Boiler glossary W

WASH PLATE -- Fitted in tanks to prevent large quantities of water or oil rushing from side to side when the vessel rolls. WASTE HEAT -- Sensible heat in non-combustible gases discharged to the environment. WASTE OIL -- Sludge. WATER BALLAST -- Water carried for purposes of stability. Also, water taken into ballast tanks to balance or redress change of draught due to consumption of fuel. WATER BOTTOM -- The space underneath the furnace occupied by water in an internally fired boiler. WATER GAUGE -- The gauge glass and its fittings for attachment. WATER GLASS -- The gauge glass and its fittings for attachment. WATER HAMMER -- A sharp hammer-like blow from a steep-fronted pressure wave in water caused by the sudden stoppage of flow in a long pipe when a valve is closed sufficiently rapidly. Occurs also when a steam valve is suddenly opened to a cold pipe. WATER PLAN -- A horizontal section through a ship's hull. Usually named by measurement from the base line, but sometimes from the load water plan. WATER SOFTENER -- Removes hardness from water through an ion exchange of sodium with calcium and magnesium. WATER TUBE BOILER -- A boiler having a heating surface consisting of a large number of relatively small diameter tubes which contain the water. The heat is applied on the external side of the tubes WATERWALL -- Tubes welded together to form a membrane panel.   WET STEAM -- Steam containing moisture. WETBACK BOILER -- Firetube boiler design wherein the back side of the combustion chamber is water cooled. WINDBOX -- A chamber through which combustion-air is supplied to the burner. WING -- Structural timbers, posts, or compartments that are on the outboard side of a vessel. WORKING PRESSURE -- The boiler's highest allowable operation pressure.

© 2007 Lars Josefsson   Boilers