Engineering Bulletin No 1: Boiler and Furnace Testing | Page 4

show the varying temperatures, and so the average
feed temperature during the test can easily be found.
If there is no thermometer in the feed line, take the feed-water
temperature by means of a thermometer hung in barrel 3 (figure 2) by a
hook over the edge of the barrel. Read this thermometer every half hour
during the test if the feed-water temperature is fairly uniform; but if it
varies considerably, read the thermometer every 15 minutes. The object
is to obtain the average feed-water temperature during the test period.
Therefore, mark down the temperatures as read at the stated intervals.
At the close of the test add the readings and divide their sum by the
number of readings and you will have the average temperature of the
feed water.
STEAM PRESSURE.
Every boiler is fitted with a steam gage by which the pressure is
indicated. It is important that the pressure gage be accurate. What is
wanted in a test is the average pressure of the steam in the boiler,
therefore, observe the pressure at regular intervals, just as with the
feed-water temperature, and mark down these gage readings. The sum
of the readings divided by the number of readings taken will be the
average steam pressure during the test.
A recording steam gage is best and makes its own readings.
WORKING UP THE TEST.
After the boiler test has been made, so as to find the weight of coal
burned, weight of feed water used, feed-water temperature and steam
pressure, the efficiency, the horsepower, and the economy must be
obtained by calculation from the test results. The process of figuring

the desired results from the test data is called "working up the test."
To illustrate the method used in finding the efficiency, etc., suppose
that the data obtained from the test are as follows:
Length of test hours 10 Total weight of coal fired pounds 5,000 Total
weight of water evaporated do. 35,000 Average temperature of feed
water °F 180 Average steam pressure, gage pounds per square inch 100
The efficiency of any process is always a comparison, or ratio, of the
output to the input. In the case of a steam boiler the efficiency is the
percentage of the heat supplied in the coal that is usefully employed in
making steam. The output of the steam boiler is the heat represented by
the quantity of water evaporated by a pound of coal, taking into account
the feed temperature and the steam pressure, and input is the amount of
heat contained in a pound of the coal used. The efficiency of the boiler
is the output divided by the input.
The heat contained in a pound of coal is called the "calorific value" or
"heating value" of the coal. It can be found by taking a fair average
sample of the coal used during the test, as explained in connection with
weighing the coal, and sending the sample to a chemist, who will make
a calorimeter test to determine its heating value.
At the end of the test the sample fuel should be spread out on a clean
floor and all lumps broken up, so that no pieces are larger than 2 inches
maximum diameter. Then the gross sample should be very thoroughly
mixed by shoveling, after which it should be spread out in the form of a
square of uniform depth and quartered down until a final average
sample is obtained for shipment to a competent chemist, experienced in
fuel analysis. (See Bureau of Mines Technical Paper No. 133.)
About 2 quarts of the chemist's sample should be put in air-tight tins or
jars for the determination of moisture; the balance of the sample (the
total weight of which should be from 10 to 50 pounds, depending on
the total weight of coal used in the test) may be packed in a wooden
box lined with paper to prevent splinters from mingling with the
sample. A duplicate coal sample should be kept at the plant to be used

in case of loss of the sample sent to the chemist.
The Bureau of Mines has published a bulletin or pamphlet giving the
analyses and heating values of the various kinds and grades of coal
from all parts of the United States. (Bureau of Mines Bulletin No. 22.)
This bulletin can be used to learn the approximate heating value of the
coal. Simply find out what district the coal used in the test came from,
and its grade, and then refer to the bulletin to obtain the heating value
of the coal. If a chemist can be obtained to make a heat test, however, it
is better to use the heating value he determines.
Suppose that during the test the coal used was run-of-mine bituminous
having a heating value of 13,500