Bent tube boilers usually have three drums. The drums are usually of the same diameter and positioned at different levels with each other. The uppermost or highest positioned drum is referred to as the STEAM DRUM, while the middle drum is referred to as the WATER DRUM, and the lowest, the MUD DRUM. Tube banks connect the drums. The tubes are bent at the ends to enter the drums radially.
Water enters the top rear drum, passes through the tubes to the bottom drum, and then moves up through the tubes to the top front drum. A mixture of steam and water is discharged into this drum. The steam returns to the top rear drum through the upper row of tubes, while the water travels through the tubes in the lower rear drum by tubes extending across the drum and enters a small collecting header above the front drum.
Many types of baffle arrangements are used with bent-tube boilers. Usually, they are installed so that the inclined tubes between the lower drum and the top front drum absorb 70 to 80 percent of the heat. The water-tube boilers discussed above offer a number of worthwhile advantages. For one thing, they afford flexibility in starting up. They also have a high productive capacity ranging from 100.000 to 1,000,000 pounds of steam per hour. In case of tube failure, there is little danger of a disastrous explosion of the water-tube boiler. The furnace not only can carry a high overload, it can also be modified for tiring by oil or coal. Still another advantage is that it is easy to get into sections inside the furnace to clean and repair them. There are also several disadvantages common to water-tube boilers. One of the main drawbacks of water-tube boilers is their high construction cost. The large assortment of tubes required of this boiler and the excessive weight per unit weight of steam generated are other unfavorable factors.
