How Industrial Boilers Are Typically Made

When people think of boilers, they generally picture the massive tanks of industrial boilers. (Other boilers, like residential boilers, are much smaller and do not look like tanks at all.) When you see these massive heating machines up close, you may wonder how these machines are made. The industrial boilers manufacturers have a couple of different approaches, depending on the fuel used and the output expected. If you just want to know how vertical cylinder and Scotch marine boilers are made, it goes something like this.

The Cylinder

The iconic cylinder of these boilers is what people think of most. These are made of steel sheeting. Usually, because of the monumental amount of steam and pressure these boilers have to withstand, there is an interior steel cylinder chamber, followed by an additional thick cylinder to protect the interior cylinder, and finally, the massive exterior cylinder to enclose the internal cylinders. The exterior cylinder is buffed and electroplated with powder paint to give it a more attractive appearance. 

The interior cylinders contain some of the boiler's functional "guts." They also hold onto, and produce, steam for the purpose of heating. They may heat the factory as a whole, or the heat they produce is used in melting processes. The Scotch marine boilers are also designed to withstand thousands of pounds of pressure from the outside of the boilers as well because, as you can guess, they are used in submarines and freighters.

The Fuel Boxes

All boilers can be designed and constructed to burn almost any kind of fuel. The fuel boxes are also constructed of steel. They may be located on the underbelly of horizontal boilers, or on the front or back side of vertical boilers. There are also boilers that have fuel boxes located near but outside of the physical boilers' tanks. 

Electrical Wiring

Fuel helps create steam. In some cases, electricity not only powers the boilers, but it also helps fuel them. Boilers are not able to function properly without power, and industrial power needs the most electricity. For this reason, boilers of this type may be wired to their own generators, and/or wired to their own electrical/fuse boxes located close by. Electrical wiring runs from the generators or fuse boxes to the boilers, once they are installed. As soon as everything is connected, from electrical wiring to fuel supply (or fuel like wood and coal have been dumped into the fuel box), the industrial boilers are ready to be switched on. 

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