Scotch Boiler

Components - a cylindrical shell containing furnaces. Fuel burned in these

furnaces – water cooled, corrugated cylinders. Fairly thick and hence prone to
overheating.
Hot gases from combustion to fire tubes -plain and stay tubes. Stay tubes
to support tube-plates. After the tubes the hot gases enter the smoke-box and
then the uptake. Gas/air heaters are fitted to to increase the boiler efficiency.
 Boiler has considerable amount of flat surfaces . Hence an elaborate system
of stays.
Large steam space stays for upper part of the flat end plates,
stays for back-plate, the tube plates and combustion chamber, through stays for
lower end of the end-plates.
Girder stays to transmit bending stresses from top wrapper plate to vertical tube-
plate and back plate.
Manholes in the shell and front end plate.
All riveted construction in the beginning but now welded.
Slow steam generation due to poor circulation of water. To assist circulation
combustion chamber tapered. Also the fire tubes arranged in vertical rows to
avoid resistance to the rising heated water and steam bubbles.
Care to be taken not to build up scales on water side. Hot gases from
furnace to combustion space surrounded by water helping to generate steam.
Water level close to top of chamber so have to be careful in maintaining minimum
level. Over heating.
Strong and robust boiler capable of working with poor quality water and an
open feed water system. Contains large amount of water and steam making it
suitable for auxiliary purposes. But in case of failure all that will be lost.

Smoke Tube Fittings.

Two types of tubes are used.
1. Plain Tube 2. Stay Tubes.
1. Plain or common tubes are expanded in to the tube plates at both ends.
Tubes have a diameter of 65mm and a thickness of 5mm.
Front end swelled out to make withdrawal easier as even small amount of
deposits on the water side will make it difficult.

Plain Tube
Slight projection, 12mm, at the front end plate. In case the tubes burns
away in the combustion space., the tubes can be driven in to compensate for
that.
Back end is bell mouthed or spot welded.

2. Stay Tubes. Flat tube plates must be supported. Hence the stay tubes. These
tubes are screwed and then expanded into the tube plates. Thickness of these
tubes varies depending on the load to be supported, but not less than 5mm at the
base of the thread.
 This can make the tube unnecessarily thick all along. Hence the tubes are
thickened at the end by a process called 'upsetting or upset forging'. These ends
are annealed and threads are cut. After screwing into the front tube plate and
expanded, nuts are are fitted in the front end. This is not done in the combustion
space as excess metal in the form of nuts can cause over heating. Instead of nuts
seal-welding is employed. But seal welding done only on sound, screwed and
expanded tubes but never for repairing corroded or thinned tube ends.
Sometimes instead of screwing welding can be employed but they have to
be expanded before and after welding. But welding to be done after the boiler has
been stress relieved without further heat treatment.
Ratio of Plain tube to stay tube is 3:1

Cochran Boiler:
A typical tank boiler of vertical type. Relatively small amount of low
pressure steam for auxiliary purpose.
Furnace space -seamless hemispherical crown attached to the boiler shell
by means of an ogee ring. Combustion space lined with refractory material. Hot
gases pass from furnace space to combustion space and then through fire tubes
into the smoke box at the front of the boiler.
This cylindrical boiler shell with its hemispherical crown and the
hemispherical furnace requires no stays. But combustion space top needs stays
and is provided with gusset stays.
All heating tubes are below the water level. They are readily available for
cleaning. Very robust and suitable for use with an open feed water system and
poor quality water.
 Riveted Cochran Boiler

Boiler can use solid or liquid fuel. But sea-going vessels use liquid fuel.
Refractory material is fitted in the combustion chamber, on the floor and the
sides of the furnace. Connecting the bottom of the furnace to the boiler shell
plating is a seamless 'Ogee' ring. This ring is pressed out of thicker plating than
the furnace; the greater thickness is necessary since circulation in its vicinity is
not as good as elsewhere in the boiler and deposits can accumulate between it
and the boiler shell plating. Hand hole cleaning doors are provided around the
circumference of the boiler in the region of the ‘Ogee’ ring. Special care should be
taken in the latter case to ensure that the refractory is high enough so that direct
radiant heat does not come on to the 'ogee' ring and lower parts of the
hemispherical furnace crown. These 'ogee' ring and the lower parts of the furnace
crown lie at the bottom of a narrow water space into which suspended solid
particles from boiler water tend to settle down and form scale on heated surfaces
thus leading to over heating and distortion of the 'ogee ring'. Also damaged
refractory can also contribute to overheating.
Man holes are provided at the top of the shell while hand-holes are provided
at the bottom for cleaning and inspection of the narrow water spaces.
Hinged smoke box doors give access to the tubes and tube plates at the
front while a removable rear panel fitted to the combustion chamber gives access
to the back tube plates.
Cochran Boiler can be adapted as an exhaust gas boiler or for composite
firing using exhaust gas and/or oil firing.

Ogee Ring

Figure above shows the method of attachment of the furnace and Ogee ring
for Cochran and Clarkson welded boilers, welded to Class I Fusion Welding
Regulations. ‘Tell-tale’ holes drilled at equal circumferential intervals in the boiler
shell enable leakage between the ‘Ogee’ ring and the boiler shell to be detected.

