As industries around the globe continue to demand robust, fuel‑flexible, and efficient steam generation, the bi‑drum boiler has stood the test of time as a reliable workhorse. Cheema Boilers Limited (CBL), with over 3,000 systems delivered across 40+ countries, offers state-of-the-art bi‑drum boilers that combine durable design with industry-leading performance.
What Is a Bi‑Drum Boiler?
A bi‑drum boiler is a natural circulation, water‑tube boiler featuring two drums: one steam drum at the top and one water drum (also called a mud or feed drum) at the bottom. These are connected by water tubes. Steam collects in the upper drum, while water circulates through the lower drum and the tubes. This design allows for efficient steam separation, excellent water circulation, and thermal stability. Compared to single‑drum boilers (preferred for ultra‑high pressure), bi‑drum boilers are more suitable for medium-pressure applications where flexibility, reliability, and load adaptability are key.
Cheema Boilers’ Bi‑Drum Boiler Solutions
At Cheema Boilers Limited, bi‑drum boilers are an integral part of both the process and power boiler product lines. These boilers are designed to deliver superior performance, high thermal efficiency, and long-term reliability across a wide range of industrial applications. Two of CBL’s flagship offerings in this category are AFBC Bi‑Drum Boilers and Travelling Grate Bi‑Drum Boilers, both engineered for multi-fuel capability and stable operation.
The AFBC Bi‑Drum Boilers combine the advantages of bi‑drum natural circulation with the efficiency of Atmospheric Fluidized Bed Combustion. These boilers are equipped with membrane-type water-wall furnaces that enhance heat absorption and durability. The four-stage steam separation system ensures excellent steam dryness, vital for process-critical applications. With underbed and overbed fuel feeding options, these boilers can handle a wide variety of fuels, while the inclusion of secondary firing systems improves combustion efficiency and lowers emissions. The result is a versatile, low-maintenance boiler that meets today’s stringent efficiency and emission standards.
On the other hand, Travelling Grate Bi‑Drum Boilers are best suited for challenging fuels such as biomass, industrial slop, or high-ash content waste. These boilers offer rugged construction and proven combustion systems that ensure continuous, stable operation even under demanding conditions. With optimized fuel combustion, minimal maintenance requirements, and strong emissions control capabilities, they serve as ideal solutions for industries looking to balance sustainability with performance.
From a technical standpoint, CBL bi‑drum boilers are built with membrane-type water-wall furnaces that provide uniform heat transfer and significantly reduce refractory wear. The natural circulation system eliminates the need for external pumps by using gravitational flow and density differences, which enhances reliability and reduces energy consumption. Internally, the steam drum is fitted with high-performance demisters and separators to ensure dry, clean steam output—essential for quality-driven industries such as food, textiles, and paper.
The boilers also feature robust fuel handling and combustion systems designed to accommodate a range of difficult fuels, including RDF, biomass, and industrial waste streams. Secondary firing mechanisms and precisely engineered grates enhance fuel burnout while keeping carbon losses low. Additionally, integrated economizers and air preheaters significantly improve thermal efficiency by recovering waste heat and reducing flue gas emissions.
Cheema Boilers’ bi-drum technology is especially valuable across a wide spectrum of industrial applications. In captive power and cogeneration plants, these boilers provide consistent steam and power output from a single integrated system. In the sugar and distillery sectors, bi‑drum boilers efficiently fire bagasse, slop, and other agro-residues while meeting emission norms. Industries such as textiles, pulp, and paper benefit from the boilers’ ability to produce stable and dry steam under fluctuating loads. In waste-to-energy plants, particularly those using RDF, CBL’s bi‑drum systems offer advanced combustion and flue gas handling to maximize energy recovery from low-grade fuels.
Cheema Boilers Limited brings a legacy of trust and performance to the boiler industry. With over 3,000 boilers supplied in more than 40 countries, the company has demonstrated its global capabilities and engineering excellence. CBL operates across three modern manufacturing facilities spanning over 100,000 square meters, all equipped with advanced fabrication, testing, and quality assurance systems. With in-house teams for design, manufacturing, and commissioning, the company ensures seamless execution of projects from concept to delivery.
