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