Boiler (definition)

Boiler (from English boiler - boiler, water heater) is a heat exchange device designed to heat and accumulate hot water or steam used for household needs, heating or industrial processes. It consists of a metal container, inside which there is a heat exchanger that passes heat through the water.

Boiler design

As a rule, the container is made in different volumes in the form of a cylinder with a radial upper and lower wall to create acceptable thermodynamic conditions.

The indirect heating boiler is equipped with a heat-protected casing to reduce heat loss and performs the following tasks: heat accumulator. The boiler design implies the presence of heat exchangers from different consumers, and the location of their installation is important. Heat exchange circuits with a higher heating temperature are installed at the top, and circuits designed for a lower heating temperature are mounted at the bottom. This design is typical for a buffer tank, which is used in systems with solid fuel boilers.

In household electric models and in a number of systems, the heat exchanger is a heating element, for this reason, heat transfer and the area of contact of the coolant with the heating element are important. Accordingly, several heat exchangers from several heat sources can be used, for example, from solar collector. Hydraulic decoupling of systems with such structures involves the installation collector with pump groups or three-way valves for mixing and stabilizing water temperature.

Application

The boiler is used in systems indirect heating, for example, for hot water supply or low-temperature "warm floor" in systems with a solid fuel boiler, combining the functions of an expansion tank (when installed above the level of the heating system) and a heat accumulator. As a rule, the most common models contain a heating element powered by electricity to heat hot water. Similar systems can be used for underfloor heating and other tasks, including heating, but the cost of such systems running on electricity will be high in operation.

They are used in systems with steam heating to heat water in hot water supply systems and prepare the coolant for supply to the central heating system. Boilers are widely used in thermal power plants, nuclear power plants and powerful cluster-type boiler houses. For example, such a solution is suitable for organizing centralized heating and water supply based on pellet steam generator FOCUS.