What is one major advantage of using water-tube boilers over fire-tube boilers?

One major advantage of using water-tube boilers over fire-tube boilers is their ability to handle higher pressures. Water-tube boilers operate differently than fire-tube boilers; in water-tube designs, water circulates inside the tubes, while hot gases from combustion flow around these tubes. This configuration allows water-tube boilers to withstand much higher pressures compared to fire-tube boilers, which have water surrounding the combustion tubes.

This characteristic makes water-tube boilers particularly suitable for applications requiring high steam pressure and temperature, such as power generation and large-scale industrial processes. As a result, their design is selected when high-pressure steam is a critical operational factor. This is significant in ensuring safety, efficiency, and effective steam production in demanding environments.

The advantages related to production cost, maintenance, and weight do not capture the primary functional benefit connected to performance under pressure, which is why the ability to handle higher pressures is the essential factor differentiating these two types of boilers.