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Scotch Marine Boiler Design
Wetback vs
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Goal
The purpose of this presentation is to
provide project decision-makers with
fundamental, and critical, boiler design
information.
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Two Basic Designs
Dominate the Scotch Marine
Boiler Market:
Wetback
Dryback
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Wetback vs. Dryback
This presentation will show you the differences
• Basic construction comparison
• Design principles
• Technical considerations
• Total operating costs comparison
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Three-Pass Wetback
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Wetback Design Principles
• Separate tube sheets between all major
temperature changes (between tube passes)
• Rear turnaround is totally surrounded by water
• No expensive refractory to maintain
• Rear doors are either lightweight lift off type or
split-hinged
• Sealing materials are inexpensive, non-proprietary
• Efficient “functional footprint”
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Four-Pass Dryback
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Dryback Design Principles
• Common rear tube sheet between passes
• Rear turnaround is a refractory wall
• Door refractory is a maintenance item
• Rear door is vessel-sized in diameter,
extremely heavy, and hinged or davited
• Sealing materials are typically proprietary
• Large “functional footprint”
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Tube Sheets
Wetback Dryback
Separate rear tube Common rear tube
sheets sheet
• Separate tube sheets • Common tube sheet
are free to expand and experiences extreme
contract at their own thermal stress in
rate in response to the response to temp.
1300 – 1600 F temp. differentials,
differential between increasing the
passes. likelihood of leaks.
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Rear Tube Sheets
Wetback is Separate Dryback is Common
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Rear Turnaround
Wetback Dryback
• Surrounding water • Rear refractory wall
absorbs burner heat, reflects burner heat,
improving efficiency promoting greater
by 1 to 3%. exterior radiation losses.
• Efficiency is • Hot flue gases erode
sustainable, as refractory baffle
turnaround does not resulting in “short
deteriorate over time. circuiting,” and loss of
efficiency.
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Rear Refractory Replacement
Wetback Dryback
• NO expensive • Refractory must be
refractory to maintain inspected regularly
and replaced
• Significant periodically
maintenance cost • Replacement costs are
savings over the life of burdensome, involving
ownership proprietary sealing
kits, special rigging
and down time
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Doors
Wetback
• Front Doors are typically split-hinged, or davited
• Rear Doors are lightweight (< 60#) lift-type
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Doors
Wetback
• Larger models typically feature hinged, or davited
rear doors
• Split doors maintain efficient “functional footprint”
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Doors
Dryback
Annual inspections are typically more costly for the dryback, requiring proprietary door sealing
kits, special tools, and considerable manpower in “muscling” massive, and typically sagging,
doors into “bolt-thru” alignment.
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Doors
Dryback
• Large, heavy, single
front door offers
complicated multi-
sectioned design
• Additional costs for
seal kits and labor can
significantly impact
annual operating
expenses
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Sealing Kits
Wetback
Simplified design requires far fewer seals
All are non-proprietary, inexpensive, and easy to install
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Sealing Kits
Dryback
“Watch Case” design requires numerous proprietary sealing
kits for each inspection, and every vessel service
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Functional Footprint
Dryback
Wetback
• Dryback: Vessel-diameter door means a larger functional footprint, demanding
additional floorspace
•Wetback: Lift-type or split-hinged doors have minimal impact on floorspace
requirements
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The Wetback Advantage:
Summary
Wetback Boilers -
• Offer far fewer maintenance concerns:
- No rear door refractory to repair
- No refractory baffling to burn-out
- Far less thermal stress on tube sheets, and tube ends
• Don’t require proprietary parts
• Offer maximum sustainable efficiency: Maintenance-free water backed
turnaround provides better heat absorption at the most critical heat transfer point.
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Maintenance Costs Comparison
Bottom Line
We surveyed a few of our service reps who perform
repair/maintenance work on boilers and specifically asked
them to share dryback expenses.
We averaged them together and came up with the following
maintenance report;
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Based on repairs costs of a 300 HP boiler with
a life span of 25 years
• Average cost to replace refractory rear
door; $6,000 each time
• Average cost to replace proprietary door
gaskets; $500 each time
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The rear door needs to be replaced every 3
years, or 8 times. The gaskets need replaced
2-3 times per year.
• Refractory door; $6,000 x 8 times = $48,000
• Door gaskets; $500 x 2 times/year x 25 = $25,000
• Wetback gaskets; $30 x 1/year x 25 years = $750
Total maintenance costs for 25 years $72,250
They could have bought a new boiler and
burner!!
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Add In Consideration to
Sustainable Efficiency
Improvement.
Don’t You Think Someone
Should Know That Before Making
an Equipment Decision?
Any Questions?
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