LOCOMOTIVE BOILER

BIBIN CHIDAMBARANATHAN
LOCOMOTIVE BOILER

❖ Locomotive engine, is a self propelled vehicle.

❖ Locomotive boiler is the part of locomotive engine
where the steam formation takes place to run the
steam engine of the vehicle.
❖ Now days this vehicle is powered by the diesel or
electricity
LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
❖ Prototypes of the steam locomotive were first
developed in the Great Britain early 19th century
and this investigation overcomes the railways
problem.
❖ Railways used steam locomotive for railways
transport until the middle of the 20th century.
❖ Locomotive engine has been used in the railway
over long period of time.
❖ Locomotive boiler is a part of the locomotive engine
which produces the steam.
LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
❖ Coal is burn in the furnace that produces the high
amount of heat and converts the water into steam.
❖ Now a days in the railway diesel engine is used
because its efficiency is more than the steam engine.
❖ Locomotive boiler is a fire tube type boiler.
❖ Multi tube is involved in it
❖ all the tubes are placed horizontally in the
horizontally placed drum.
LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
❖ It has 116 general fire tube and around 38 super
heated fire tube.
❖ Furnace that produces heat over the burning of coal
is located inside the boiler and hence it is an
internally fired boiler.
❖ Locomotive boiler has high steam generation rate
and is portable.
❖ It is also used in the marine sector.
LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Shell:
❖ It has the shell or barrel in which the fire tubes

are placed.

❖ Shell is filled with water.

❖ Standard dimensions of this boiler are, shell

diameter is 8.5 and length is 4m

LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Dome:
❖ A large space is provided on the top of the boiler

called dome where the steam is being stored,

When the boiler is in the working operation it

produces large amount of steam.

LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Regulator:
❖ It is attached to the steam dome which is being

regulated to adjust the inlet and the outlet of the

steam to and from the steam dome.

LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Grate:
❖ It is provided at the right end of the boiler as we

know that the locomotive boiler used coal as fuel.

❖ Coal is a solid fuel it has to burn to produce flue

gases.

❖ Coal is kept on the grate and the secondary air is

supply to it on the burning of coal flue gases and ash

formation take place.

❖ Ash gets settle down in the ash pit.

LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Fire brick:
❖ Fire brick arch is provided just above the grate to
prevent the entry of the ash, dust particle into the
fire tube.
❖ On the burning of the coal, coal particles get split
into very tiny particles and accumulation of these
particles may leads to severe problem.
LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Safety valve:
❖ Safety valve is provided to maintain the steam

pressure.

❖ It is also responsible for the blow off the steam

when the steam pressure reaches beyond the safe

working level.

❖ There are two types of steam pipes are involved one

is saturated and another is superheated steam.

LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Blast pipe:
❖ Once the superheated steam used in the engine,

exhaust steam is come out from the blast pipe.

❖ Blast pipe release the exhaust steam, on the

releasing it help to the smoke to release into the

environment through the chimneys and at the

same time some amount of flue gases is being

sucked by the blast pipe.

LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Chimney:
❖ It the outlet of the exhaust gases, but more
particularly in this case the exhaust steam
comes out of it once it is used.
❖ Hot flue gases contain smoke that needs to be
expelled out to the atmosphere.
❖ To release these exhaust gases or smoke
chimneys is provided.
❖ In the steam engine superheated steam is used
so the exhaust gas will also be a steam only.
LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Construction:
❖ A Locomotive Boiler has several components.
❖ First of all, it’s a shell or barrel.
❖ Generally, boiler shell diameter is about 8.5m
and length is about near 4m.
❖ A Steam Dome presents at the top section of the
boiler.
❖ It contains the regulator for regulating the steam
produced through the steam pipe when the boiler
is operational.
LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Construction:
❖ Firing point or hole present at the rear end of
the boiler.
❖ This boiler uses solid fuel in the furnace.
❖ Solid fuel is inserted and ignited into the furnace
by using this hole.
❖ After that, a firebox is present inside the boiler
shell where the fuel is burned and generates
heat.
❖ There is a platform called Grate where solid fuel
like coal is kept and burnt.
LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Construction:
❖ It is a fire tube boiler
❖ The fire tubes in which, the hot flue gases pass.
❖ When hot flue gases pass it exchange the heat with
the surrounding water.
❖ There is a smoke box and it is the only way where
smoke is passing through the air.
❖ When solid fuel burned inside the furnace it also
creates some smoke.
❖ This smokes need to exhaust in the environment by
the chimney.
LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Construction:
❖ There is a fire brick arch placed inclined over
the grate.
❖ It is responsible for preventing the entry of the
ash, burnt fuel, and dust particles into the fire
tubes during operation.
❖ Brick arch also provides a way to the hot flue
gases to travel a definite path before entering
the boiler fire tubes.
❖ There is a pipe called Steam Pipe.
LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Construction:
❖ By this pipe generated steam passes through.

