fire tube boilers

A special section just for steam engines and boilers, as without these you may as well fit a sail.
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farmerden
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fire tube boilers

Post by farmerden » Thu Aug 05, 2010 3:45 am

I've been looking at Fred's Verticle fire tube boiler. Is a horizontal fire tube boiler worse, better or the same as far as performance goes? I have no experience with either and wanted to get a Summer debate going :lol: By the way Fred what kind of fuel do you intend to run? Den
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fredrosse
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Re: fire tube boilers

Post by fredrosse » Thu Aug 05, 2010 4:31 am

Vertical and horizontal firetube boilers have about the same performance potential, however you can usually keep a lower center of gravity with the horizontal. The vertical can be very simple (as mine is), or it can have an enclosed furnace. The horizontal almost always will have an enclosed furnace. The enclosed furnace is a more complicated build, and that is probably why we see so few modern examples of horizontal firetube boilers in steam launches.

I was going to have a gunboat type boiler for this steamer, but that would have cost much more than the simple vertical firetube boiler, especially since an ASME Code shop was doing the build. Rolling and seal welding tubes inside a small furnace adds significant difficulty. I have the parts for a gunboat type boiler, and may put it together over the winter.
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