PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION

The rapidity with which the first edition of this book was exhausted has exceeded the fondest expectations of its writers. The field of fuel oil in its uses in steam electric generation, though an important one, is somewhat narrow in the number of people involved in its study. The early exhaustion of the first edition, however, has given the authors an opportunity to re-write the book and to add many new and interesting advances that have been made during the three year period since the first edition appeared upon the market.

We are particularly grateful to Prof. L. S. Marks of Harvard University, to Prof. W. F. Durand of Stanford University; Mr. C. R. Weymouth, chief engineer of Charles C. Moore & Co.; Messrs. R. J. C. Wood and H. L. Doolittle of the Southern California Edison Company; Mr. E. A. Rogers, chief engineer of steam electric generation for the New Cornelia Copper Co.; Mr. E. H. Peabody, consulting engineer; Prof. E. H. Lockwood of Yale; Dr. D. S. Jacobus, advisory engineer of the Babcock and Wilcox Company; and Mr. J. E. Woodbridge of Ford, Bacon and Davis, for valuable information, helpful suggestions, and a kindly and encouraging attitude for further efforts in the compilation of this work.

Many of the newer portions of this work have first appeared in print either in the columns of the Electrical World or the Journal of Electricity, and to these two publications we are grateful for the interest and kindly suggestions they have given to us.

ROBERT SIBLEY.
C. H. DELANY.

SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.,

January, 1921.

PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION

Fuel oil in its power generating characteristics is a factor of prime importance on land and sea in these momentous times. The clarion call to service is heard on all sides. And in answering this call, it must be remembered that to save is to serve.

Implicity hoping that this book may aid in establishing a fuller knowledge of the fundamental laws of fuel oil and steam engineering, and that a consequent saving in fuel will inevitably result where these laws are properly put into practice, no matter how small may be the resulting good, the authors offer to the engineering and industrial world at this time this work, which had its incipiency six years ago in certain power economy tests in Oakland, California, later to be used in lecture notes at the University of California, and finally to be rounded out by a study of power plant practice in California covering a period of several years.

The book has as its underlying theme a study of fuel oil power plant operation, and the use of evaporative tests in increasing the efficiency of oil fire plants. To accomplish this end the subject matter has been treated in three main subdivisions: First, an exposition of the elementary laws of steam engineering; second, the process involved in the utilization of fuel oil in the modern power plant; and, third, the testing of boilers when oil fired.

In treating the first subdivision, the elementary laws of steam engineering are set forth in a new manner, in that the viewpoint is taken from that of the oil-fired instead of the coal-fired power plant operator. In the second subdivision, the results of considerable labor and analysis are set forth from the collecting and collating of data involved in burner, furnace, and fuel oil tests, hitherto appearing in disconnected form and in widely varying sources. In the third subdivision the authors have given definite suggestions for fuel oil tests-largely suggestions recently presented personally by the authors at the invitation of the Power Test Committee of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers at a hearing of the Committee in New York City for the purpose of standardizing the rules for boiler tests where oil is used as a fuel.

The many illustrative problems that have been worked out in the chapters on steam engineering and boiler economy are based upon the data obtained from the latest edition of Marks & Davis' "Tables and Diagrams of the Thermal Properties of Saturated and Superheated Steam," published by Longmans, Green & Company, which may be purchased through any reputable book dealer for the sum of one dollar. For a careful study of these illustrative examples the reader should provide himself with a copy of these steam tables, although this is not necessary for most of the discussions on fuel oil and furnace design as treated in the text.

The six beautiful views of the economy measuring apparatus installed at the Long Beach Plant of the Southern California Edison Company, featured in this book, are extended through the courtesy of R. J. C. Wood, superintendent of generation for the Southern Division of that company.

Throughout the work the authors have attempted to set forth standard practice in fuel oil and steam engineering. As a consequence they are indebted to a large group of manufacturers, engineers and power plant operators for their timely suggestions in pointing out and developing the fundamental laws of fuel oil and steam engineering practice that are dwelt upon in this work. ROBERT SIBLEY. C. H. DELANY.

SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.,

May 1, 1918.