Lakshmi Narain College of Technology (LNCT) Bhopal (MP)

EXPERIMENT NO. 10
10 Cochran Boiler
AIM
To study of Cochran boiler.

APPARATUS
Model of Cochran boiler.

THEORY
A steam boiler is a closed vessel, strongly constructed of steel, in which
steam is generated from water by the application of heat. The steam
generated is used for producing power and for industrial work and heating
work. The steam boiler is also known as steam generator. The function of
Cochran Boiler

a steam boiler or generator is to convert chemical energy of fuel by

combustion into heat and to transfer this heat to water and thus to produce
steam.

According to A.S.M.E. (American Society of Mechanical Engineers,

U.S.A.) code a boiler is defined as a combination of apparatus for
producing, furnishing or recovering heat together with the apparatus for
transferring the heat so made available to water which could be heated
and vaporised to steam form.

The boilers which produce steam at pressure below 80 bar are called low
pressure boilers. Simple Vertical, Cochran, Cornish, Lancashire,
Locomotive boilers, Babcock and Wilcox etc. are the example of low-
pressure boiler. The boilers which produce steam at pressures of 80 bar
and above are called high pressure boilers. Velox, Lamont, Benson
boilers etc. are the example of high-pressure boiler.

A fire-tube or smoke-tube boiler is one in which the hot products of

combustion (hot gases) flow through the inside of tubes, known as smoke
tubes, and water surrounding the tubes. The fire-tube boiler belongs to the
old class of boilers, but they have still a place of usefulness where the
steam pressure does not exceed about 10 bar and where a moderate
quantity of steam is required. They have the advantage of low cost and
compact design. Their evaporative capacities range from 200 to 3,000 kg
of water per hour. Their thermal efficiencies vary from 65 to 68 per cent
under normal conditions, and smaller size of these are easily portable.
Boilers belonging to this class are: Simple vertical boiler, Vertical boiler
with horizontal smoke tubes (Cochran boiler), Locomotive boiler, and
Scotch marine boiler. Fire-tube boilers are also termed as economical
boilers. These boilers have much less water capacity and so they require
less time to raise steam from cold water. Water-tube boilers have water
inside the tubes and hot gases surrounding the tubes.

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These boilers are used extensively because they can be built for high
pressures and large evaporative capacities. They are safe, quick steaming,
and flexible in construction and operation. Babcock and Wilcox Water-
tube Boiler is the example of water tube boiler.

COCHRAN BOILER
It is vertical, stationary, multi tubular, horizontal fire tube, natural
circulation and internally fired boiler. They are made in various sizes with
maximum required steam generating capacities up to 3000 Kgs per hour
and maximum pressure up to 20 bars.

It is a well-known design of a vertical multitubular fire tube boiler, and is

an improvement over the simple vertical boiler as it provides greater
heating surface with horizontal fire-tubes. The details of Cochran boiler
are shown in Fig. 10.1. The boiler consists of a cylindrical shell with its
crown having a hemispherical shape. Similarly, the furnace is also
hemispherical in shape (the hemispherical shape gives higher strength and
Cochran Boiler

higher area/volume ratio. This shape also required less material in

construction. The coal is fed into the furnace through fire hole and
combustion takes place above the grate inside the furnace) The burnt
gases pass through multiple numbers of (165 to 170 nos) horizontal tubes
which are approximately 6.25 cm in external diameter. The flue gases
after passing through horizontal tubes will be collected in smoke box and
at the same time large quantity of heat will transfer to the water by
convection and thus water temperature increases. The flue gases finally
collected in the smoke box and will pass to atmosphere through vertical
chimney. The smoke box is provided with an inspection door.

The Cochran boiler may be arranged to burn almost any kind of fuel
including wood, paddy husk and oil fuel. If the coal is used as a fuel, the
combustion of coal will take place over the grate and ashes will collect in
the ash pit provided under the grate in bottom most portion of the furnace.
If the oil is used as a fuel, no grate is needed but the bottom of the furnace
is lined with firebricks. In such cases oil burners will be fitted at a
suitable point below the fire hole.

