more glass tube piping

hot_rod

Trying to build some more demo piping, this one showing various air purger operation.
A PT plug to push in some food coloring for observing flow.

A separation flow test on another hydraulic separator.

Borosilicate glass seem to work better than clear acrylic tube, which discolors after time.

I found this method to cut the tube on a You Tube video. Leaves a nice flat edge for gaskets to seal.

EdTheHeaterMan

Not all of us can "see it in your minds eye". That why we folks like Bob and Paul and that crazy Weil McLain Steam boiler to show us what is behind the walls of the pipes.

NICE!

Hilly

I cannot wait to see the demo's. Thanks for continuing to experiment and share.

hot_rod

I think the cast iron camel humps have a place on big old cast iron boilers. The boiler would do a good portion of the air removal.

With high efficiency fire or water tube, the small air tends to trap in the tubes or high up in the fire tube. The micro bubble type purgers get all the air out after just a few passes

High efficiency air removal for high efficiency equipment

Judging by the number we sell and what other manufacturers offer the word is getting out😁

ethicalpaul

That tri-clamp stuff (also what I use) is really great.

don’t be fooled by that Weil-McClain demo boiler though—they crank up the pressure then instantly release it to make things interesting.

in normal operation, all you’d see is empty glass pipes. I don’t blame them…that makes a very boring demo. But the unfortunate result is that people have an incorrect idea about what happens in their pipes.

if I were a boiler installer, I’d always put one sight glass pipe in the vertical above the header. Its cost is somewhat offset by not having to buy a union (because the tri-clamp is an excellent union)

ChrisJ

ethicalpaul said:

That tri-clamp stuff (also what I use) is really great.

don’t be fooled by that Weil-McClain demo boiler though—they crank up the pressure then instantly release it to make things interesting.

in normal operation, all you’d see is empty glass pipes. I don’t blame them…that makes a very boring demo. But the unfortunate result is that people have an incorrect idea about what happens in their pipes.

if I were a boiler installer, I’d always put one sight glass pipe in the vertical above the header. Its cost is somewhat offset by not having to buy a union (because the tri-clamp is an excellent union)

In the Spirax Sarco "Inside a steam boiler" videos, very high demand is mentioned as a cause for carry-over and then show it.

https://youtu.be/dorhr85ASRM

Basically, what WM is doing in their demonstrations and as you said, it's not normal. At least not in a residential heating system that's piped reasonably well.

CLamb

@hot_rod How do you complete the cut on the lathe? I imagine the tube isn't rigid enough at both ends to just cut it completely through. Am I right?

hot_rod

Ive cut 4 pieces now without breaking any. I do have a center rest to support the other end. Very light pressure, water as cutting fluid. Cuts completely through

This is 1-14” tube, small diameter you can score with a glass cutter, and break like boiler sight glass tube

ChrisJ

hot_rod said:

Ive cut 4 pieces now without breaking any. I do have a center rest to support the other end. Very light pressure, water as cutting fluid. Cuts completely through

This is 1-14” tube, small diameter you can score with a glass cutter, and break like boiler sight glass tube

A follow rest or a steady rest?

EBEBRATT-Ed

As @ethicalpaul & @ChrisJ mentioned run the pressure up and then drop the pressure fast and what happens? A lot of boiler water flashes into steam + the regular boiler output. What header and supply piping could handle that? I would like to see that done with the highly touted drop header and see if it would carry over. It probably would because the equalizer would be overwhelmed.

In that short period of time the boiler is producing steam well over its name plate rating

hot_rod

ChrisJ said:

hot_rod said:

Ive cut 4 pieces now without breaking any. I do have a center rest to support the other end. Very light pressure, water as cutting fluid. Cuts completely through

This is 1-14” tube, small diameter you can score with a glass cutter, and break like boiler sight glass tube

A follow rest or a steady rest?

I've always called this a center or steady rest. It doesn't move along with the carriage. No side movement in this procedure anyways.

Dave Carpentier

When they were building the local hospital here, I terminated the main telephone cables in the basement. Also in the basement up at ceiling level, were all the operating room drain pipes.. all glass someone told me. Ewwww..
Not sure why though ? Not like a missing scalpel or sponge is going to fit into the OR floor drain grate, so you could go check the pipes to locate it.. I dunno .

ethicalpaul

EBEBRATT-Ed said:

As @ethicalpaul & @ChrisJ mentioned run the pressure up and then drop the pressure fast and what happens? A lot of boiler water flashes into steam + the regular boiler output. What header and supply piping could handle that? I would like to see that done with the highly touted drop header and see if it would carry over. It probably would because the equalizer would be overwhelmed.

In that short period of time the boiler is producing steam well over its name plate rating

I believe it would carry over past the drop header. I haven't done that experiment directly, but you can see in this video that when my water chemistry is bad (and in this case, bad equals using Surge-X!), the carryover gets past the header and into the riser to the main:

Jump to 23:54 to see that part:

https://youtu.be/GXy67aziqZI?t=1434