What is a boiler or steam generator?
The boiler is a closed vessel, which is used to produce steam, in which heat from the combustion of fuels gives water to generate steam at the desired pressure and temperature.
It consists of a number of mountings & accessories, which help to convert water into steam.
The steam produced by Boiler is used in wide applications, Such as in:-
i) Power Generation:- The high-pressure steam is used by steam turbines which are coupled to the electric generators for power generation.
ii) Vacuum Generation:- Vacuum Ejector uses high-pressure steam to generate Vacuum.
iii) Industrial Processes:- In chemical, pharmaceutical, and agricultural industries steam is used in the production process to achieve the desired temperature for the reaction takes place.
iv) For heating and humidity control in the industrial building in winter or cold weather.
Different types of boiler/steam generator:-
The boilers can be classified on a different basis as follows:
On the basis of Firing:-
A) Fire tube Boiler: In this boiler, the hot gases pass through the tubes, and water flows surrounding these tubes. Hence the heat is transferred from tubes to the surrounding water.
Following are some of the fire tube boilers used for steam generation.
- Simple Vertical Boiler
- Cochran Boiler
- Lancashire Boiler
- Locomotive Boiler
- Cornish Boiler
B) Water Tube Boiler: In this boiler, water flows through the tubes, and hot combustion gases pass over the tube surface. Hence the heat is transferred from surrounding gases to the water in tubes.
Following are some of the water tube boilers used for generating steam.
- Lamont Boiler
- Loeffler Boiler
- Benson Boiler
- Babcock and Wilcocx Boiler
