Firebox: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 23:57, 17 March 2025

Fireboxes are chambers found on steam vehicles , where fuel is burned in order to boil water in boilers . A firebox is positioned such that it is partly inside a boiler. It also features a cluster of heating tubes extending through the boiler, to a chimney at the other end, where the hot air and smoke pass through.

Coal-powered fireboxes have a firedoor in the vehicle's cab , which can be opened to shovel coal inside. The door should be kept closed otherwise, to prevent blowback. Blowback is a dangerous event where exhaust flow is reversed, drawing fire into the cab, potentially catastrophically harming the crew. It happens upon entering tunnels with the firedoor open.

To ignite coal, use a lighter .

In order to boil water, fireboxes need to be hot. Firebox temperature is measured by a temperature gauge. Fireboxes should be kept only as hot as needed to create the required amount of steam. Overheating them all the time wastes fuel .

Firebox temperature is controlled by the amount of coal and airflow inside it. Simply having no more coal to burn will cause the firebox to cool down, and adding more coal will warm it up if the airflow is sufficient. The amount of airflow is key, and depends on whether there is steam being admitted to the cylinders , but can also be adjusted by the blower and damper controls.

Having the firebox full to the brim with coal is not always the best choice. Too much coal with too little airflow negatively affects fuel efficiency , resulting in a lot of coal particles getting spewed out the chimney before fully burning. This is what makes the exhaust dark. When coal amount is proportional to available airflow, however, coal burns cleaner and the exhaust color is more bright.

Different types of shovels have different characteristics when it comes to feeding the firebox.

Coal in fireboxes can be dumped manually, with the coal dump lever found next to the firedoor.

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 <!--T:1-->
-Firebox is a chamber onboard a {{pll|Steam Overview|steam}} {{pll|Rail Vehicle Types|vehicle}}, where the {{pll|Fuel Storage|fuel}} is burned in order to heat up the {{pll|Water Storage|water}} inside the {{pll|Boiler|boiler}}. Coal powered fireboxes have a firedoor, which the engineer can keep open while shoveling coal inside. The door should be kept closed whenever possible. Even though its effect on firebox temperature is minimal, keeping the door open can cause blowback when entering tunnels, a reversal of the exhaust flow that can draw fire into the {{pll|Rail Vehicle Types|cab}} and be catastrophic for the crew. Blowback can be prevented by keeping the door closed, or by maintaining intense airflow when entering a tunnel.
+Fireboxes are chambers found on {{pll|Steam Overview|steam vehicles}}, where {{pll|Fuel Storage|fuel}} is burned in order to boil {{pll|Water Level|water}} in {{pll|Boiler|boilers}}. A firebox is positioned such that it is partly inside a boiler. It also features a cluster of heating tubes extending through the boiler, to a chimney at the other end, where the hot air and smoke pass through.
+<!--T:6-->
+Coal-powered fireboxes have a firedoor in the vehicle's {{pll|Rail Vehicle Types|cab}}, which can be opened to {{pll|Shovel|shovel}} coal inside. The door should be kept closed otherwise, to prevent blowback. Blowback is a dangerous event where exhaust flow is reversed, drawing fire into the cab, potentially catastrophically harming the crew. It happens upon entering tunnels with the firedoor open.
+<!--T:8-->
+To ignite coal, use a {{pll|Lighter|lighter}}.
 <!--T:2-->
-Temperature inside of the firebox is measured by a temperature gauge. It should be kept only as hot as needed to create the required amount of steam. Having it too cold will not generate enough steam, and overheating it can cause {{pll|Driving Efficiency|inefficiency}} with fuel consumption.
+In order to boil water, fireboxes need to be hot. Firebox temperature is measured by a temperature gauge. Fireboxes should be kept only as hot as needed to create the required amount of steam. Overheating them all the time {{pll|Driving Efficiency|wastes fuel}}.
 <!--T:3-->
-Firebox temperature is controlled by the amount of coal and airflow inside it. Simply having no more coal to burn will cause the firebox to cool down, and adding more coal will warm it up if the airflow is sufficient. The amount of draft depends on whether the steam is being admitted to the cylinders, but can also be adjusted by the blower and damper controls.
+Firebox temperature is controlled by the amount of coal and airflow inside it. Simply having no more coal to burn will cause the firebox to cool down, and adding more coal will warm it up if the airflow is sufficient. The amount of airflow is key, and depends on whether there is {{pll|Regulator|steam being admitted to the cylinders}}, but can also be adjusted by the {{pll|Blower & Damper|blower and damper}} controls.
 <!--T:4-->
-Having the firebox full to the brim is not always the best choice. Too much coal with too little airflow negatively affects fuel efficiency, resulting in a lot of coal particles getting spewed out of the chimney before they’re fully burned. This is what makes the smoke dark. When there’s less coal in the firebox it burns cleaner, making the smoke color closer to white.
+Having the firebox full to the brim with coal is not always the best choice. Too much coal with too little airflow negatively affects {{pll|Driving Efficiency|fuel efficiency}}, resulting in a lot of coal particles getting spewed out the chimney before fully burning. This is what makes the exhaust dark. When coal amount is proportional to available airflow, however, coal burns cleaner and the exhaust color is more bright.
 <!--T:5-->
-To control the level of coal in the firebox more precisely, the driver can use the expert shovel. They’re also able to dump coals using the coal dump lever next to the firedoor.
+Different types of {{pll|Shovel|shovels}} have different characteristics when it comes to feeding the firebox.
+<!--T:7-->
+Coal in fireboxes can be dumped manually, with the coal dump lever found next to the firedoor.
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-{{See also|Shovel|Blower & Damper|Driving Efficiency|Regulator|Cutoff|Fees|Firebox}}
 [[Category:Fire Management|2]]