Certified under ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, and ASME U & S standards, CBL’s quality systems reflect its commitment to safety, environmental care, and technical excellence. Recognized as a leader in boiler innovation and reliability, Cheema Boilers continues to set benchmarks across industries, offering solutions that are engineered to perform and built to last.
Why Bi‑Drum Matters: Key Benefits
Load Flexibility and Thermal Stability
The additional water mass in a bi‑drum boiler acts as a thermal buffer, enabling it to adapt smoothly to rapid load fluctuations—perfect for industries like pulp & paper, textiles, sugar, and food processing.
Fuel Flexibility
Cheema’s bi‑drum boilers support multiple fuel types, including high-ash coal, biomass, petcoke, rice husk, lignite, and RDF. They are available with combustion systems like travelling grate or fluidized bed.
Efficient Combustion & Environmental Compliance
Low excess air requirements, efficient feeding systems, secondary firing mechanisms, and high-performance burners result in combustion efficiencies above 85%—with low NOₓ, CO, and SOₓ emissions.
Robust and Reliable Design
CBL’s bi‑drum boilers feature membrane water-wall furnaces, economizers, superheaters, and demisters—engineered for high durability, low maintenance, and long service life.
Advantages of Choosing CBL’s Bi‑Drum Boilers
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Fuel Flexibility: CBL bi‑drum boilers are engineered to fire a wide range of fuels including coal, biomass, petcoke, rice husk, lignite, industrial slop, and RDF, offering unmatched adaptability for diverse industries.
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Operational Efficiency: Designed for over 85% combustion efficiency with optimized air control systems, economizers, and air preheaters that ensure minimal heat loss and reduced fuel consumption.
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Quality Steam Output: Advanced four-stage separation and demister systems inside the steam drum guarantee dry and high-quality steam output—essential for critical process applications.
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Lower Emissions: Low excess air operation, secondary firing systems, and efficient combustion design lead to significantly lower NOₓ, CO, and SOₓ emissions, ensuring compliance with environmental standards.
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Ease of Maintenance: With a natural circulation system and modular membrane construction, CBL bi‑drum boilers offer easy access to components for routine inspections and repairs, minimizing downtime.
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Rapid Load Response: The high water holding capacity enables smooth and quick response to fluctuating steam demands, ensuring operational stability during load changes.
Installation & After‑Sales Support
At Cheema Boilers Limited (CBL), customer satisfaction doesn’t end with the delivery of a boiler—it begins there. CBL offers comprehensive lifecycle support, ensuring that clients receive end-to-end service from project conception to long-term operation. This integrated approach helps industries focus on their core operations while leaving steam and energy infrastructure in expert hands.
a. Complete Project Lifecycle Support
CBL takes responsibility for every phase of boiler installation:
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Design & Engineering: Every project begins with a detailed technical assessment to determine the most suitable boiler configuration based on process needs, fuel availability, space constraints, and emission requirements. Customization is a core part of the engineering approach.
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On-Site Fabrication & Erection: The company deploys experienced engineers and technicians for onsite installation, ensuring that assembly, welding, and structural works are completed with precision and safety compliance.
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Commissioning & Start-Up: Once installed, CBL’s commissioning team oversees the entire start-up procedure—including pressure testing, fuel trial runs, instrumentation calibration, and safety checks—ensuring the system is optimized before handover.
b. Post‑Installation Services
CBL understands that the long-term performance of a boiler depends on timely servicing, upgrades, and expert support. The company offers a full suite of after-sales services to ensure optimal efficiency, safety, and reliability:
1. Annual Maintenance Contracts (AMCs)
Under AMC plans, clients receive regular inspection, cleaning, tuning, and performance monitoring of their boilers. These contracts ensure minimal downtime, predictable service costs, and extended equipment life.
2. Plant Audits
CBL’s technical audit teams conduct thorough on-site evaluations to assess combustion efficiency, emissions, thermal performance, and safety parameters. These audits help identify bottlenecks and areas for improvement.
3. Efficiency Improvement Retrofits
As technology evolves, older boilers can benefit from retrofitting. CBL provides combustion upgrades, economizer retrofits, flue gas heat recovery systems, and automation improvements to enhance efficiency and reduce operational costs.
