History of Marine Boilers and How Does A Boiler Work?

Some consider history of marine boilers or boilers as a whole as being one of the oldest and richest, and also one that has been well preserved even with the development of new technologies that as yet to replace the boiler in the 21st century. They were the first form of artificial force that was harnessed to produce locomotion, but evolved to play a vital role in many different industries globally.
They were initially stationary and produced

History of Marine Boilers

motion and force that would be used to run stationary machinery such as floor grinding mills and well pumps. This was the stepping stone and soon enterprising individual soon found ways of fitting these boiler and steam engine systems on movable carriages to propel them instead of horses.

The history of marine boilers began around the early 1800s when they were introduced on board shipping vessels with the sole purpose of propulsion but soon the potentials of the marine boilers were realized and soon marine boilers were being installed for different purposes on vessels. The marine boilers were being modified in both shape and size to suite different purposes but the main operation system has remained the same for over 2 centuries and there is no predation of any changes to be seen in the future either.
Although the design has changed and so has the fuels used in the boilers burners, they integrated in to almost each vessel with sole purpose of supplying hot steam under pressure to different part of the ship where it can be used for different purposes that would require warmth or constant heating. Especially venerable vessels are the ones that sail above the tropic or near the poles. They need to maintain heating to avoid fuel and water from thickening or freezing and leading to mayhem on the vessel. For this reason most of the vessels pipeline whether fuel, water or gas require having a steam pipe that run in-between them and insulation applied around them to help maintain the temperature at a level above freezing.

How does a boiler work?

Boilers aboard these vessels must be operational 24/7 and many vessels have a stand by boiler in case there is a problem with the main boiler. These marine boilers are used on board many vessel including oil tankers where the steam is sent through piping that runs inside the crude tanks to supply a steady stream of heat and raising the oils temperature thus reducing the viscosity of the oil. Less viscosity means that the oil is runnier and could drain easier leaving less residue in the storage tanks.

The history of marine boilers remains in the making as marine vessel still use them as an integral part of many operations on board many ships ship were generators and other heating systems have proven to be costlier and less effective than the marine boiler. Designs and fuels used in the boilers are expected to change in the future but the purpose will remain the same and boilers will maintain the purpose they where initial built for which is boiling water and making steam under pressure that can be harnessed to do various different work.

Unlike today when ships are propelled using internal combustion engine or nuclear power in the past in the past marine boilers were used aboard ships as a means of propulsion. They boil water till it has become steam under pressure than it is fed to a steam engine which that revolves to create motion which was converted to propulsion. Boilers on modern ships are used for running some machinery and service on board some ships. Marine Boilers are similar to conventional boiler but are designed for use on ships and boats. The main boiler tube is horizontal and shares most characteristics with the land based boiler. Below we shall be able to understand how boiler work, types of boilers, fuels used, safety and maintenance that they require to function effectively.

Marine Boilers

How does a boiler work?

All boilers follow the same principle. They are constructed with a fire pit, exhaust and heating channel and exhaust. The fire pit is used to light a big fire, the heat and flames than pass through heating tubes that are surrounded with water after continual heating the water boils the steam accumulate and pressure is built. This pressure is then transferred or used to do work as desired.

There are two different types of boilers:-

• water tube boilers and,
• fire tube boilers

The two are opposite from each other but follow the same principle.

Water tube boiler is boilers that water passes within the tube and the heat source outside the tube. There is normal a water jacket around the fire pit and tubes are normally arranges from the fire pit and extend till the exhaust to maximize the heat capturing process. Fire tube boilers are slightly different; they also share the water jacket and tubes but instead of water running within the tubes fire run through them. The tubes are concealed within the water jacket that extends till the exhaust of the boiler.

Fuel

Any burning material can serve as fuel. In the past wood and coal were the main fuels used on boiled but modern boiler use fuel oil to heat boilers. During the bunkering process it is important to load the right fuel specification since wrong fuel causes heating problems that can cause delays on board

Safety

As with any other safety procedure on ships, boiler maintenance is very important to avoid and accidents or fire on-board the ship. There many parts in a boiler that needs proper inspection since it is equipment that is subjected to high pressure. Inlet valves, outlet pressure valve, water intake valve and gauges must be checked regularly for any faults that they may have.

Maintenance

General maintenance is carried out on a weekly or monthly basis considering the material that is being used as fuel. Oil and coal boiler require more frequent cleaning due to soot that is produced where as gas burner require less cleaning. The cleaning is done to remove the soot that accumulates within or around the heating tubes, and the exhaust. This can be done using a number of tools that range from tube brushes to vacuum cleaners. The fire chamber is another part that tends to accumulate soot and ash from the burning material. This also needs to be removed frequently. Replacement of damages valves, pressure valves or damaged piping can also be done but this is not frequent and occurs after long periods of time.

Marine Boilers

References books:

• Marine Boilers by G.T.H Flanagan 1990.
• Marine Engineering Review by Institute of Marine Engineering 1999.