Steam generator (boiler)

For other uses, see Steam generator (disambiguation).
A monotube boiler, a type of steam generator (early 1900s White Motor Company)

A steam generator is a form of low water-content boiler, similar to a flash steam boiler. The usual construction is as a spiral coil of water-tube, arranged as a single, or monotube, coil. Circulation is once-through and pumped under pressure, as a forced-circulation boiler.[1] The narrow-tube construction, without any large-diameter drums or tanks, means that they are safe from the effects of explosion,[note 1] even if worked at high pressures.[2] The pump flowrate is adjustable, according to the quantity of steam required at that time. The burner output is throttled to maintain a constant working temperature. The burner output required varies according to the quantity of water being evaporated: this can be either adjusted by open-loop control according to the pump throughput, or by a closed-loop control to maintain the measured temperature.

They are used as auxiliary boilers on ships.[3]

  1. ^ "Principle of Operation of a Clayton Steam Generator".
  2. ^ Milton & Marine Steam Boilers, p. 212
  3. ^ Naval Marine Engineering Practice. Vol. 1. Royal Navy, via HMSO. 1971 [1959]. pp. 8–10. ISBN 0-11-770223-4.


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