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In watertube design boilers the water runs though
tubes surrounded by combustion gases. Watertube boilers are used on the very
high and very low spectrum of the boiler market. These are identified by their
respective horsepower ranges as:
• Utility — 100000 MBH and up
• Industrial — 30000 to 100000 MBH
• Commercial — Up to 30000 MBH
Watertube boilers are characterized by smaller
diameter tubes, which are longer, in bent, curved or straight configurations.
Many of these boilers have serpentine or tubes configured in a spiral. These
tubes are often headered in parallel to make-up a complete wall or panel of heat
absorbing watertubes. For this reason, the heat absorption rate per unit of
furnace volume or furnace wall area is relatively high as compared to firetube
boilers.
All high pressure boilers above 300# are of
watertube design due to the fact that tubing of a given diameter and wall
thickness can withstand a much higher internal pressure than external pressure.
In the case of the firetube boiler, the tubes have to withstand the water
pressure from the outside of the tube and are thus limited in their ability to
function in very high pressure situations.
Most failures in watertube boilers come from
split or burned tubes, which can result in a collapsing of the watertube walls.
As most watertube boilers have very small
steaming areas and water content, they are very sensitive to changes in demand
and water level. They require close attention, more sophisticated control
systems, demand good consistent maintenance and water treatment.
There are several different
types of watertube boilers encountered in our markets, they are:
Copper Watertube
| Steel Watertube
| Steel Bent
Dry Base |
Steel Bent
Wet Base
Job-Built Boiler Designs
If you encounter a situation where an old firetube boiler needs to be replaced
with a new firetube boiler, but cannot get the new boiler in without significant
structural work to the existing building, try a “job-built” boiler.
Job-built boilers are boilers which are fully constructed at the factory then
cut into 36-inch or less pieces. These pieces have been planned from their
conception for this task and arrive marked with clear “match points” for easy
reassembly on the job site. However, these boilers require code certified
welders and welding methods to insure their safety and credibility of operation.
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