4. Spares and Component Replacements
With in-house manufacturing and a robust supply chain, CBL ensures fast delivery of genuine spare parts, including pressure parts, valves, gauges, refractory items, and control systems—minimizing downtime during breakdowns.
5. Operator Training
CBL offers customized training programs for boiler operators and plant staff. These sessions cover routine operations, emergency procedures, maintenance protocols, and safety practices to build in-house capability.
6. Technical Upgrades & Automation
From control panel upgrades to IoT-based remote monitoring systems, CBL helps customers modernize their boilers for better visibility, operational control, and proactive maintenance.
In short, Cheema Boilers Limited not only delivers advanced boiler systems, but also becomes a long-term partner in performance. With full-circle services—from design and installation to training and modernization—CBL ensures that every client extracts maximum value and uptime from their boiler investment.
Future Outlook: Innovation & Sustainability
As global industries transition toward greener practices and stricter environmental regulations, the demand for clean, efficient, and adaptable energy solutions continues to rise. Bi‑drum boilers, particularly those capable of firing renewable and low-grade fuels, are emerging as a key enabler in sustainable industrial operations.
Cheema Boilers Limited is at the forefront of this transition, constantly innovating to align its offerings with evolving sustainability goals and compliance standards. CBL’s bi-drum boilers are already compatible with a wide range of biomass and waste-derived fuels—positioning them as a practical choice for industries aiming to reduce their carbon footprint without compromising on performance.
To stay ahead in the energy landscape of tomorrow, CBL is actively investing in:
Modern Combustion Systems
CBL continues to refine its combustion technologies—introducing low-NOₓ burners, secondary air systems, and high-efficiency grate designs to maximize fuel utilization while minimizing unburned carbon and gaseous emissions. These upgrades ensure optimal combustion, even with challenging fuels like RDF, slop, or high-moisture biomass.
Advanced Flue Gas Treatment
To meet stringent emission norms, CBL integrates advanced pollution control systems such as electrostatic precipitators (ESPs), bag filters, wet scrubbers, and DeNOx systems. These solutions reduce particulate matter, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen oxides—ensuring full regulatory compliance and cleaner stack emissions.
Remote Performance Monitoring
Recognizing the role of digitalization in energy efficiency, CBL has embraced smart boiler solutions with remote diagnostics and real-time performance tracking. These systems provide data-driven insights into fuel consumption, steam output, and equipment health—enabling predictive maintenance and proactive decision-making.
Sustainable Boiler Designs
CBL focuses on designing boilers that are not only fuel-efficient but also environmentally resilient. Innovations include high heat recovery systems, modular construction for faster deployment, and future-ready platforms that can be retrofitted for cleaner fuels such as green hydrogen or bio-CNG.
Final Thoughts
Bi‑drum boilers by Cheema Boilers Limited represent a powerful combination of fuel flexibility, high efficiency, proven reliability, and environmental responsibility. Designed to handle a wide range of fuels and operating conditions, they are ideally suited for industries seeking consistent performance with minimal downtime.
Whether you’re in sugar, paper, textiles, power generation, or waste-to-energy, CBL’s bi‑drum solutions are built for long-term value and operational excellence—backed by trusted engineering and lifelong service support.
Need Help Choosing the Right Boiler?
Selecting the right boiler is a critical decision that impacts your plant’s efficiency, fuel costs, and long-term sustainability. At Cheema Boilers Limited, our team works closely with you to understand your specific steam requirements, process load patterns, and site conditions to recommend the most suitable solution.
Whether you’re operating on biomass, coal, petcoke, or industrial slop, we help you identify the right boiler configuration—tailored for fuel compatibility, emission norms, and operational efficiency. Our bi-drum boilers are designed to adapt to your needs while delivering consistent and reliable performance.
Looking to reduce upfront investment? Explore our BOOT (Build-Own-Operate-Transfer) model, which allows you to install and operate high-performance steam systems without bearing the full capital burden. This model ensures operational continuity while offering predictable cost of ownership.
To begin, you can schedule a site audit or technical consultation with our experts. We’ll assess your current setup, identify performance improvement opportunities, and help you plan for future expansion or sustainability goals. Let Cheema Boilers be your trusted partner in steam and energy solutions.