The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-11

sup II Unless you DulIu tight. hC Co-
sential requirements for smokeless conn
bustion being sufficient combustion space
In which the gasses may be ignited out OF
contact with the comparative cool sur
faces of the boiler-a sufficient quantity
OF air at a high temperature to produce
combustion and the thorough interming-
ling of this air with the gasses from
the coking coal. These conditions are
best obtained In automatic stokers, with
Dutch oven settings, however, on ac-
count of an almost general practice here
tofore adopted by boiler manufacturers,
boilers are set so low that space for
Dutch ovens is not always available in
this respect, but more serious, is the lack
of 1t in front of the boiler, thereby in
many cases, precluding the use of stokers
without considerable expense. Hand fire
furnaces, with Dutch oven settings and
checkered bridge-wall brick work offer
some advantages, but is not always a
cure, however, affording the advantages
that combustion of the green gases par
TALLY takes place out of contact with the
boiler proper, but the air supply is usually
poorly regulated, If at all. BY the proper
manipulation of draft and admission of
air to meet the varying requirements, and
by careful firing, the smoke may be re-
dueed considerably.
Good Firemen Scarce
1T requires a man of intelligence and
good judgment to fire boiler efficiently,
and to obtain a reasonable degree of
smokelessness. Unfortunately, in this
district, good firemen are hard to obtain
and harder to keep, and there is no GER
tainty as to how long any sort will stay,
and the breaking in of new ones is con-
stantly recurring, consequently making
compliance with the smoke ordinances
more difficult. The mechanical stoker is
not and never can be substitute for in
telligenoe and good judgment 1t Is only
a substitute for manual skill, strength
and physical endurance. The stoker of
itself can do nothing, but the right sort
OF man can accomplish excellent results
with 1t, obtaining high rates of evapora-
ton, as well as high evaporative eff
cheney, and the abatement OF smoke, to
comply with reasonable ordinances that
is, not under six minutes per hour for the
emission of black and dark brown smoke,
from boilers using soft coal.
"Stokers were not designed primarily
as a means for smoke elimination, but
rather to effect more economical opera
ton of boiler plant. The stoker manufac-
turers Offering practically the only solu-
tion of the problem, have not camped on
the trail of III advised legislation that
apparently to the casual observer would
be a great field for business, but are will
ing to cooperate with manufacturers and
others alike toward this end
IF smoke could be eliminated in this
city at an expense of 5000 or $4,000 and
result in the enormous saving stated.
boiler plant owners would certainly not
oppose this ordinance This figure is
doubtless based on the type of consumer
adopted or In use by the city. A con-
trivance not less efficient or effective can
be installed at cost of a few dollars
each, thereby possibly reducing the fig
ures quoted to not exceeding 5000. An
estimate of 100000 would not exceed the
requirements for proper changes to i'm
II eoiately comply with this citys ord-
nance, and such that the resulting eco
nomics would represent a reasonable re-
turn on the investment. As an example,
of the compartive costs of stokers of the
various sizes the following figures are ap-
proximate: One hundred horsepower
boiler, $1,000; $50 horsepower boiler, $500;
200 horsepower boiler, $500; 300 horsepower
boiler, si600; 400 horsepower boiler, $500;
500 horsepower boiler, $1,000. OF course in
connection with new plants, the cost
would be considerably reduced, but we
are not dealing with new plants, but
rather with old plants that have contrib
uted directly 70 the wealth and progress
of this city and in which the conditions
are not favorable for immediate changes.
In view of the facts previously mentioned
and in addition thereto must be mentioned
the loss of service resulting from shut
downs necessary for the installation of
proper furnace equipment