FIRE TUBE BOILERS:

In a fire tube steam boiler, heat and gases of combustion pass through the tube surrounded by water.
Fire tube boilers steam boilers maybe either high or low pressure boilers. The three types of fire tube
steam boilers are horizontal return tubular boiler, scotch marine boiler, and vertical fire tube boiler.

All fire tube boilers have the same basic operating principles. The heat produced by the gases of
combustion pass through the tubes while the water surrounds the tubes. However, fire tube boilers have
different designs like 2 pass, 3 pass, and 4 pass based on application and installation considerations.

Fire tube boiler tubes are always measured by their outside diameter (O.D.). Fire tube boilers are usually
designed for pressures up to a maximum of 250 psi and approximately 750 horsepower.

HOW THEY WORK:

When water is heated, it increases in volume and becomes lighter. This warmer water, now lighter, rises
and the cooler water drops to take its place. The steam bubbles that eventually form break the surface of
the water and enter the steam space

The addition of tubes inside the drum containing the water increases the heating surface. The heating
surface is that part of the boiler with water on one side and the heat and gases of combustion on the
other. By increasing the heating surface, more heat is taken from the gases of combustion. This results in
a more rapid water circulation and faster formation of steam bubbles.

When larger quantities of steam are released, the thermal efficiency of the boiler increases. Thermal
efficiency is the ratio of the heat supplied from the fuel to the heat absorbed by the water. Modern fire
tube boilers with improved design and heat transfer rates have achieved thermal efficiency rates as high
as 80% to 85%.

Placing an internal furnace within the boiler shell greatly increases the heating surface allowing for
maximum absorption of heat thus reducing the time to create steam.