by Hornbeam » Sun Dec 27, 2020 9:48 am
G.M. Creemaster, there was indeed a 'nod' to the Clean Air Act, this was indicated by a Smoke Chart which hung in the Stokehold this consisted of a Graph which showed decreasing shaded areas and how long you could 'smoke' at a particular density. This was fine for an Oil Burner when the Fireman could quickly adjust his air/HFO ( as long as the oil temp was right) mixture but for the Natural Draught Coal Burner it was something of a challenge for the Firemen, mainly down to the quality of the coal. Welsh Anthracite being the cleanest to burn but of course the more expensive. It was not unusual for Vessels of this era not to have a Periscope in the Stokehold for the Fireman to monitor his smoke output so it was all down to the skill of the Fireman to reduce the density as quickly as he can. Part of that skill is in the firing and the positioning of the main burn area on the grate as it's not just a matter of throwing shovelfulls of coal through the Firebox Door. It is also very important to keep the Firebars clean in order to assist combustion by using the large 'Companion Set' which was in the Stokehold. A good Fireman made life easy for the Engineer.