Bill Young Mine · AditNow Community

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spitfire
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

15 years ago

What's the drum on top of the boiler? Is it a steam steam generator?

🔗Bill-Young-Mixed-Mine-User-Album-Image-49694[linkphoto]Bill-Young-Mixed-Mine-User-Album-Image-49694[/linkphoto][/link]

spitfire

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nwminer
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

15 years ago

My guess was that it was to trap any liquid H2O carried up by the steam flow, and allow it to drain back to the boiler when steam flow was low. These mines were not very big or deep, so need for steam was likely intermittant. But just a guess - anybody with a better idea? Definitely not an expert in this field!
🙂
Neil

derrickman
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

15 years ago

I would guess that it is a steam chamber, analogous to the steam dome on railway locomotives - a volume for a head of steam to be maintained for the purpose of regulating the delivery pressure

''the stopes soared beyond the range of our caplamps' - David Bick...... How times change .... oh, I don't know, I've still got a lamp like that.

spitfire
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

15 years ago

Thanks for the answers guys. I think Derrickman is the closest. After thinking about it for quite a while, I came to the conclusion that the mine may have pumped its own boiler feed water. If this was the case it would have been dirty so the dome would have been provided ( probably a modification ) to prevent priming

spitfire

derrickman
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

15 years ago

given the relative sizes of the boiler steam space and secondary tank, I'd guess the valve would be closed to isolate the boiler while making steam

I'd guess it was a later modification, hence the pipework to use an existing fitting and not modify the main boiler shell

''the stopes soared beyond the range of our caplamps' - David Bick...... How times change .... oh, I don't know, I've still got a lamp like that.