384 AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING 



fire with ashes, earth, or even green coal. Do not try to feed 

 more water into the boiler, as cold water is quite apt to crack 

 the hot plates and the great amount of steam suddenly gen- 

 erated may cause an explosion. The steam boiler under 

 pressure contains a large amount of energy, and a boiler 

 explosion is very disastrous. 



QUESTIONS 



1. What are the essential parts of a steam power-producing plant? 



2. Explain how heat is converted into power by the steam plant. 



3. What is the function of the steam boiler? 



4. What two general locations may be given to a furnace? 



5. Describe the vertical boiler and the conditions to which it is 

 adapted. 



6. Describe the construction of the locomotive type of boiler. 



7. What is meant by a return-flue boiler? 



8. How is the capacity of a boiler designated? 



9. How may the horsepower of a boiler be estimated? 



10. What is meant by " quality of steam"? 



11. What is the use of gauge cocks and the gauge glass? 



12. What is the purpose of the pressure gauge? 



13. What is necessary to provide a boiler with a safety valve? 



14. Describe the use of the fusible plug. 



15. What is the purpose of the boiler feeder? 



16. What is the use of the feed water-heater? 



17. Describe in a general way the management of a steam boiler. 



18. What is meant by "foaming"? 



19. What should be done in case of "low water"? 



