Drop header question

Steamhead (in transit)

the higher A pipe helps keep the water out of the header in the first place. Check these A pipes out!

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JohnNY

Practical question here:

Where does steam and water separation occur: In the A pipe or B pipe?
See pic please.

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Jamie Pompetti_2

It's suppose to happen in the A pipe but dosen't always happen that way.

That's why we always try to take the "A" pipe as high as we can before we drop back down on our headers. This way it keeps the water out of it.

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Norm Harvey

Im no engineer but I think in the A pipe and also the C pipe,.. C being the ricer off the header to the main.

Steamhead (in transit)

And also

in the header itself, assuming the header is properly sized and the steam velocity is low.

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JohnNY

Well then...

...I've always made my A pipe as long as I could just so that I could maximize my B pipe length.
Is that not necessary?

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Norm Harvey

You know what they say about the size of a mans a pipe!

JohnNY

Thanks, Steamhead.

Freakin' sweet!

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Jim_83

Where does most of the steam water seperation occur? In the A pipe, B pipe or the header?

If most of the seperation occurs in the A pipe, I'm wondering how much added value a drop header is compared to the additional cost?

Mad Dog_2

It can only help....

Love it Frank. On the other hand, I have seen a dirty boiler act real bad with the greatest of headers. Mad Dog

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Brad White_184

I would say

and based on seeing the W-M glass-piped boiler, that the A pipe does a good deal of the work (especially if over-sized) but not so much by allowing gravity to work but by being sized large enough not to suck up water in the first place.

I mean, if under-sized or if not all recommended tappings are used, you are making the B pipe do a lot more of the work. So start by not creating as much of a problem and let the remaining pipe pick up the crumbs.
Whatever is left over gets carried away by the B pipe back to the equalizer.

As Norm pointed out, the C pipe, the runouts to the system, will also help as a tertiary means.

I love dropped headers for this reason... Newton's Fourth Law: Gravity Wins!

[Deleted User]

Allow me, please.

In that configuration, A & Header. Howsomever(sic), that's also true of non-dropped headers. Dropped headers are kind of sexy. More big pipes & fittings. Big wrenches, too. Rated somewhere between PG & R.

I only drop headers when there's not room for enough "A" in the diagram. Or, when other job conditions dictate dropped headers. They're not for every job.

W/ a properly designed boiler - a drop header is a solution in search of a problem. Or maybe it's the engineer's philosophy. Belt & suspenders. One covers for the other's possible deficiency.

Apologies to Gordo. But I got tired of screwing 5" (& bigger) pipe, & 60" wrenches, years ago. Just rate me G.