A boiler or steam generator is a device used to create steam by applying heat energy to water.

Although the definitions are somewhat flexible, it can be said that older steam generators were
commonly termed boilers and worked at low to medium pressure (1300 psi or 6.895
2,068.427 kPa) but, at pressures above this, it is more usual to speak of a steam generator.
A boiler or steam generator is used wherever a source of steam is required. The form and size
depends on the application: mobile steam engines such as steam locomotives, portable
engines and steam-powered road vehicles typically use a smaller boiler that forms an integral part of
the vehicle; stationary steam engines, industrial installations and power stations will usually have a
larger separate steam generating facility connected to the point-of-use by piping. A notable exception
is the steam-powered fireless locomotive, where separately-generated steam is transferred to a
receiver (tank) on the locomotive.

Boilers are equipment in which a fluid, normally water, is heated and usually evaporated
and superheated to produce steam for power generation and/or heating purposes. The
energy required is transferred from a heating fluid by combinations of radiation, convection
and conduction by one of the following means: either the heating fluid is passed through
tubes mounted within a drum which contains the water (a shell boiler or fire-tube boiler) or the
water is contained in arrangements of tubes over which the heating fluid is constrained to
flow (a Water-Tube Boiler). The heating fluid may be a product of combustion (as in Fossil
Fuel-Fired Boilers), a chemical reaction or have been used to cool plant like a nuclear
reactor or equivalent device, such as a chemical reaction vessel (as in Heat Recovery
Boilers). Heat Recovery Boilers are also commonly found in combination with gas turbines
where they are used to extract valuable energy from the exhaust gas.

What are the basic types of Boilers?

There are two basic types of boilers: firetube and watertube. The fundamental difference
between these boiler types is which side of the boiler tubes contain the combustion gases
or the boiler water/steam.
Firetube Boiler
In firetube boilers, the combustion gases pass inside boiler tubes, and heat is transferred to
water between the tubes and the outer shell. Today, larger firetube boilers are over 1,500
boiler horsepower (about 50,000 pounds per hour. Firetube boilers are often characterized
by their number of passes, referring to the number of times the combustion (or flue) gases
flow the length of the pressure vessel as they transfer heat to the water. The turnaround
zones can be either dryback or waterback. In dryback designs, the turnaround area is
refractory-lined. In waterback designs, this turnaround zone is water-cooled, eliminating the
need for the refractory lining.
Watertube Boiler
In watertube boilers, boiler water passes through the tubes while the exhaust gases remain
in the shell side, passing over the tube surfaces. Because tubes can typically withstand
higher internal pressure than the large chamber shell in a firetube, watertube boilers are
used where high steam pressures (3,000 psi, sometimes higher) are required. Watertube
boilers are also capable of high efficiencies and can generate saturated or superheated
steam. In fact, the ability of watertube boilers to generate superheated steam makes these
boilers particularly attractive in applications that require dry, high-pressure, high energy
steam, including steam turbine power generation. The performance characteristics of
watertube boilers make them highly favorable in process industries, including chemical
manufacturing, pulp and paper manufacturing, and refining. Although firetube boilers
account for the majority of boiler sales in terms of units, watertube boilers account for the
majority of boiler capacity.
Waste Heat Recovery Boiler (WHRB)
These boilers may be either firetube or watertube design and use heat that would otherwise
be discarded to generate steam. Typical sources of heat for WHRBs include exhaust gases
or high-temperature products from an external manufacturing process in refineries and
chemical manufacturing facilities, or combustion of a waste fuel in the boiler furnace.

Heat Recovery Steam Generators (HRSGs)

HRSGs transfer energy from the exhaust of a gas turbine to an unfired or supplementary
fired heat-recovery steam generator to produce steam. Exhaust gases leave the gas turbine
at temperatures of 1,000F (538C) or higher and can represent more than 75% of the total
fuel energy input. This energy can be recovered by passing the gases through a heat
exchanger (steam generator) to produce hot water or steam for process needs.
Why use a Boiler?
Boilers are used to produce steam. The generation part of a steam system uses a boiler to
add energy to a feedwater supply to generate steam. The energy is released from the
combustion of fossil fuels or from process waste heat.
Where are Boilers Used?
Anywhere you are creating heat and/or steam, you will probably find a boiler. ABMA
members produce large boilers for the commercial, industrial, utility sector and more. Boiler
systems are used to create pulp & paper, generate electricity and process foods. The
complexity significantly increases as you increase the size and need for greater
performance of the boiler system.

Condenser, device for reducing a gas or vapour to a liquid. Condensers are

employed in power plants to condense exhaust steam from turbines and
in refrigeration plants to condenserefrigerant vapours, such as ammonia and
fluorinated hydrocarbons. The petroleum and chemical industries employ
condensers for the condensationof hydrocarbons and other chemical vapours.
In distilling operations, the device in which the vapour is transformed to a
liquid state is called a condenser. All condensers operate by
removing heat from the gas or vapour; once sufficient heat is eliminated,
liquefaction occurs. For some applications, all that is necessary is to pass the
gas through a long tube (usually arranged in a coil or other compact shape) to
permit heat to escape into the surrounding air. A heat-conductive metal, such
as copper, is commonly used to transport the vapour. A condensers efficiency
is often enhanced by attaching fins (i.e., flat sheets of conductive metal) to the
tubing to accelerate heat removal. Commonly, such condensers employ fans
to force air through the fins and carry the heat away. In many cases, large
condensers for industrial applications use water or some other liquid in place
of air to achieve heat removal.