❖ There are two steam pipes in Locomotive Boiler.

❖ First one is the main steam passing pipe.

❖ It located between the superheater and dome.

❖ The second steam pipe is connecting the

superheater exit end to the steam engine.

LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Construction:
❖ A blast pipe is provided above the steam engine.
❖ By this pipe, the exhaust steam passes.
❖ It has an important role during boiler operation.
❖ Generally, a blast pipe is used to create the
artificial draft that pushes the smoke out
through the chimney.
❖ It also creates suction pressure for the hot flue
gases.
❖ This suction pressure allows the hot flue gases
to passes forward and it passes through the
boiler fire tubes.
LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Construction:
❖ This boiler has a Super heater
❖ It superheats the steam to the desired
temperature.
❖ Steam used to superheated before it enters into
the cylinder of the steam engine.
❖ Because wet steam creates is harmful to the
engine.
❖ There are a superheater element pipes by which
the steam travels and become superheated.
LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Construction:
❖ The safety valve is used for safe working with

steam pressure.

❖ This safety valve is responsible for the blows off

steam when the pressure of generated steam is

increased above the safety level or critical level.

❖ It also prevents the blasting of the boiler

LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Construction:
❖ There is a Regulator valve present that regulates

the steam through the main steam pipe for

super-heating.

❖ final component of this boiler is Chimney.

❖ It is used to throw out the exhaust smoke and

gases to the environment.

LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Working:
❖ The locomotive boiler uses solid fuel like coal.
❖ At first, the solid fuel is inserted on the grate.
❖ Then it ignites from the fire hole.
❖ When the fuel is burning inside the fire hole, it
starts to generate necessary hot flue gases.
❖ Then a fire brick arch provides the path to flow
the hot flue gases to a definite path before it
entering into the long fire tubes of this boiler.
LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Working:
❖ It also stops entering the burnt solid fuel
particles into the fire tubes during the operation
of the boiler.
❖ two air dampers allow to flow fresh air into the
combustion chamber.
❖ When hot flue gases pass through the boiler
firetubes then it heats the water surrounding
the fire tubes
LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Working:
❖ Water becomes heated by this continuous
process and water becomes saturated steam.
❖ Generated saturated steam is collected at the
top.
❖ Then this saturated steam from the dome
(which is present at the top of the boiler) enters
into the main steam pipe through the regulator
valve.
❖ After this stem steam travels through the main
steam pipe and reaches to the super heater
header.
LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Working:
❖ By this superheated steam engine piston moves
inside the cylinder.
❖ Piston use to connect with the wheels of the
steam engine and the wheels start rotating like a
locomotive train.
❖ Then the exhaust steam from the cylinder enters
into the blast pipe.
❖ When you are sending steam into the cylinder
then only steam will come out as exhaust gas
LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Working:
❖ Burnt gases and smoke after passing through
the fire tubes of the boiler then it enters into the
smoke box.
❖ Then the exhaust steam coming out from the
blast pipe and it pushes the smoke out of the
boiler through the chimney.
❖ Smoke from burned solid fuel cannot escape out
from the boiler by its own.
LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Working:
❖ For this reason, an artificial draft is created by
exhaust steam which coming out from the steam
engine cylinder.
❖ This artificial draft also pushes the smoke out of
the smoke box and creates suction pressure for
the hot flue gases.
❖ There is a platform under the Grate called ash-
pit where ash is stored after burning of solid fuel
LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Advantages:
❖ It is portable and can be easily transported.
❖ It is capable of meeting sudden and fluctuating
demands of steam.
❖ It is a cost-effective boiler.
❖ It has a high steam generation rate.
❖ It is compact in size and its operation is easy.
LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Disadvantages:
❖ It faces the problems of corrosion and scale
formation.
❖ Unable to work under heavy load conditions
because of overheating problems.
❖ Some of its water spaces are difficult to clean.
LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Applications:
❖ Locomotive boilers are mostly used in railways
and marines.
❖ The efficiency of this boiler is very less.
❖ It cannot work in heavy-load conditions because
this leads to the overheating of the boiler and
finally gets damage.
❖ They are also used in traction engines, steam
rollers, portable steam engines, and some other
steam road vehicles.
Thank You