Welding Vs Riveting
Though at one time welding was not considered suitable for boilers, modern
welding technology and test procedures have completely replaced riveting.
Welded joints solves many problems associated with riveted joints like
leakage, caustic embrittlement causing cracking between rivet holes. Overlapping
of plates not required as in the riveting process and also rivets. This helps in
reducing the overall weight of the boiler. Problems of overheating where overlaps
occurred is also avoided by welding construction.
 Welded Cochran Boiler
In the all welded Cochran boiler a water cooled furnace of spheroidal shape
is used. This apart from the burner quarl needs no protective refractory material.
A fully water cooler furnace provides a greater radiant heat surface with resultant
increase in steam generation. Smaller amount of refractory helps in better boiler
maintenance.
Disadvantage is flame stability is reduced due to lack of reflected heat from
the refractory. Flame failure devices becomes a must.

Thimble Tube Boilers.

Thimble Tube boilers are developed by Clarkson. Steam generated by
causing a prolonged series of spasmodic ebullitions (intermittent boiling) in a
series of horizontal tapered thimble tubes heated externally without any special
means provided for circulation of water within the tube.
 It consists of an outer shell enclosing a cylindrical furnace surmounted by
the combustion chamber into which the thimble tubes protrude. These thimble
tubes are expanded and bell mouthed into the cylindrical tube plate which is part
of the combustion chamber. Upper end of this cylindrical tube plate is connected
to the uptake by a dished plate. This uptake passes through the steam space and
then connected to the dome of the outer shell.
Bottom of the tube plate is attached to the furnace, which is corrugated in
many designs, and is connected to the outer shell through an 'ogee ring'. This
design do not require any stays.
In some designs gas baffles are fitted to direct hot gases to the thimble. In
some other designs a number of bent circulating tubes expanded and bell
mouthed to the tube plate a both ends are fitted in the gas path.
A man hole is provided at the top of the outer shell for cleaning and
inspection. Hand holes are provided at the bottom near the narrow space.
These can be oil fired or composite types using oil and/or exhaust or as
waste heat boiler.
 These boilers can work for long hours without any internal cleaning. But if
scales form inside the thimbles it is very difficult to remove. Hence reasonably
good quality feed water has to be used.
Scales in thimbles can cause overheating but since they are fixed only at
one end greatly reduces the possibility of tube failure. Gas side has to be kept
clean as thin deposits of soot can cause drastic reduction in the heat transferred
through conduction.

Spanner Vertical Tank Boiler with Vertical Smoke Tubes

The basic design consists of an outer shell enclosing a cylindrical furnace
which is connected by vertical smoke tubes to a cylindrical smoke-box at the top
of the boiler. In earlier designs a riveted shell enclosed an welded internals but
now have all welded design.
 Vertical smoke tubes are patented designs known as 'swirlyflow' tubes –
special twist along the greater part of their length. Only short portion left plain at
both ends to allow for expansion. Claimed to be more efficient than plain smoke
tubes as the swirling action causes the gases to make better contact with tube
walls resulting in better heat transfer.
No stays are required for the outer shell and the internals. The tube plates
are are supported with stay tubes of of plain section expanded and then welded
into the tube plates. Manholes are provided for internal access and hand holes at
strategic positions for cleaning and inspection.
This is water cooled only the floor is covered with refractory material.
In addition to the oil fired version , exhaust gas version and composite
versions are also available. In the composite version the a baffle separates the
exhaust gas section of the tube stack from the oil fired flue gas section. The two
gas streams have its own uptakes allowing gas firing in conjunction with exhaust
gases from the engine.
 The vertical smoke tubes are a patent design known as ' swirly flow' tubes.
They have a special twist along the greater part of their length, only a short
portion at each end being left plain to allow for expansion.
No stays are required for the outer shell and for the internals. Only the flat
tube plates have to be supported which is achieved by stay tubes. Furnace is
water cooled. Only floor is protected with refractory material.
Other than the oil fired model, there are there are models that incorporate
waste heat recovery , (exhaust gas economizer) Both gas streams are separated
from each other so that both oil fired and exhaust gas operated systems can work
simultaneously.

Alborg Water Tube Boilers

Combines the compactness of smoke tube boiler and the greater
evaporation rate and flexibility of output associated with water tube boilers.
Furnace surrounded by water tubes, thereby greatly reducing the refractory
required. The heating of the water in the tubes increases the evaporation rate.
The flue gas after leaving the furnace flows over the vertical generating water
tubes giving up it heat and leaves to enter the uptake.
To have a positive circulation through the generating tubes, a number of
external down-comers are provided to take water from the steam drum to a
circular header at the base of the boiler.
Header in turn distributes the water to the water-wall tubes arranged
around the furnace space. On heating the water rises in the tube and enters the
annular water space arranged around the flue pipe. Water then passes through
numerous generating tubes and enters the steam drum.
Refractory material is used for protecting the furnace floor and the bottom
header from radiant heat.
 At the top of the furnace the water wall tubes curve over to protect the
annular water space plate from the direct heat of the flame.
In the welded construction the boiler has a number of flat surfaces which
require support.
Stays are fitted in steam drum and annular water space which together with
stay-tubes provide the necessary support.
The steam drum also act as a receiver for exhaust gas boiler.