The Steam Engine Familiarly Explained and Illustrated: With an historical sketch of its invention and progressive improvement; its applications to navigation and railways; with plain axioms for railway speculatorsLardner, Dionysius
History
The Steam Engine Familiarly Explained and Illustrated: With an historical sketch of its invention and progressive improvement; its applications to navigation and railways; with plain axioms for railway speculators
Lardner, Dionysius
Steam-engines -- Early works to 1850
It will be perceived that the space F is enclosed on every side by a
grating of tubes, which have free communication with the cylinders D
and H, which cylinders have also a free communication with each other
by the tubes B. It follows, therefore, that if water be supplied to
the cylinder I, it will descend through the tubes, and first filling
the cylinder D and the tubes C, will gradually rise in the tubes B and
E, will next fill the tubes K and the cylinder H. The grating of water
pipes C E K forms the furnace, the pipes C being the fire-bars, and
the pipes E and K being the back and roof of the stove. The fire-door,
for the supply of fuel, appears at M, fig. 64. The flue issuing
between the tubes F is conducted over the tubes K, and the flame and
hot air are carried off through a chimney. That portion of the heat of
the burning fuel, which in other furnaces destroys the bars of the
grate, is here expended in heating the water contained in the tubes C.
The radiant heat of the fire acts upon the tubes K, forming the roof
of the furnace, on the tube E at the back of it, and partially on the
cylinders D and H, and the tubes B. The draft of hot air and flame
passing into the flue at A, acts upon the posterior surfaces of the
tubes E, and the upper sides of the tubes K, and finally passes into
the chimney.
As the water in the tubes C E K is heated, it becomes specifically
lighter than water of a less temperature, and consequently acquires a
tendency to ascend. It passes, therefore, rapidly into H. Meanwhile
the colder portions descend, and the inclined positions of the tubes C
and K give play to this tendency of the heated water, so that a
prodigiously rapid circulation is produced, when the fire begins to
act upon the tubes. When the water acquires such a temperature that
steam is rapidly produced, steam bubbles are constantly formed in the
tubes surrounding the fire; and if these remained stationary in the
tubes, the action of the fire would not only decompose the steam, but
render the tubes red hot, the water not passing through them to carry
off the heat. But the inclined position of the tubes, already noticed,
effectually prevents this injurious consequence. A steam bubble which
is formed either in the tubes C or K, having a tendency to ascend
proportional to its lightness as compared with water, necessarily
rushes upwards; if in C towards A, and if in K towards H. But this
motion of the steam is also aided by the rapid circulation of the
water which is continually maintained in the tubes, as already
explained, otherwise it might be possible, notwithstanding the levity
of steam compared with water, that a bubble might remain in a narrow
tube without rising. I notice this more particularly, because the
burning of the tubes is a defect which has been erroneously, in my
opinion, attributed to this boiler. To bring the matter to the test of
experiment, I have connected two cylinders, such as D and H, by a
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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