If you happen to come from a different field, specifically something that is far from an engineering or science-related industry, the chances of understanding what boilers are can be quite puzzling. After all, you may have only come across this term in your science-related course back in school, or just hear it in passing conversations from time to time.
If you’re someone who falls under that category, don’t worry because you are not alone. A steam boiler is a big machinery that produces steam out of water. They are being used for so many decades now and work behind the scenes in producing the items we utilize daily.
In this post, we’ll try to look at how steam boilers are used in different industries and how we unconsciously benefit from them.
Hotel, Leisure, and Tourism Industry
One of the industries that rely on steam boilers is the Tourism Industry. When visiting a fancy hotel during winter, did you ever wonder how a big property manages to deliver a consistently warm temperature throughout the day? It’s easy to assume that they’re paying a sackful of money for their electricity bill. Well, some may prefer that but most hotels use steam boilers because they are cost-effective.
Steam boilers only require a minimal amount of electricity for their operation. Most boilers, depending on the type, don’t require an electric pump to operate. This saves big companies and other businesses an enormous amount of their expenses. Steam boilers operate in such a way that they only require water and any natural gas, or an electric element to produce steam that is being dispersed in an enclosed space when operated.
The use of boilers in this industry does not limit to temperature; it is also utilized for warm water supply for showers, swimming pools, hotel spas, cooking, and sterilization. Looking at these factors, you can see how boilers serve as a backbone on how businesses under this industry operate.
Food Processing Industry
The term “processed food” often appears in health and diet discussions. Yet, the steps of food processing and the tools involved are not always clear. The food industry relies on steam boilers to disinfect, distill, and dry products that need processing. One of the most common boilers used in this industry is the Firetube boiler.
Firetube boilers work like steam boilers, producing the steam needed for various processes. The food industry uses them for food maturation, a key step that determines product quality. These boilers can handle higher pressure, making them ideal for canned goods, fruits, vegetables, and meat. Boilers come in different sizes, and your local restaurant or bakery may be using one.
Hospital and Healthcare Industry
Boilers are essential in hotels, leisure, and tourism. Hospitals depend on them just as much to maintain sanitation and daily operations. Thousands of bacteria and germs enter hospitals with people coming and going. Boilers play a vital role in cloth sanitation. They clean hospital gowns, employee uniforms, blankets, and towels used in operations.
Hospitals don’t just sanitize fabrics. They also disinfect appliances, tools, and instruments used daily for hundreds of patients. Boilers are essential for hospital kitchens as well. Steam is delivered through pipes and transmitted to the necessary areas across the hospital.
Breweries and Distillery Industry
Drinking has always marked celebrations throughout history. People produce wine, beer, and other alcoholic beverages through several processes. These steps create drinks that many love and enjoy at any occasion.
Boilers are present in these stages, from manufacturing malt, making wort, pre-fermentation to post-fermentation, until the filtering and sterilizing process. Beers and alcohols rely on boilers to keep their solutions maintained at the right temperatures.
High temperatures are needed in alcohol production. Next to firetube boilers, breweries and distilleries also use water-tube boilers. Water-tube boilers help by converting water steam under controlled conditions and attain high pressures, compared to firetube boilers
Textile and Fashion Industry
It’s easy to think clothes are mass-produced by machines. Others imagine they are hand-woven by workers in the clothing industry. Few people realize how steam boilers influence fashion trends. They play a key role in shaping styles and driving the industry forward.
Steam boilers are the reason why we have fine and striking colored clothing lines. They are used in the production of materials’ pre-treatment – the most important part of textile production. Pre-treatment includes dyeing the textiles for color production, as well as drying, heating, and printing of quality garment production of clothing.
Boilers support daily tasks and save lives. They remain crucial in modern life and continue to prove their importance.
And many more,
Steel, rubber, cement, pulp and paper, paint, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries all use boilers. Boilers serve us daily, from simple tasks to life‑saving functions. They play a crucial role in modern life and continue to surprise us with their importance.
It’s quite tedious to try to understand how types of machinery work. But if we look at it in a way that is relative to our daily lives, it will be easier for us to understand and appreciate the importance of things that we thought are uninteresting. How about you, what interesting things do you know about boilers? If you happen to find this article helpful and informative, share your thoughts with us today in the comments down below!
About the author:
Bianca Banda is a writer for Trilogy Boilers Australia, a veteran in specialized boiler and burner installations, servicing, engineering, industrial gas plumbing, and more. She is a massive lover of Japanese cuisine and enjoys binge-watching comedies or variety shows.
