Does anyone know why oil in the water

Dan Monsen

How much oil does it take to mess up a boiler? A teaspoon? Or a quart?
I know when they used to spray DDT it was great in swamp areas because a vey small amount would spread over a huge surface of water.

Dan Monsen

Does anyone know why oil in the water causes such an unstable water line and how much oil does it take to mess things up?

I attached some pics of the two 1088 Weil Mclain boilers we had installed.

What do you guys think?

Brad White_201

Nice pipe work in progress, Dan

Good to see nice welded pipe in those sizes now and again. I have a pair of 100+ BHP sectional steamers going in soon in that league and am looking forward to it.

The oil issue: The way I see it, the oil creates a surface film through which the steam must release itself. As steam breaks the surface, not only of the water but of the oil, you can imagine the turbulence of incompatible strata. The oil settles back into the void of the released steam bubble, some is trapped between the water and oil layer, even for a moment. Foam is created and holds other impurities which perpetuates the resistance to steam release.

I am sure there is more to it than that, and others probably have better explanations.

Dan Monsen

Thanks for the reply!

What do you think of taking the equalizer off right below the steam take off?

I think it may suck up some water.

nicholas bonham-carter

the power of oil

ever hear of oil on troubled water?during early rescues at sea in rough surf they sprayed oil on the water to calm it.
its the power of left over electron forces coming together in a beneficial way.the same power produces the meniscus in surface tension.[i am sure others can explain this better but i think my explanation is fairly accurate!]--nbc

kpc_39

a tablespoon ...

is all it takes.. Noel Murdough has some great pix of this ...kpc

David Nadle

Oil reduces the surface tension of the water. With less force holding the surface together, a surface bubble will tend to be larger and the surface will deflect more.

Brad White_200

Equalizer off the bottom

I agree with your take on the equalizer and that it will likely retard down-flow to the equalizer. (Fancy way of saying it will suck up water!)

I prefer my steam flow to "pass on by" the outfeed line on the way to the equalizer, taking the warm-up condensate with it. I also drop the header down to below or just above the waterline and reduce it in the vertical, not the horizontal.

I liken this to judo, using the momentum of the exiting steam velocity to carry the water safely away and beyond the take-off.

On another note and mindful that your job is in-progress, I do imagine that you will use welded insulation saddles at your roller or clevis hangers, which will also allow full insulation. (B-Line B-3160's we specify for example.)

Too many times I have seen those rolled galvanized sheetmetal insulation saddles over-used on pipes too large for the task, crushing the insulation.