Oil Firing.

On the kwvr 30072 was at one time oil fired i cant howver comment on how it worked allso hunslet austerity 0-6-0ST brussles is still fitted for oil fireing and has been since built

 

Agreed, if loco oil firing actually included nozzles, which it doesn't appear to.

 

Really? I obviously stand to be corrected, but in that case, how is oil atomisation achieved?

 

Atomisation isn't achieved very well, which is one of the reasons most oil burning locos make so much smoke. To achieve atomisation you need pressurised oil and to achieve decent combustion you also need a forced draught fan. The oil burners that I have seen have neither. The oil is entrained in a swirler by steam or air jets. It wasn't unccommon for oil burners to spew unburnt fuel out of their chimneys. See http://www.martynbane.co.uk/modernsteam/smcmahon/oilfiring/ofsotwng.htm for a description of the Ffestiniog system.

 

Sorry to interject in an essentially technical discussion, with a thought that maybe the NYMR, when they get round to overhauling their "Austerity" 2-10-0, might consider oil firing, to give them a steam loco for use in high fire risk times on the Moors? Correct me if I am wrong but were some of the WD's oil fired when abroad anyway?

46118

 

Talk to the engineers on the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland. We use Laidlaw-Drew equipment, which may in the case of the NGG16s be as larg is not larger that what you are after. They may be able to help with parts and advice. We burned Gas oil when I started firing, though I think we used recycled now due to cost. We have preheaded it at times, when using particularly heavy grade oil or during very cold winters

 

Thats not the case. You get the draught from the blast of the exhaust or the blower when stationary just like a coal fired engine. Blanche will idle quite happliy with the blower off and no smoke. If the engine is set up correctly a good fireman should be able to run with a light grey haze at the chimney by matching the atomisation pressure and the fuel to the work the engine is doing. The quality of the fuel is often what causes the buncefield effect you see with american engines which burn any black liquid they can find. The VofR runs on red diesel or something similar which is almost completly smoke and sootless. The FR uses whatever costs the least and still burns.

Tim

 

Ah, the 'swirl' is to mix the oil mist from the nozzles with air flow, as described in your link - a 25 thou hole atomises reasonably well, although not ideal, but we're obviously looking at a compromise here, as it should be big enough to avoid being choked easily. Interesting to see that steam is used after the pressure builds over 50psi. I remember doing similar things on large marine boilers years ago - start with gas oil & air, then change over to heavy oil & steam as temperatures/pressures were raised. Much preferred Y-jets to pressure burners

 

As far as I remember, Elizabeth and Nellie at the Esholt Sewage Works used to burn wool grease originally.

 

Some interesting ways and means on oil burning here....

http://books.google.com/books?id=-S...6AEwADgK#v=onepage&q=von boden burner&f=false

 

Had quite a discussion on the welsh highland forum about this and used veg oil in the context of 'green' trains.

regards
Duncan

-its probably easier to view it on there than repeat all of what was discussed here.

 

deleted

 

Has anyone any pic's and diagrams of the setup's in the firebox? Google is slightly lacking....

 

I wrote an artical about it a few years ago with a diagram for my model Engineering club news letter. If you PM my your email then I will send them to you when I get home

 

If an engine were to be converted to oil firing, what modifications would have to be made?
Apart from the obvious converting the coal space to a tank to hold the oil. Would any modifications have to be made to the firebox for instance?

 

Yes , to start, the grate area would have to be changed to a pan type arrangement - with a smaller damper area to allow air flow . As well the burner nozzle would have to be installed at the back or front of the firebox . A different firebrick arrangement would probably be needed depending on the type of locomotive .

 

Here is the diagram I drew for my artical. It is basic and not in proportion, but I thought it made it easy to understand.

As far as convertion is concernec the pan plate and burner all drop off the bottom of the firebox, though several of the FR engine had previously sloping f/b bottoms made square this is not necersery if you make the pan plate to fit with the burner level. Then all you have to do is install/remove fire bars and install refractory firebrick allong the bottom of the inside wall. Brickarches are recomended as the flame is hoter that coal, generally, and some this protects the bottom of the firebox and tubeplate.

 

Try googling "Eccles rail crash 1984".

Regards, oddsocks.