Steam Boilers VS. Steam Generators: Which One Is Better For You?

Every business owner knows the importance of having the best and more efficient equipment in power plants. However, a lot of businesses who require a steam energy solution often face a dilemma between a steam boiler and a steam generator. The most basic and literal definition for the workings of both these systems is that they create energy using steam. However, what they accomplish is drastically different from each other. These differences impact almost all aspects of these machines, including their size, operations, and applications.

Hence, as steam boilers and steam generators are intended to be used for different purposes, it becomes crucial for your business to choose the right equipment. To do that, you need to understand the difference between them, which will help you determine which is the right equipment for your power plant. In this article, we have covered pointers explained what each machine is used for and how you can choose which one is the best for you.

What Is A Steam Boiler?

The largest pressure vessels that are capable of providing energy to industrial operations, a steam boiler is used for boiling water at subcritical pressures with intricate fuel systems. There are essentially two common designs for a steam boiler: firetube and water-tube.

Firetube Design

In this design, a steam boiler includes a large shell through which hot gases of combustion pass through one or more boilers tubes that are connected to both the sides of the boiler sheet.

Water-Tube Design
Using the inverted design of firetube, the water-tube boiler allows water to flow through a small boiler tube. At the same time, combustion gases travel around them to transfer heat together. This heater water in the tubes is carried between the lower drum (mud drum) and upper drums (steam drum). Through the process, the generated steam is collected in the upper drum.

What Is A Steam Generator?

Steam generators make use of a single tube coil instead of making use of multiple smaller boiler tubes. Moreover, the steam generator has lesser steel built into the machine. To ensure that the water is continuously flowing through the coil, a feedwater pump is used. Once the water passes through the coil, the heat generated is transferred to the hot gasses to convert them to steam.

As steam generators are smaller compared to steam boilers, they are quicker to start up, making them ideal for on-demand situations. However, it is important to note that steam generators have low turn-down rates, which is why they can’t produce steam during elongated periods.

Which One Is The Best For You?

Choosing between these two machines entirely depends on the answer to one consideration: output and demand. Steam generators are quick to start up; however, they are small in size, which impacts their capacity significantly. So, if you’re looking for short-term operations that are urgent, steam generators are the way you should go. However, if you’re looking for long-term industrial use, boilers have larger capacities. They are powerful enough to support large-scale and critical operations.

If you are looking for an industrial steam boiler manufacturers that is designed to give their best performance, there are multiple manufacturers like Thermax that can provide great industry boiler solutions!