[Steam-engine] Hegley Museum feedwater methods

[Ken Hough]

At the Hagley Museum in Wilmington they have a live steam "powerplant"
Strictly a demo but with a boiler and stationary engine. I looked around 
and saw no injectors! I asked how they get water in. The docent pointed up 
at a pipe coming in through the wall direct to a valve and then the 
boiler. There was a single (or double piston) feed water pump but that
had not run in a while. I thought that the set up was just plain wrong and 
possibly illegal. I contacted the principal curator at the Hagley and 
asked about the setup. He said there was nearly a 140 foot head of water 
in a 6in. pipe hooked direct to the city water supply. They were running 
at 30psig and the feed water was at 60psig. So it is practical. It still 
seems wrong but the state of Delaware said it was fine shown by the boiler 
inspection and cert paper-work on the wall.
Ken  

I have been following in on the discussion on the proper method of
introducing water into the boiler and thought I would add this to the
discussion.  Now I am NOT advocating this method, just mentioning that it
has been done.  The inspector in my state has lowered the working pressure
on a boiler down to where the injector does not work on a particular
boiler.  The owner did not apparently have a pump or at least one that
worked, but instead had found that the water pressure at the location is
over his MAWP and uses that to force water into the boiler.  First of all
that violates the common sense rule that there should be at least two
methods of introducing water into the boiler and second what is going to
happen when there is a fire or every takes a shower, lowering the 
pressure?
 But if one has the access to a tap with this kind of water pressure, I
think that having this method as a third or forth backup for those
situations where the injector needs more pressure and the p
 ump is
 balky would be something to keep in the back on ones mind, just in case 
of
 emergency.

tb


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