How A Water Tube Boiler Works The main differences between the fire tube and the water tube boiler are that hot gases flow inside the tube and water surrounds them in the fire tube boiler, whereas in the water tube, hot gases surround water. On board a ship, boilers are used to generate power, and they are one of the most important components. The water tubes in a water tube boiler are heated externally by fire. The tubes are connected to a steam drum and a mud drum, and steam is produced in the upper drum. Instead of tubes heating water as in a fire tube boiler, water in the tubes directly generates steam.
How A Fire Tube Boiler Works Thermal conduction transfers heat through tubes in a fire tube boiler, which then heats the water in the container and produces steam. Essentially, the boiler is the pressure vessel that contains the water. A fire tube boiler is used in steam or hot water applications. For both low and high-pressure steam, as well as hot water, fire tube boilers are ideal. Commonly, they are used for applications that don't exceed 350 psi. Typically, they have a capacity of 600,000 btu/hr to 50,000,000 btu/hr, but they can also have a capacity of 500,000 btu/hr to 75,000,000 btu/hr.