Eckrohr Boiler

Eckrohr Boiler, Corner Tube Boiler, is a boiler for all kinds of fuel. Originally it got its name because it has downcomers in the four corners. It is a natural water circulation single drum boiler and it needs no circulation pump.
Downcomers, headers and waterwalls are welded together to a gas-tight tube cage.
The Eckrohr Boiler is self-supporting and needs no supporting structure. It stands on its own downcomers.
Due to the cage structure with downcomers, headers and overhead pipes the Eckrohr Boiler is earthquake safe.

The new Eckrohr marine steam boiler design

This ERK marine boilers are designed to install on a tanker, which is used as utilities providing station for an offshore platform.
Eckrohr Boilers are available as auxiliary boilers operating on oil or waste heat from the diesel engine. The weight of Eckrohr marine boilers is significantly low. The support structure on the ship is simple.
The Eckrohr Boiler configuration is particularly suited to marine duty as the water circulation is tolerant of high roll angles and will maintain safe water circulation at high inclination angles. More than 600 Eckrohr boilers have been built.

ERK =  EckRohr Kessel

Eckrohr Boilers water and steam flow diagram

1. Unheated downcomers
2. Header
3. Mixture tubes
4. Riser tubes (evaporator)
5. Overflow tubes
6. Unheated drum
7. Unheated downcomers

The water-steam mixture flows upwards through the riser tubes (4). In the upper mixture tube (3) steam is already separated from water and a part of the water flows through unheated return tubes (1) to the header (2). The separated steam flows through the overflow tube (5) to the steam space of the drum (6). The remaining mixture runs through mixture tube (3) into the drum. The final separation of water and steam takes place in the drum, the water flows through the downcomers (7) to the headers (2).

Eckrohr boilers intstalled onboard a ship

This ship is a mobile marine oil-pumping platform and the three Eckrohr boilers, with there yellow funnels, are used to generate steam for a steam-turbine that generates power for driving oil pumps. The boilers are normally crude oil fired but they can also be fired on gas.