velocity

Irv

How would one determine if the firing rate of the boiler is correct?

If a steam boiler was overfired, would the velocity of steam going through the system be greater?

Thanks

nicholas bonham-carter

clocking the meter

for gas-fired boilers, the one foot dial of the gas meter has to be timed, and the resultant volume of gas per minute used calculated, and then converted to btu.

for oil, i imagine a combustion test would be needed. or knowlege of the capacity of the nozzle, at a certain pressure.

you could also calculate the total of all your radiation, and compare that to the nominal rating of the boiler.--nbc

Jamie Hall

and the second question...

no, or at least not significantly greater.  The steam velocity in the pipes will be determined by the pressure drop between the boiler and the vents or radiators, which in turn will be determined by the size of the vents or the radiators.  The relationships are hideously complex to figure accurately.  All that overfiring or oversizing will accomplish, without changes in venting or radiation, is that the boiler will reach whatever cut out pressure you have set faster.