The air circulation through the grate is caused by means of draught which
is produced by the selection of suitable size of the chimney. Similarly, to
regulate the flow of flue gases from the chimney to atmosphere is done by
means of damper which will be provided at a suitable outlet of the
chimney

Particulars of boiler are as follows:

Diameter of boiler shell 1 meter to 3 metre
Height of boiler shell 2 metre to 6 metre
Steam generation capacity 20 kg/hr to 3000 kg/hr
Pressure of steam upto 20 bars
Efficiency 70 to 75 per cent
Total heating surface area about 10 to 25 times the
great area

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Figure 10.1 Cochran Boiler

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The special features of Cochran boilers are:

• The spherical crown and spherical shape of a fire box are the
special features of this boiler. These shapes require least material
for a given volume.
• It is very compact and requires minimum floor area.
• Any type of fuel can bum in the boiler.
• It is well suited for small industries.
• It gives about 70% thermal efficiency with coal firing and about
75% with oil firing.
• It is used for small capacity steam generation purpose.
• The ratio of grate area to heating surface area varies from 10:1 to
25:1.
• it is self-contained and stronger from design point of view.
• As there are no seams (joints) in the furnace, this source of trouble
is eliminated.
Cochran Boiler

The following necessary mountings provided for safe and easy working
of the boiler as an essential component:

Feed Check Valve

The feed check valve is fitted in feed water supply line. The feed water is
supplied to the boiler through this valve. It is unidirectional flow control
valve. It opens only when the feed water pressure is higher than the
pressure inside the boiler and feed water will flow into the boiler shell. If
the feed water pressure is less than the boiler steam pressure, then this
valve remains closed and no back flow of steam/water through the supply
line (through the valve) takes place. Hence it checks the back flow of
steam/ water from boiler.

Water level indicator

The water level indicator is fitted outside the boiler shell which indicates
the level of water inside the boiler with the help of glass tube. It helps to
maintain a particular level of water inside the boiler otherwise
overheating may take place which in turn may burn out the tubes. They
are two in numbers in a boiler.

Pressure Gauge

It is fitted on top of the boiler shell and indicates the pressure of steam
inside the boiler when boiler is working.

Safety Valve

The safety valve is fitted on top of the crown of the boiler shell. The
function of safety valve is to maintain a desired pressure in the boiler
shell. If the pressure in the boiler shell increases then extra steam is
released to atmosphere through opening of safety Valve.

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Fusible plug

The fusible plug is mounted on the boiler shell above the furnace and
below the water level in the shell. This plug under normal condition is
immersed in water in the boiler which keeps the temperature of fusible
metal in the fusible plug below its melting point. When the water level in
the shell falls below the fusible plug level, the fusible metal of the fusible
plug melts by the heat of the flue gases in the furnace. Thus, the plug
melts and drops cut and high-pressure steam/water rushes out to the
furnace and puts off the fire in the furnace. Thus, boiler is protected from
overheating and mishappening.

Blow off cock

During annual maintenance and also other such occasions when it is

necessary to empty the boiler, so the boiler shell can be cleaned,
inspected and repaired instantly. Similarly, it is also a common practice to
Cochran Boiler

remove periodically the sediments and other deposited material from the
boiler shell. The same can be removed by opening the blow off cock. It is
mounted in the boiler at the lowest position of the shell to remove all
sediments and water by gravity flow.

Man hole

A man hole usually elliptical or oval shaped and is provided at the top of
the boiler shell. The man hole is provided for the entry of person for
repair, cleaning and inspection purposes during annual maintenance. The
man hole and other opening are made steam tight with the help of
asbestos sheet or asbestos board, which are used as a packing material
between shell and manhole. Oval shaped manhole is usually 40cm by
30cm in sizes. In Cochran and Lancashire boilers generally, circular
manhole is provided.

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