AD&D Welding and Boiler Works

33 Bleachery Court

Warwick RI 02886

AD&D is the company doing the re-tubing of the boiler at the Wireless and Steam Museum.  Located in Warwick RI not terribly far from the museum grounds.  

Video HERE

Boiler standing in its' usual place in the museum yard.

 

The boiler is being worked on laying on its' side.  The end facing the camera here is to top of the boiler when standing up.  

 

This is the bottom end of the boiler.  The boiler is fired from this end and the hot gasses from the  fire pass through the tubes to the top of the boiler.  The transfer the heat through the tubes to the water which surrounds the tubes.  Steam is drawn off the top of the boiler and passed through pipes to run the various engines.

 

New tubes are passed through the boiler from top to bottom.

  

The tubing is manufactured to close tolerance with minimum .105 wall thickness.  

  

The tool on the right expands the tubing to a water tight fit in the bulkhead the then flares it over.  On some boilers the tubes might be welded or brazed in place but on this unit the expanded fit is sufficient.

 

Tubing is left a little bit long from the supplier.  They are anchored from the fire end of the boiler and then trimmed to length and anchored on the top end.  If they were supplied cut to exact length and there was any variation in the bulkheads (warping etc.)  there might not be sufficient material to properly seal them.

 

This tool is used to trim the tubes to proper length.  Works somewhat like a tubing cutter except it cuts from the inside out. 

 

These following three photos are sent in by Fred Jaggi, thanks Fred for your contribution to this page.