_(A) Dimensions:_
Measure the dimensions of the princ.i.p.al parts of the apparatus to be tested, so far as they bear on the objects in view, or determine these from correct working drawings. Notice the general features of the same, both exterior and interior, and make sketches, if needed, to show unusual points of design.
The dimensions of the heating surfaces of boilers and superheaters to be found are those of surfaces in contact with the fire or hot gases. The submerged surfaces in boilers at the mean water level should be considered as water-heating surfaces, and other surfaces which are exposed to the gases as superheating surfaces.
_(B) Examination of Plant:_
Make a thorough examination of the physical condition of all parts of the plant or apparatus which concern the object in view, and record the conditions found, together with any points in the matter of operation which bear thereon.
In boilers, examine for leakage of tubes and riveted or other metal joints. Note the condition of brick furnaces, grates and baffles. Examine brick walls and cleaning doors for air leaks, either by shutting the damper and observing the escaping smoke or by candle-flame test. Determine the condition of heating surfaces with reference to exterior deposits of soot and interior deposits of mud or scale.
See that the steam main is so arranged that condensed and entrained water cannot flow back into the boiler.
If the object of the test is to determine the highest efficiency or capacity obtainable, any physical defects, or defects of operation, tending to make the result unfavorable should first be remedied; all foul parts being cleaned, and the whole put in first-cla.s.s condition.
If, on the other hand, the object is to ascertain the performance under existing conditions, no such preparation is either required or desired.
_(C) General Precautions against Leakage:_
In steam tests make sure that there is no leakage through blow-offs, drips, etc., or any steam or water connections of the plant or apparatus undergoing test, which would in any way affect the results. All such connections should be blanked off, or satisfactory a.s.surance should be obtained that there is leakage neither out nor in. This is a most important matter, and no a.s.surance should be considered satisfactory unless it is susceptible of absolute demonstration.
3. FUEL
Determine the character of fuel to be used.[62] For tests of maximum efficiency or capacity of the boiler to compare with other boilers, the coal should be of some kind which is commercially regarded as a standard for the locality where the test is made.
In the Eastern States the standards thus regarded for semi-bituminous coals are Pocahontas (Va. and W. Va.) and New River (W. Va.); for anthracite coals those of the No. 1 buckwheat size, fresh-mined, containing not over 13 per cent ash by a.n.a.lysis; and for bituminous coals, Youghiogheny and Pittsburgh coals. In some sections east of the Allegheny Mountains the semi-bituminous Clearfield (Pa.) and c.u.mberland (Md.) are also considered as standards. These coals when of good quality possess the essentials of excellence, adaptability to various kinds of furnaces, grates, boilers, and methods of firing required, besides being widely distributed and generally accessible in the Eastern market. There are no special grades of coal mined in the Western States which are widely and generally considered as standards for testing purposes; the best coal obtainable in any particular locality being regarded as the standard of comparison.
A coal selected for maximum efficiency and capacity tests, should be the best of its cla.s.s, and especially free from slagging and unusual clinker-forming impurities.
For guarantee and other tests with a specified coal containing not more than a certain amount of ash and moisture, the coal selected should not be higher in ash and in moisture than the stated amounts, because any increase is liable to reduce the efficiency and capacity more than the equivalent proportion of such increase.
The size of the coal, especially where it is of the anthracite cla.s.s, should be determined by screening a suitable sample.
4. APPARATUS AND INSTRUMENTS[63]
The apparatus and instruments required for boiler tests are:
(A) Platform scales for weighing coal and ashes.
(B) Graduated scales attached to the water gla.s.ses.
(C) Tanks and platform scales for weighing water (or water meters calibrated in place). Wherever practicable the feed water should be weighed, especially for guarantee tests. The most satisfactory and reliable apparatus for this purpose consists of one or more tanks each placed on platform scales, these being elevated a sufficient distance above the floor to empty into a receiving tank placed below, the latter being connected to the feed pump. Where only one weighing tank is used the receiving tank should be of larger size than the weighing tank, to afford sufficient reserve supply to the pump while the upper tank is filling. If a single weighing tank is used it should preferably be of such capacity as to require emptying not oftener than every 5 minutes. If two or more are used the intervals between successive emptyings should not be less than 3 minutes.
(D) Pressure gauges, thermometers, and draft gauges.
