On this type of boiler, the combustion products move inside the tubes while water is outside the tubes and the drum. Boilers with two, three and even four passes exist. A pass is the number of times the combustion products run trough the boiler.
The operating principle of this type of boiler is opposite to that of the fire tube boiler. Water moves inside the tubes while the combustion products move outside them and the drum.
In these boilers, water moves in coils heated by a center heater. The steam chamber is located in a tank over the machine.