Water Tube Vs Fire Tube Condensing Boilers

In a firetube boiler the heating element produces hot water through a more indirect mechanism.

Water tube vs fire tube condensing boilers. On the contrary fire tube boilers are low or medium pressure boilers and usually operate at pressure of about 25 bar. The hot flue gases generated by the boiler s combustion are channeled into tubes and routed through a water tank and the heat transfer from these firetubes creates the needed hot water or steam. Fire tube boilers are a lower cost alternative to water tube boilers and are often used for smaller industrial facilities with lower operating pressures. From a cold start the firetube boiler due to its larger water volume takes longer to bring up to operating temperature or pressure vs.

The main advantages of a fire tube boiler are its simple construction compact size and the ability to easily meet rapid fluctuations in steam demand. The main differences between the fire tube and the water tube boiler are the hot gases flow inside the tube and water surround them in the fire tube boiler whereas in the water tube water flows inside the tube and hot gases surround them. Pros cons of firetube. In a watertube boiler the heating element acts directly on tubes filled with water which run through the furnace casing to produce the needed steam or super hot water.

The firetube boiler passes combustion gas inside a series of tubes surrounded by water in a vessel to produce steam while a watertube instead sends water through a series of tubes surrounded by combustion gas used to transfer heat energy and produce steam. Water tube boilers are high pressure boilers and usually operate at pressure of about 165 bar. Water tube boilers unlike fire tube boiler where the hot gas is circulated through tubes to heat water in a tank water tube boilers involve running water through tubes surrounded by a heated tank. A similar sized watertube boiler.

These types of boiler are generally considered safer than fire tube designs and typically require less frequent maintenance. Let s not forget that there is a tremendous difference in water volume between a firetube boiler and a watertube boiler.