STEAM BOILERS 155 



There is no practicable device that can be used to separate the 

 water from the oil. The best thing to do is to let the water 

 settle by gravity to the bottom of the tank- and then to pump 

 it out at intervals, as required. The oil being somewhat lighter 

 than water, will float on top of the latter, and by watching the 

 discharge of the pump it will be easy to discontinue the pump- 

 ing as soon as the flow of water ceases and oil appears. 



Starting an Oil Fire. Assuming that the oil pump has been 

 put in operation and that the desired oil pressure has been 

 obtained, the first step in starting an oil fire in a cold boiler is 

 to open the damper. The valve in the oil supply pipe leading 

 to the burner should be closed tightly. The needle valve, or 

 oil-regulating valve, on the burner should be opened one turn, 

 and the by-pass valve should be fully open. The steam valve 

 is now opened, admitting steam to the burner, and the valve 

 is left open until the steam blowing through appears dry. This 

 operation heats up the burner, cleans the oil passages, and 

 removes all water from the steam passages and pipes. The 

 by-pass valve is now' closed and the steam is almost, but not 

 wholly, shut off. A bunch of oily waste is next lighted and 

 thrown into the furnace, and the fire-door is closed. The oil- 

 regulating valve is closed slightly, and the valve in the oil- 

 supply pipe is opened fully. Steam and oil then pass through 

 the burner and the spray is ignited by the burning waste. The 

 condition of the fire is regulated by adjusting the steam valve 

 and the oil-regulating valve, in conjunction with the ash-pit 

 doors and the damper. The fire should not be forced, but 

 should be increased slowly, so as to permit the boiler to accom- 

 modate itself to the increasing temperature. 



The procedure just outlined is based on the assumption that 

 a supply of steam for atomizing is available from an active 

 boiler in the battery, or else from a small auxiliary boiler 

 intended solely for the purpose. In case there is but a single 

 boiler in the plant, the method of starting a fire will be some- 

 what different from that just described. The ash-pit doors 

 and the fire-doors should first be opened, and a wood fire should 

 be built in the furnace. This fire should be kept going until 

 the gauge on the boiler shows a pressure of about 20 Ib. Then 

 the steam may be admitted to the burner and the latter may 



