was
required at the far end of the flue to encourage a good supply of air (oxygen) to the fire.
For efficiency, the boiler was commonly encased beneath by a brick-built chamber. Flue gases were
routed through this, outside the iron boiler shell, after passing through the fire-tube and so to a
chimney that was now placed at the front face of the boiler.
Lancashire boiler in Germany
Lancashire boiler[edit]
Further information: Lancashire boiler
The Lancashire boiler is similar to the Cornish, but has two large flues containing the fires. It was the
invention of William Fairbairn in 1844, from a theoretical consideration of the thermodynamics of
more efficient boilers that led him to increase the furnace grate area relative to the volume of water.
Later developments added Galloway tubes (after their inventor, patented in 1848),[2] crosswise water
tubes across the flue, thus increasing the heated surface area. As these are short tubes of large
diameter and the boiler continues to use a relatively low pressure, this is still not considered to be a
water-tube boiler. The tubes are tapered, simply to make their installation through the flue easier.[3]
Side-section of a Scotch marine boiler: the arrows show direction of flue gas flow; the combustion chamber is
on the right, the smokebox on the left.
Scotch marine boiler[edit]

Further information: Scotch marine boiler
The Scotch marine boiler differs dramatically from its predecessors in using a large number of small-
diameter tubes. This gives a far greater heating surface area for the volume and weight. The furnace
remains a single large-diameter tube with the many small tubes arranged above it. They are
connected together through a combustion chamber – an enclosed volume contained entirely within
the boiler shell – so that the flow of flue gas through the firetubes is from back to front. An enclosed
smokebox covering the front of these tubes leads upwards to the chimney or funnel. Typical Scotch
boilers had a pair of furnaces, larger ones had three. Above this size, such as for large steam ships,
it was more usual to install multiple boilers.[4]
Locomotive boiler[edit]
A locomotive boiler has three main components: a double-walled firebox; a horizontal, cylindrical
"boiler barrel" containing a large number of small flue-tubes; and a smokebox with chimney, for the
exhaust gases. The boiler barrel contains larger flue-tubes to carry the superheater elements, where
present. Forced draught is provided in the locomotive boiler by injecting exhausted steam back into
the exhaust via a blast pipe in the smokebox.
Locomotive-type boilers are also used in traction engines, steam rollers, portable engines and some
other steam road vehicles. The inherent strength of the boiler means it is used as the basis for the
vehicle: all the other components, including the wheels, are mounted on brackets attached to the
boiler. It is rare to find superheaters designed into this type of boiler, and they are generally much
smaller (and simpler) than railway locomotive types.
The locomotive-type boiler is also a characteristic of the overtype steam wagon, the steam-powered
fore-runner of the truck. In this case, however, heavy girder frames make up the load-bearing
chassis of the vehicle, and the boiler is attached to this.
Taper boiler
Certain railway locomotive boilers are tapered from a larger diameter at the firebox end to a smaller
diameter at the smokebox end. This reduces weight and improves water circulation. Many
later Great Western Railway and London, Midland and Scottish Railway locomotives were designed
or modified to take taper boilers.
Vertical fire-tube boiler[edit]

Main article: Vertical boiler
A vertical fire-tube boiler (VFT), colloquially known as the "vertical boiler", has a vertical cylindrical
shell, containing several vertical flue tubes.
Horizontal return tubular boiler[edit]
Horizontal Return Tubular boilers from the Staatsbad Bad Steben GmbH
Horizontal return tubular boiler (HRT) has a horizontal cylindrical shell, containing several horizontal
flue tubes, with the fire located directly below the boiler's shell, usually within a brickwork setting
Admiralty-type direct tube boiler[edit]

Extensively used by Britain, before and in the early days of ironclads, the only protected place was
below the waterline, sometimes under an armoured deck, so to fit below short decks, the tubes were
not led back above the furnace but continued straight from it with keeping the combustion chamber
in between the two. Hence the name, and considerably reduced diameter, compared to the
ubiquitous Scotch or return tube boiler. It was not a great success and its use was being abandoned
after the introduction of stronger side armouring – “the furnace crowns, being very near the water-
level, are much more liable to over-heating. Further, on account of the length of the boiler, for an
equal angle of inclination, the effect on the water-level is much greater. Finally, the unequal
expansion of the various parts of the boiler is more pronounced, especially at the top and bottom,
due to the increased ratio between the length and the diameter of the boiler; the local strains are
also more severe on account of the comparatively feeble circulation in long and low boilers.” All
these also resulted in a shorter life. Also, the same length of a combustion chamber was much less
effective on a direct tube than on a return tube boiler, at least without baffling.[5]
Immersion fired boiler[edit]

The immersion fired boiler is a single-pass fire-tube boiler that was developed by Sellers
Engineering in the 1940s. It has only firetubes, functioning as a furnace and combustion chamber
also, with multiple burner nozzles injecting premixed air and natural gas under pressure. It claims
reduced thermal stresses, and lacks refractory brickwork completely due to its construction.[6]
Variations[edit]
Water tubes[edit]
Fire-tube boilers sometimes have water-tubes as well, to increase the heating surface. A Cornish
boiler may have several water-tubes across the diameter of the flue (this is common in steam
launches). A locomotive boiler with a wide firebox may have arch tubes or thermic syphons. As
firebox technology developed, it was found that placing a baffle of firebricks (heat-resistant bricks)
inside the firebox to direct the flow of hot flue gasses up into the top of the firebox before it flowed
into the fire tubes increased efficiency by equalizing the heat between upper and lower fire tubes. To
hold these in place, a metal bracket was used, but to prevent these brackets from burning and
eroding away they were built as water tubes, with cool water from the bottom of the boiler moving
upwards by convection as it heated, and carrying the heat away before the metal reached its failure
temperature.
Another technique for increasing the heating surface is to include internal rifling inside the boiler
tubes (also known as Serve tubes).
Not all shell boilers raise steam; some are designed specifically for heating pressurised water.
Reverse flame[edit]
In homage to the Lancashire design, modern shell boilers can come with a twin furnace design. A
more recent development has been the reverse flame design where the burner fires into a blind
furnace and the combustion gasses double back on themselves. This results in a more compact
design and less pipework.
Package boiler[edit]
The term "package" boiler evolved in the early- to mid-20th century; it is used to describe residential
heating boilers delivered to the installation site with all insulation, electrical panels, valves, gauges,
and fuel burners already assembled by the manufacturer. Other delivery methods more closely
resemble prior practice from the coal burning era, when other components were added on-site to
either a pre-assembled pressure vessel, or to a "knock-down" boiler, where the pressure vessel is
delivered as a set of castings to be assembled on-site. As a general rule, factory assembly is much
more cost-effective and the packaged boiler is the preferred option for domestic use. Part-
assembled deliveries are only used when necessary because of access limitations - e.g. when the
only access to a basement installation site is down a narrow flight of stairs.

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MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Types of fire-tube boiler[edit]

Lancashire boiler in Germany

Scotch marine boiler[edit]

Vertical fire-tube boiler[edit]

Horizontal return tubular boiler[edit]

Horizontal Return Tubular boilers from the Staatsbad Bad Steben GmbH

Admiralty-type direct tube boiler[edit]

Immersion fired boiler[edit]

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