Periodical Literature. 593 



It is understood, of course, that the analysis of oil varies considerably in 

 different parts of the country, and the above figures are given as approxi- 

 mate. 



Remarks On Use of Oil 



When burning oil in locomotives, it is absolutely necessary to line the 

 firebox with refractory material, which ordinarily takes the form of fire 

 brick. This is necessary because of the intense heat generated by the 

 combustion of the oil, and its destructive effects upon the firebox sheets 

 and rear ends of the tubes when not so protected by brickwork. 



When burning coal, the firebox temperature rises to about 2300 degrees 

 Fahrenheit and is reduced to about 500 or 750 degrees Fahrenheit at the 

 front end. With oil, the temperature frequently runs up to 2800 or 3,000 

 degrees with the same drop at the front end. In other words, the firebox 

 and the rear ends of the tubes must stand a much more severe temperature 

 when using oil, necessitating the above mentioned brick lining. 



A very important part of the oil burning locomotive equipment are the 

 front and back air dampers on the firebox. These must be very carefully 

 regulated at all times, and positively must be closed when drifting or the 

 cold air will cause leaky staybolts and tubes. Dense yellow smoke from 

 the stack indicates that flame is out, and the oil is simply "roasting" on 

 the hot brickwork. 



Burners 



There have been about 100 different styles of burners invented for sta- 

 tionary plants and oil burning locomotives, but of these, very few have 

 survived the test of actual use. These burners can be classified into two 

 different styles, the spray and vapor. With the spray style, the oil flows 

 by gravity over the end of the burner through a flat orifice from one inch 

 to six inches long and about one-sixteenth inch wide and is blown into the 

 firebox by a stream of steam (or air) through a similar orifice directly 

 beneath it, which action atomizes or pulverizes the oil. This style is called 

 an outside mixer, and another style is called an inside mixer, and the above 

 action takes place inside the burner, both steam and oil issuing from a 

 single flat orifice, which is about two inches to six inches long and about 

 one-fourth inch to three-eighths inch wide, the sizes depending on the 

 boiler. We have adopted the Sheedy-Carrick oil burner as standard 

 equipment on all our locomotives. 



With the vapor burner, the oil is converted into a fine vapor in an 

 external apparatus by means of heat. This latter style possesses a great 

 deal in its favor, yet does not seem to have come into general use for 

 stationary plants, and on locomotives it is not used at all. The steam 

 spray burners are used exclusively on locomotives, because they are simple 

 in operation, require no air compressor or oil vaporizing apparatus, and 

 the steam used in spraying the oil is of such a small quantity that it does 

 not affect the steaming capacity of the locomotive at all. On the con- 

 trary, the action of the steam through the burner forms a blower in itself, 

 having the effect of forced draft. 



Locomotives equipped for burning oil usually are so made that they 

 can be converted into coal burning by the removal of the brick lining, and 

 substituting grates for the oil burner. Theoretically, this is not the best 

 possible arrangement of burning oil efficiently, but from the standpoint 

 of practical work it is highly desirable. There are a number of slight 

 differences between a burner designed for burning oil exclusively, and one 

 that is designed to burn oil and coal intermittently. 



To insure the best results, the oil in the tanks of the locomotive should 

 be heated to from 120 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. This is necessary at all 

 times, except in extremely hot weather, or hot climates, and is imperative 

 for cold weather, and cold climates. This heating is usually done either 

 by passing the steam direct into the oil at a point about one-half the height 

 of the tank. For small locomotives the latter method is used, and for 



