TheOhioStateUniversity
DepartmentofFood,Agriculture,andBiologicalEngineering
CollegeofEngineering
ThermodynamicDesignofa
FireTubeSteamBoiler
By:Banoub,RaphaelBelgrad,JosephGruscinski,Kevin
December8,2014
This document is has been written for the purposes of introducing firetube steam
boilers, demonstrating the application of thermodynamic knowledge, practicing
engineering design projects, simulate engineering teamwork and collaboration, and
exercisewritingtechnical scientificdocuments.Thisdocument willintroduce,deriveand
defendcalculationsfor:
I. Dimensionsofsteamboilerbodyandfurnace.
II. Diameterandlengthofsteamboilerpipes.
III. Volumeratioofsaturatedliquid:saturatedvapor.
IV. Specificationsofburners.
V. PumpPower.
VI. Volumetriccapacityofsafetyvalve.
________________________________________________________________________
Introduction
Firetubesteamboilersaredesignedforthepurposeofindustrialscaleheatexchange
inordertoheatsaturatedliquidenteringthecontrolvolumetoasaturatedgas.Exiting
gasleavingthecontrolvolumemayexperienceapressuredropwhenreturningto
atmosphericpressure.Firetubesteamboilersarecomposedofacylindricalhullfilled
withthermalinsulationinwhichaseriesoftubesarecontained.Hotairfromaburneris
passedfromafurnaceinthe1stpasstoaseriesoftubesinthe2ndpass,thentoa
seriesoftubesinthe3rdpass.Finally,thehotairexitsthroughachimney.Theboileris
filledwithwateruptothetoplevelofthe3rdpasspumpedfromthebaseoftheboiler.
Steamisthenpumpedfromthetopoftheboilertowhereverheatingisneeded.The
boilercontainsasafetyvalvethat,whenthepressurebecomestoohighdueto
blockageoroverheating,releasestheexcesssteam.
ProjectDescription
Ourengineeringteamdesignedathreepassfiretubesteamboilerwithacapacityof
5000kgofsteamperhourandaoperatingpressureof10bar.TheFigurebelow
equationsshowsastandardthreepassfiretubesteamboilersystemusedasa
templateforourengineeringteamsdesign.
Conductionthroughpipingtothewaterisdescribedintheequation
Q = A[(T air T w)/(1/hair + ttube/Ktube + 1/hw)]
where:
Q=HeattransferrateinKW
T =TemperatureoftheairinK
air
Tw=TemperatureofthewaterinK
2
h =ThermalconductivityofairinKW/m
air *K
t
tube =Thicknessoftubesinm
2
K tube=ThermalconductivityofcarbonsteelinKW/m*K
2
hw=ThermalconductivityofwaterinKW/m *K
Totalheattransferproducedbyfurnaceismodeledbytheequation
Q = (h3 h2)
where:
Q=HeattransferrateinKW
=Massflowrateinkg/s
o
h2=Waterenteringboilerat10barand20 C
o
h3=EnthalpyofSteamexitingboilerat180 C
Powerofthepumpismodeledbytheequation
Q= v(P 2 P 1)
where:
Q=PowerrequiredbypumpinKW
=Massflowrateinkg/s
3
v=Specificvolumeofwaterenteringpump(assumedincompressible)inm/kg
P 2=PressureexitingpumpinKpa
P 1=PressureenteringpumpinKPa
Figure1:Threepassfiretubesteamboilersystem
EngineeringAssumptionsandGivens
Assignmentgivensinthepromptofthissteamboilerdesignare:
MassFlowRate: =5,000 kg/hour
OperatingSteamBoilerPressure:P=10bar
Assumptionsforthedesignofthissteamboilerare:
OperatingTemperatureofSteamboiler:T=179.9Celcius *
FluidSpecificVolume:v 3 3
=1.1273X10
f m *
/kg
FluidSpecificVolume:v 3
=0.1944m
g *
/kg
*
Alloftheseassumptionsaretheconsequenceofandtwophasemixtureheating
occurringat10bar.Specificvolumevolumesforsaturationfluidsandsaturationliquids
areconstantforafixedpressure.Likewise,afixedpressureinthetwomixtureregion
implyfixedtemperature(Tsat).
