BOILER PRIMING

[fredrosse]

Burning Anthracite Coal, historically called "Hard Coal" or "Smokeless Coal" is very different than burning wood or Bituminous Coal ("Soft Coal"). The standard sizes of Anthracite range from the large "Stove Coal" to smaller and smaller sizes, generally used on domestic stokers with forced draft fans needed to get the small size coal to burn. On a steamboat with hand firing, larger sizes are required, but you can only get about 50% of the steam output that you can get with a wood fire or a Bituminous Coal fire.,

The railroad locomotives of a century ago generally burned Bituminous Coal, except in the large Anthracite Coal regions of northeastern Pennsylvania. The Anthracite locomotives (Typical Reading Railroad Locomotives) were made with much more furnace volume and larger grate area, because the Anthracite gives off flames which generally do not produce a fierce fire, and these flames do not have a large component of radiant heat.

The Bituminous Coals have a large component of volatile gas,which is driven out of the coal as it is heated in the furnace, and burns with large amounts of bright radiant heat output. If combustion air is not supplied properly, thick black smoke is produced, just look at almost any video of a steam locomotive and generally see much black smoke. With Anthracite fires, no visible smoke, regardless of how well the furnace and combustion air is managed.

http://himedo.net/TheHopkinThomasProjec ... motive.htm

[Mike Rometer]

50/50 bar/air is about right with a bit of forced draught, so perhaps a little more air for no draught? Someone on here will know more accurately.

[wsmcycle]

I wish I had known this before I bought the wrong thing. I have lots of bituminous coal here. It is strip mined 20 miles away. My first couple of years steaming I burned the local coal. It's pretty dirty and I thought the anthracite had more BTUs per pound. Ignorance bites me again. I took my old dump truck to coal field and they dropped a truck sized chunk in for free because they had seen my steam boat in the local newspaper. I used a large rail road spike puller to break the chunk into manageable size pieces. Then I filled them into old dog food bags. I guess I'll go back to that.

[Mike Rometer]

The only likely problem is that you'll need to clean the tubes a bit more often, just as you say, mucky stuff.

You can always mix the two and burn the anthracite that way.

[cyberbadger]

The only likely problem is that you'll need to clean the tubes a bit more often, just as you say, mucky stuff.

I had this problem this weekend with bituminous and it confused me until I realized what was going on.

The fire would love to burn with firebox door open and the flames coming out. But when I shut the firebox door the fire would dwindle to almost nothing.

Luckily I had a rudimentary steam lance connected to the boiler. I carefully opened the firedoor and aimed it up into the firetubes. Cleaned it up right away and got the flames going the right direction.

Now I need to make/order a tube brush.

-CB

[wsmcycle]

STEAM LANCE!!! LIGHT SABER!!! Wow! I could make this. Do you position it in each tube? Did you do it while on the water? Of course, there is a kind of catch 22 when you can't make steam but use steam to clean. Please explain the process and THANKS

[cyberbadger]

Well I feel you can get as complicated as you want with steam lances.

This is a fascinating 50's documentary about locomotive cleaning including steam lances: WASH AND BRUSH UP

Skip to minute 12 for proper Steam lance.

What I have is a steam rated hose and a ball valve that lets me test engines I have bought without having to do a lot of plumbing.
http://www.mcmaster.com/#steam-hose/=118hnlv

But it can double as a rudimentary steam lance. You just want to be careful that you aren't burning or heating the ball valve or hose.
I just pointed my "lance" from the firebox door upwards and tried to aim and cover all the firetubes. If there wasn't a fire at the time I could have done the length of each firetube from the top of the boiler with a simple nozzel. But make sure you have completely dumped the fire and ashes if you do that.

-CB

[barts]

I use a steam-rated hose (also mcmaster's steam cleaner hose) and a 2 foot section of 3/8" pipe w/ a elbow + drilled pipe plug on the end. Wrap the section of pipe closes to the hose w/ cotton rope to prevent burns, and have at it. It is a very messy jobs, and you'll want a bit of wind blowing, and nothing downwind that would mind a through coating of soot.... not something to do in the yacht harbor .

- Bart

[TahoeSteam]

Best done with a crosswind and at night.

[barts]

Best done with a crosswind and at night.

If it didn't start out as a black(est) night, it will finish as one.

- Bart