(E) Calorimeters for determining the calorific value of fuel and the quality of steam.
(F) Furnaces pyrometers.
(G) Gas a.n.a.lyzing apparatus.
5. OPERATING CONDITIONS
Determine what the operating conditions and method of firing should be to conform to the object in view, and see that they prevail throughout the trial, as nearly as possible.
Where uniformity in the rate of evaporation is required, arrangement can be usually made to dispose of the steam so that this result can be attained. In a single boiler it may be accomplished by discharging steam through a waste pipe and regulating the amount by means of a valve. In a battery of boilers, in which only one is tested, the draft may be regulated on the remaining boilers to meet the varying demands for steam, leaving the test boiler to work under a steady rate of evaporation.
6. DURATION
The duration of tests to determine the efficiency of a hand-fired boiler, should be 10 hours of continuous running, or such time as may be required to burn a total of 250 pounds of coal per square foot of grate.
In the case of a boiler using a mechanical stoker, the duration, where practicable, should be at least 24 hours. If the stoker is of a type that permits the quant.i.ty and condition of the fuel bed at beginning and end of the test to be accurately estimated, the duration may be reduced to 10 hours, or such time as may be required to burn the above noted total of 250 pounds per square foot.
In commercial tests where the service requires continuous operation night and day, with frequent shifts of firemen, the duration of the test, whether the boilers are hand fired or stoker fired, should be at least 24 hours. Likewise in commercial tests, either of a single boiler or of a plant of several boilers, which operate regularly a certain number of hours and during the balance of the day the fires are banked, the duration should not be less than 24 hours.
The duration of tests to determine the maximum evaporative capacity of a boiler, without determining the efficiency, should not be less than 3 hours.
7. STARTING AND STOPPING
The conditions regarding the temperature of the furnace and boiler, the quant.i.ty and quality of the live coal and ash on the grates, the water level, and the steam pressure, should be as nearly as possible the same at the end as at the beginning of the test.
To secure the desired equality of conditions with hand-fired boilers, the following method should be employed:
The furnace being well heated by a preliminary run, burn the fire low, and thoroughly clean it, leaving enough live coal spread evenly over the grate (say 2 to 4 inches),[64] to serve as a foundation for the new fire. Note quickly the thickness of the coal bed as nearly as it can be estimated or measured; also the water level,[65] the steam pressure, and the time, and record the latter as the starting time. Fresh coal should then be fired from that weighed for the test, the ashpit throughly cleaned, and the regular work of the test proceeded with. Before the end of the test the fire should again be burned low and cleaned in such a manner as to leave the same amount of live coal on the grate as at the start. When this condition is reached, observe quickly the water level,[65] the steam pressure, and the time, and record the latter as the stopping time. If the water level is not the same as at the beginning a correction should be made by computation, rather than by feeding additional water after the final readings are taken. Finally remove the ashes and refuse from the ashpit. In a plant containing several boilers where it is not practicable to clean them simultaneously, the fires should be cleaned one after the other as rapidly as may be, and each one after cleaning charged with enough coal to maintain a thin fire in good working condition. After the last fire is cleaned and in working condition, burn all the fires low (say 4 to 6 inches), note quickly the thickness of each, also the water levels, steam pressure, and time, which last is taken as the starting time.
Likewise when the time arrives for closing the test, the fires should be quickly cleaned one by one, and when this work is completed they should all be burned low the same as the start, and the various observations made as noted. In the case of a large boiler having several furnace doors requiring the fire to be cleaned in sections one after the other, the above directions pertaining to starting and stopping in a plant of several boilers may be followed.
To obtain the desired equality of conditions of the fire when a mechanical stoker other than a chain grate is used, the procedure should be modified where practicable as follows:
Regulate the coal feed so as to burn the fire to the low condition required for cleaning. Shut off the coal-feeding mechanism and fill the hoppers level full. Clean the ash or dump plate, note quickly the depth and condition of the coal on the grate, the water level,[66] the steam pressure, and the time, and record the latter as the starting time. Then start the coal-feeding mechanism, clean the ashpit, and proceed with the regular work of the test.
When the time arrives for the close of the test, shut off the coal-feeding mechanism, fill the hoppers and burn the fire to the same low point as at the beginning. When this condition is reached, note the water level, the steam pressure, and the time, and record the latter as the stopping time. Finally clean the ashplate and haul the ashes.