DiameterofTubes=0.05m
ThicknessofTubes=0.003m
MainShellThickness=0.012m
FurnacePlateThickness=0.016m
LengthofTubesandBoiler=5.00m
Theseassumptionsweremadeasdirectedinthedesignprojectprompt.
o
TemperatureofFurnace=Temperature1stPass=1200 C
o
Temperature2ndPass=740 C
o
Temperature3rdPass=280 C
Temperatureoffurnacewasgivenindesignprojectprompt.Secondandthirdpasses
werebasedonconductivityconstants.
DESIGNOUTCOME
MaxonMegafire15MNaturalgasBurneroutputs15,000,000Btu/hr,or3949KWMax.
outputrequiring0.4mdiameterspacinginfurnace.
Thepumprequires1.26KWofpower.TheLKHUltraPure10CentrifugalPumpwas
chosenwithamotorcapacityof1.5KW.
VolumeCapacitanceofReliefValverequiredtoaccommodate16200L/minor
11023.1lb/hofsteam.ApolloSeries119SectionVIIIJorificewaschosenwitha
capacityof11034lb/h.
NumberofPipesforPass2:68.NumberofPipesforPass3:70.
Totaldiameter:1.2m
Figure2:DiagramofFurnaceUsed
Figure3:DiagramofSafetyValve
Figure4:CrosssectionalDiagram
TABLEOFDATAANDCALCULATIONS
Tubediameter(m) 0.05 vg(m3/kg) 0.1944
tubethickness(m) 0.003 m(m3/s) 0.27
mainshellthickness(m) 0.012 m(L/min) 16200
furnaceplatethickness(m) 0.016
Flowrate(kg/s) 1.389
hair(W/m2*K) 69 Rtotal(KW/m2*K) 16.00085251
hwater(W/m2*K) 690
Ktube(W/m2*K) 51 Flowrate(kg/h) 5000
hstate1(kJ/kg) 80 Flowrate(lb/h) 11023.1
hstate2(kJ/kg) 83.96
hstate3(kJ/kg) 2778.1
Tw(C) 180 Tair2(C) 970
T3(C) 280 Tair3(C) 510
T2(C) 740
Tf(C) 1200
TotalQ(kW) 3742
Pass1
Q/A negligible
Pass2
Q/A(kW) 49.372
Q(kW) 2619.303
A(m^2) 53.052
#ofPipes 67.548 Actual#Pipes 68
Pass3
Q/A(kW) 20.624
Q(kW) 1122.558
A(m^2) 54.430
#ofPipes 69.302 Actual#Pipes 70
LengthofBoiler(m) 5
SurfaceAreaof1Pipe
(m2) 0.7853981634
PumpPower(KW) 1.26
PumpPower(HP) 1.689687833 .
Diameter(m) 1.2
Area(m^2) 1.130973355
distancefromcentertotopoftubes(m) 0.455
areaabovetubes(m^2) 0.1554989868
CSareaoftubes(m^2) 0.2709623664
diameterofpass1tube(m) 0.415
areaofpass1tube(m^2) 0.1352651987
areawater(m^2) 0.7045120021
areasteam(m^2) 0.1554989868
quality(percent) 0.180810465
REFERENCES
http://www.steeltube.sk/
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermalconductivityd_429.html
http://hyperphysics.phyastr.gsu.edu/hbase/tables/phase.html#c2
http://www2.spiraxsarco.com/resources/steamengineeringtutorials/theboilerhouse/shellboil
ers.asp
http://www.isibang.ac.in/~library/onlinerz/resources/enghandbook3.pdf
http://www.lesman.com/unleashd/catalog/combustion/MaxonMegafire/MaxonMegafire_spec
199708.pdf
http://www.globalspec.com/pdf/viewpdf?comp=150&vid=118331&partId={D3D62AB7524A4
471BCB4C859A20D0FAB}&from=mi
